Home Broadband Adoption
In the comments section of this posting, include three findings that are important for teachers.
You are encouraged to read (and post comments on) other scholars' comments.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
In the comments section of this posting, include three findings that are important for teachers.
You are encouraged to read (and post comments on) other scholars' comments.
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ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that:
ReplyDelete1. 20% of the people polled said that nothing would EVER get them to switch to broadband. It's funny, but every time a get a new computer, I can't believe how I ever put up with the old, slow one.
2. Although broadband growth slowed in 2010, growth among African-Americans soared well above the national average. That's encouraging from a multicultural equity standpoint.
3. Most Americans (53%) don't believe that affordable broadband service should be a government priority. That's discouraging from my "I hate to wait" point-of-view. :)
The 20% statistic shocked me, too! I can't believe that anyone wouldn't want faster access, if given the opportunity.
DeleteIt is interesting to me that there are still 17% of people that do not have access to broadband internet. These must be people that use the internet, but do not have the capabilities to reach the high speeds. I wonder when the entire country will have access to broadband internet?
ReplyDeleteI also wonder what factors weigh into the reasons why people do not want to switch. Are these families with children and teens? Are these older people? I think the younger generation is less used to waiting for internet (as I am also) so this factor probably makes a difference in the decision making process.
What percentage of the people who do not have broadband internet access at home do you think also do not have the ability to utilize it at school or work either? I bet it is slim to none. In the United States, even McDonalds offers free wireless broadband internet! What does having this internet at home really do for education when this also doesn't consider mobile network users who can access the same information!?
Delete1. I was also surprised to see that 20% of people would never consider switching to broadband. I wonder if they have ever used it to know what it has to offer, or if they are just closed off to trying something new. I'd think it would be difficult to communicate effectively when you are set on using obsolete technology.
ReplyDelete2. In a study/link branching off of the Dial-Up/Broadband study, I found that 12% of American families do not have internet access at home. It is important that teachers recognize this because they have to be aware of their classroom demographics when implementing technology in the classroom. This is one of my biggest reservations about this course-that I might not be able to apply everything I learn to the classroom because of students' limited internet access. However, having access in schools helps account for this deficit.
3. Finally, I think it is important to make the general observation that technology is changing as far as how users are accessing the internet. As educators, we have to be current on, if not ahead of, technology that our students are using in and out of the classroom.
I also find it interesting that 35% of people in the US would never switch to broadband internet. I wonder if some of that number are people who are older and are already pressed because of the learning curve necessary to keep up with new technology.
ReplyDeleteI also noticed that some college education seems to increase the use of internet the most out of all demographic groups. This is interesting because children of those families will have an added advantage in the educational process.
Finally, the finding about the use of internet by the Latino population is the most encouraging, but I wonder about the Asian and Native American populations (especially given the amount of Nebraskan population found on reservations).
1. I think it is still important that teachers need to realize that not all of their students have internet access at home. Assignments that require use of the internet may need to be partly done while in class.
ReplyDelete2. I use email as a primary communication device as far as keeping in contact with parents. It is important to know that some families may not have access to the internet at home and a phone call may be more convenient.
3. It is interesting that 17% of the people said that it is not available where they live. I thought that you could get broadband almost anywhere nowadays.
I agree with the importance of acknowledging that some students do not have internet access at home. I have several students each year that are low income or new to America and do not have a computer.
Delete1. I think it’s interesting that as of April 2011, 66% of American adults age 18+ have a high-speed broadband connection at home. Since it’s over half of American adults that have a high-speed broadband connection parents have access to the internet if teachers want to use the internet as a communication tool.
ReplyDelete2. 93%of American teens used the internet as of September 2009. Out of the 93%, only 11% were using wireless internet. I think this is interesting fact considering that a lot of teens like to use the internet for their homework. 32% were still using a cable modem to connect to the internet.
3. It’s amazing how much the internet has increased its usage over time. As of April 2012, 82% of adults use the internet which means that more parents have access to the internet. Teachers can definitely use the internet for parent communication via classroom blog, email, websites for students to use for extra help, etc…
The 2011 report shows 95% of American teens use Internet and of this percentage, 62% get news regarding current events or politics (from the trend data - what teens do online). The 2011 report also shows teen gadget ownership with 77% of teens age 12-17 own cell phones and 74% own desktop or laptop. These numbers are important for teachers because they show most teens have access to Internet and are using it; teachers can then utilize Internet as a resource in and out of the classroom for more effective instruction and learning.
ReplyDelete1. Interesting that 35% of people would switch to broadband because of price - showing that even though it's available, some students may not have high speed access.
ReplyDelete2. I thought it was 66% was too low of a number of adults with high speed access.
3. I haven't seen it in numbers before - but the growth of internet users (high speed or not) has grown 50% in 10 years. Imagine in 5 more years how the home connection will grow more.
1. I think that it is important that teachers understand that 35% of people that don't have internet can't afford to have the internet.
ReplyDelete2. It is also important that 66% of adults have access to the internet in their homes. If this is the nuber for adults the nuber for children has to be very similar.
3. The last thing teachers need to understand is that in some areas internet is not available. In Omaha the internet is normally available but if a child lives in an outlying area they may not have access to the internet.
Good points to consider as we move into more and more online educational experiences.
DeleteYour third point highlights one of the main concerns that smaller school districts have with incorporating a semi-virtual or flipped classroom into their curriculum. Students not having access to internet due to the location of there home is a disadvantage and an obstacle for educators as well.
DeleteMy passion is to see Nebraska move forward like our neighboring states and offer a k-12 online free public option to our children. The obstacles in this article will certainly need to be considered and overcome in order for that to happen. However, once that is accomplished, I believe the online option will offer much more of an equitable learning environment for all students.
ReplyDeleteThree Findings
ReplyDelete1) 97% of American adults ages 18-29 use the internet.
2) 75% of high school graduates and 95% of college graduates use the internet.
3) When online, 91% of users use a search engine to find information and 59% of these users do so daily.
Although it is interesting that 35% of dial-up users will not switch to a high speed broadband connection due to cost, this only effects 7% of internet users. It is probably an even smaller percentage of students who are affected by this.
Yes, I branched out from the initial assigned article regarding home broadband adoption. I got curious as to where the blue links would lead me and I wanted to know more about who was using the internet and what for. The twenty percent difference between high school graduates and college graduates who use the internet is shocking. This statistic highlights the emphasis and application of technology in post secondary education. The correlation between education and one’s desire to use the internet does not surprise me.
So, 91% of internet users use search engines? And 59% of these users search on the internet daily? Yes and yes. These two statistics motivate me to continue to foster students’ curiosity and quest of knowledge that drives them to search for information. If this same curiosity trickles into 21st century education, it will prove to be a platform for students to build a solid foundation for which they can build their technology skills on in the future.
-Kristen Hogan
The three statistics I found interesting were:
ReplyDelete1. There was less than a 10% spread between the three ethnic groups studied. Encouraging!
2. There was nearly a 40% increase in Internet usage in those just entering the work force as compared to those preparing to leave. The Internet is truly an important tool for our students to have in their tool chests.
3. I found it unfortunate that income level still plays a major roll in the learning opportunities of our children with an almost 30% difference of Internet usage between those earning less than $30,000 a year and those earning over $75,000.
I would like to see some up-to-date data on Internet usage state to state. The most current I could find was from 2008.
I focused on teens and their networking habits:
ReplyDeletea. The median number of texts per teen/per day is now up to 60. This means that there is an excellent chance that students will want/need to fire off/ receive multiple texts over the course of my 1.5 hour class. Students get very nervous that they are missing out on something if they are not in constant contact with someone.
b. As of July 2011, 80% of teens were using social networking. What an excellent way for the students to communicate with each other about the academic portions of school in addition to gossip / pop culture.
c. 64% of teens reported observing / witnessing something cruel online and doing nothing about it. As educators, we must be aware of the abuse/bullying that certain students may be going through and attempting to directly help them.
The three statistics I found most interesting:
ReplyDelete1. I was not surprised that 66% of all Americans are using the internet but the real quesiton I wonder about is what percent of those people truly understand and know how to use the full technological capabilities of their technology device?
2. Looking over the demographics breakdown of internet users it was pleasing to know that the use of the internet is reaching out to all different groups of people regardles of age, ethnicity or socioeconomic background.
3. I agree with Steve above that the statistic of 64% of teens reported observing or witnessing something cruel online and not doing anything about it is a very scary. It is a challenging obstacle of social networking. Coming from my administrative experience we deal with social network issues on a daily basis. I feel like we always are trying to be one step ahead of the students in counteracting cyberbullying. One way is to continaully educate our parents on how to monitor their children if they are using social network sites.
1. I thought it was important to note that teens communicate primarily by texting. We find in our school that if you e-mail a student, chances are they won’t check their e-mail. Ten years ago, students were checking their e-mails daily, as that was their primary source of communication. As teachers, we need to be cognizant of that and either verbally tell the student to check their e-mail or find another way to communicate with the student.
ReplyDelete2. In the article Teens, Video Games, and Civics, I found it interesting that their survey found that almost all teens played games on their computers and cell phones. I knew gaming was popular, but I did not realize that almost all teens participated in the gaming experience. Definitely something to think about when planning ways to reach kids.
3. There was an article about a new app for the iphone called textPlus. It is a free texting app that will use advertisements as an alternative way of making money so people can text for free. Although free texting sounds nice, I worry on how these advertisements are going to influence the younger population.
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ReplyDelete(My original post disappeared)
ReplyDelete1) 95% of people who have college degrees use the internet. This statistic shows that as teachers we need to ensure students have a skill that is expected of future members of the workforce.
2) 97% of households that make over $75,000 use the internet while only 71% of households that make under $30,000. This is important for teachers to recognize that the internet is not accessible by all of our students, especially for teachers in schools with a high population of students from lower SES households.
3) 77% of teens have a cell phone and 74% of teens have a laptop or desktop computer. This is important for teachers because computer access is not universal for our students, much like the trouble with internet access. We need to ensure we give students enough in class time to complete all computer related assignments.