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Abstract
Mario Antonio Kelly, “Bridging digital and cultural divides: TPCK for equity of access to technology”, Handbook of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) for Educators, Edited by The AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology, A Co-Publication of Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group and the American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education, p. 31-58, 2008

Chapter two addresses equity of access to information and communication technology (ICT) and technology mediated instruction (TMI). The chapter has three goals. The first goal is to describe the equity of access for students to technology; the second is to present the current knowledge on the ways to address this equality; and the third goal is to provide ways to improve equality of access. The divides discussed are socioeconomic status, language and culture backgrounds. These diversities lead to a divide in access to hardware, software and Internet. Teachers can help to narrow this inequality between students by working with administrators, parents and the community to make sure there are locations for students to use the needed technology. The chapter notes that schools at a disadvantage usually have fewer teachers that are comfortable with technology and fewer technologically skilled parents in these districts. Also, students who are usually struggling are given drill and practice activities using the technology, as a reward, or guarded too strictly because teachers become afraid of what students will do with the technology. One way to cross this divide is by putting technology into the curriculum, and exposing students to a wide range of ICT. The third digital divide is providing access to culture-sensitive TMI. The chapter the importance of being sensitive to cultural differences and to be sure that teachers are educated on how to use technology with all students. Equal access for all students in the classroom and all students are encouraged to use the most challenging technology in their lessons. Chapter two also explores the topic of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK), explaining that the TPCK assessment context includes a teacher’s knowledge of technology and application in the classroom, obstacles and opportunities that occur, and the equity of the computer use within the classroom. A “wicked problem” of what is the best way to use technology to help students learn is presented. The chapter concludes that the most important opportunity for teachers is to have the chance to learn these skills and knowledge to aid them in their classrooms.

First digital divide: Access to ICT
Everybody felt that the first digital divide had not been completely bridged. The school systems were recognized as being the location where access as complete as it could possibly be. Access is still incomplete, even in the schools, partially because of the magnitude of the maintenance issues. We are talking about a school reform/educational reform that has components for each individual student. This differs from earlier reforms where one component served multiple students (e.g. a blackboard, indoor plumbing, hot lunch program). While this is a problem, it is probably out of the control of the classroom teacher. We can recognize the problem exists and create strategies for coping with the problem, but it may not be within our capabilities or control to fix the problem. The solution to the problem may be beyond our capability or control. Lindsay and Zachary both made the point that providing the opportunity for access for all students at a particular point in their education may be the best we can do at this time. Perhaps the most important approach is to teach the students how to cope and how to be resourceful.

Second digital divide: Access to achievement enhancing TMI
This seems to be new territory for all of us. We have a shared lack of direction, partially because we acknowledge that value can come from surprising sources. Photo Booth, for example, can be a terrific distraction to the students when they first work with their laptops. But the same application allows the class to understand the difference between simple inheritance and polygenic traits. As teachers we search most frrequently for sites that explicitly offer pedagogical support or [|lesson plans]. We also acknowledge that new applications are being developed faster than we can possibly master all of them. We need to give up on the role of teacher being the source of information, because that's futile.

Third digital divide: access to culture sensitive technological pedagogy
Maine has the second highest population of Caucasians in the United States. Only Vermont’s population is comprised of a higher percentage of Caucasians. Not surprisingly, all of us were puzzled about how to approach cultural differences in a meaningful way. Jennifer made two excellent points: socioeconomic status as culture; recognizing the need to contact parents using different approaches (e-mail doesn't work for all). Jennifer's first point recognizes that students need to learn how to navigate cultural differences. If the differences are subtle, it's more difficult to learn. Her second point articulates the effect that parental circumstances (voluntary or not) may have on the students.

Fourth point of the chapter: Defensive teaching
We don't think any of us are using technology primarily for drill and practice. Most of us will certainly monitor more closely our own choices regarding which technologies we use. We agree with Zachary and his defense of some form of defensive teaching as well as his eloquent justification/explanation. "... has a strong place in the organization of the school.... once the students understand this... we can let this extended learning happen with us on the sidelines."

Jennah I.
At first glance, one might not think some of Chapter 2 (specifically the first digital divide) pertains to a teacher in Maine. The states 1 to 1 laptop initiative has really provided a start to an equal playing field for our students in grades 7-12. But realistically there are schools with K-6 students that are faced with all three digital divides, and educators have miles to go before K-12 students have bridged them all. We would like to think that Maine has eliminated the have/have not issues that come with technology, but there is more to do. On page 34 the authors discuss the broadband access as part of the first divide. This is true for many of my students. Even though all of my sophomores have a Netbook, they do not all have access at home. Our school library is open in the afternoons, but often that is not enough time to do all that is necessary. On page 39 the authors suggest that we “Plan for equipment failure”. This seems so simple, but really does play a key role in the success of the laptop program. Students are not allowed to have chargers in our school, so if they were unable to plug in, or couldn't charge for whatever reason, then they are out of luck for the day. If it were a textbook that the student left at home, what would we do? Look on? Provide a spare? The student is immediately punished academicaly for a technical error. Also, when machines are in repair, they are not provided with spares to get through lessons. This is not an equal playing field for all kids. I found the “Defensive Teaching” concept really interesting. I HATE to be asked to have my lid shut, and yet I ask it of my students all the time. I am torn between them focusing on instruction/steps and letting them take control of their learning environment. I wouldn't consider my motives to be “defensive”, but I do see how it could snowball to that out of a need to maintain technological order. This is something to be aware of. I underscored point number four on page 47 under “Equitable Classrooms”. I need to create more opportunities for those learners who are reading below grade level to succeed. I am not alone, and think this is true for most teachers. In English, we can set reading goals, and differentiate with theme based instruction, but it is easy to simply ask for a blanket assignment. Students who are behind in reading are usually behind in writing, yet I ask them all to write essays. Duh.

Jennifer B.
The primary focus of this chapter is what constitutes the “digital divide” that separates students and how to address it (although I must say there is a lot of abstractions and little specific advice to be found throughout). Factors that influence and in fact create this divide include SES, ethnicity, language, and culture; in addition, the book identifies three types of digital divides: 1) access to technology infrastructure; 2) access to technology mediated instruction or TMI (which is not clearly defined); and 3) access to culturally-sensitive TMI. Regarding the first divide (access to technology in terms of computers, broadband, and software) we are lucky in Maine to have much of the problem taken care of at the high school level. Indeed, at my school (and this has been the case for the past 5 years at least), each student is issued a recent-model laptop that comes preinstalled with an array of productivity software such as Inspiration, iWork, Internet browsers, email access, and so forth. It is not only possible but expected, then, for teachers to incorporate the use of these computers into their curricula and therefore justify the expensive machines – and as a result, students are expected to do much of their work on the computer. Difficulty does arise, however, in terms of using them at home (a very few are not allowed to bring them off school property, mainly due to inability to pay insurance) and limited access to the Internet (dial-up or no access at home). When we are confronted with such problems, we have to be creative and the kids themselves are used to finding ways around the issues: printing out needed material to read through at home, using the Internet at public libraries, and so on. However, it definitely puts them at a disadvantage and we must be aware of the added hardship such technology use can create. Similarly, we superficially seem to be unaffected in many ways by the third divide; we have in this area less cultural diversity than in many other sections not only of the U.S. but of the state. My district consists of a predominantly white student population with a Christian upbringing and while this can make life easier in some respects (such as not acutely feeling the daily fear of clumsily alienating a student based on his/her background), it actually can create an additional need for the teacher to introduce cultural diversity and to promote equality among cultures that may not currently be represented in the classroom. Regardless of the current configuration of the class, these kids will eventually be confronted with others unlike them and therefore it is critical that they develop a sense of acceptance. If we regard culture in a different manner, however (not in terms of race or ethnicity but SES), our students represent a varying array of situations and backgrounds. I have observed that the various SES levels, for example, have a drastically different view on the value of education, literacy, and technology use. If I am to truly teach each student where they stand, I must continually be aware of this form of cultural division in my practice. The same awareness needs to be felt in terms of parental technology use. One point in the book was to remind us that while kids may be technologically literate to some degree (perhaps more than we teachers are), parents from various backgrounds such as low-SES may not be. In my own class, this made me realize that I send home all class updates via email and those parents without decent Internet access may be inadvertently kept out of the loop. Finding an alternative way to communicate with those parents is essential, as they are the group whose children often need additional interest and support from home.

Heather R.
This year the discrepancy of ICT (information and communication technology) amongst our students is huge. Prior to this year, one or two students would not have regular ICT access. As a result, I had made it a requirement that all assignments needed to be typed, I assigned various computer-based research for projects for homework, and I had even began blogging. This year, however, over twenty-five of my students do not have any access other than school and almost twenty-five more do not have the Internet. I have had to adjust my requirements for assignments accordingly. This change in ICT levels has been widespread within our school and it has been a regular conversation amongst the staff. What was been the change? The change has been the increasing levels of low socioeconomic students within our school. Over half of our school’s population is below the poverty line. This is a sad truth that is affecting the academic success of all of our students. To combat this problem, the school had begun a program that allowed the students to take laptop computers home to complete assignments. Unfortunately the school had to cease this program, as many of the computers were being lost or damaged. As it stands now, we are trying to use technology with students with very little ICT access. The other problem that poses a problem for me when using computers is the issue of wasting time. I try my best to avoid the TMI (technology mediated instruction) practices in which I use defensive teaching strategies. I find that overall, when I integrate technology it does not always work and students work at different paces, and I observe that there is a lot of wasted time during the class. I worry about this wasted time. The time I already have with students is precious curriculum time and I cannot afford to waste any time if I plan to cover my whole curriculum. This is an issue that I struggle with as covering the curriculum needs to be my primary focus. The wicked problem of technology integration continues.

L indsay
One of the major concerns with the first digital divide, is who has the access and who doesn’t? I teach in a middle school in rural Maine, which means that my school is part of the MLTI program. As we joined RSU10, not only do our middle school students all have their own MacBooks, but so do all high school students, and with parents consent are able to bring them home. It seems as though Maine is ahead of the game on this one. Those families of low income (who qualify), can be set up with free dial-up connection at home. All students have the same access at school, and most have some sort of internet connection at home. That seems to be about as close as you can get to equal access. The second digital divide is of concern in my district. We have access to it, but we are not necessarily taking advantage of what we have available. Unfortunately, I am part of that group. I have a SmartBoard in my room, but the majority of the time it is only being used as a projector. It’s not that I am afraid to use it, or don’t want to, it’s a matter of how? We need professional development! Another concern is that of student exposure. Personally, I encourage students to explore on their own. The more exposure the better. How will students ever learn what is available to them if thy aren’t allowed to explore what’s on their laptops? Too many teachers are afraid to let their students loose because they might get off task. This seems to be an issue of classroom management. Teaching in rural Maine, I find the third digital divide to be less obvious. For the most part, I think we have equitable classrooms, although they may be of multi-income. We still have equal access for all students while at school. And I think everyone’s goal is that of “good teaching”. We teach for those metacognitive higher-order thinking skills.

Abby W.
In this chapter I found interesting the differences in the digital divides in this country today. I had always thought there was just one; the one which they mentioned first being the one between those that have the technology and those that do not. This divide is the one that I feel I spend many meetings discussing and getting closer to solving but have not solved yet. The third divide, the ESL and culture divide I don’t feel applies much to my classroom. I think the major divide that effects the school I teach in and also my classroom is the second technology divide; the idea of having access to achievement enhancing TMI. I try to work technology into each unit I teach that to allow students to use it in a many different ways and to encourage the higher order thinking but I had never really thought outside my classroom. Now as I think about it more I realize that many of my students do not have parents at home that have a lot of knowledge of the technology they are using each day at school. This makes me wonder if this puts the students that do have parents that can help them with the technology skills at home at an advantage. I want to think that I don’t assign homework that requires technology (since not all students can take home their computers) but I am sure there is an advantage for the kids that can talk with their parents about what they are doing in the classroom each day. This leads me to ponder what I can do differently in my classroom to help the students who are missing out on these conversations. How can I help them gain the same benefits that their peers have? After schoolwork sessions might help or simply making sure to focus more on these kids during class for conversations they might be missing out on. Unfortunately it might not be possible to make up for the time that they do not get that some of their peers do. Also reading this section made me wonder how I use technology in my classroom. The book mentions using the idea of drill practice for TMI. I am sure this is still done in schools today but don’t even see how it would work in my classroom. After reading this section I have started to think more of how I use technology in my classroom and realize more and more that it seems to work into my lessons without myself and maybe even my students realizing. We use it to accomplish something more than we could have had we not had the technology in the classroom. Also as I read this I realize once again how lucky I am to have the technology that I do have in my classroom, especially the 1 to 1 laptops.

Jen F.
This chapter discussed the digital divide, which was also a portion of my research project in my Research Methods class. The idea that there are 3 digital divides was new to me. My previous research did not concentrate on the fact that there is no line of “haves” and “have nots”. Rather there are varying degrees of technological access and ethnic inequality. I teach Head Start in a public school setting and most of my children would fall under the poverty guidelines. This means that I am highly aware of this digital divide as it pertains to children from low socio-economic status households. We have recently introduced computers in our classroom (five years or so ago), without prior training for the teachers or instruction on expectation of use. What I have observed is that the students that spend the most time on the computer during free choice, are those who have them at home. The children who do not have them at home are drawn to it at first, but lose interest quickly when they cannot navigate it on their own. A piece of this problem is that our computer is old and slow and the high teacher/child ratio makes it difficult for us to spend much time one on one with computer instruction. So, this author makes me question my approach. The reading states that it is better to have less access, used in an appropriate way than to have more computer access used in a less meaningful way. Now I question how I can make the computer time more meaningful. And how can I engage those students more actively, who come from homes without access? I’m not sure of the answer.

Myrna
Chapter two focused on the digital and cultural divides and how to develop equity of technology in our classrooms. Because I teach in New Sharon, I have not been exposed to teaching in a multicultural setting. All of my students have been from central Maine and have lived here all their lives. I have never taught a student who used English as a second language or who came from a culture significantly different from ours. However, there are always the socioeconomic disparities in the population and individual learning styles of the students. It was very thought provoking. I have used technology off and on in my classroom but it has always been added to the curriculum content, never really embedded. The idea that what I have been teaching them is preparing them for industrial positions was, to say the least, upsetting. This chapter took a very hard look at teachers’ excuses and acknowledged that the issues were there but as always we need to find ways to bridge the divides, just as we have always done. It doesn’t mean it will be easy, but it certainly puts the ownership of the problem squarely on the teacher’s lap. No whining allowed here. I need to learn how to more effectively structure my lessons to provide my students with the knowledge they need to function effectively in the world ahead. I really hadn’t considered how technology was being used in the world of business, finance, and politics until I read this chapter. I have taught word processing, and had lessons using information from the internet and provided opportunities for them to research information. But after reading this, I realized that the social networking that I thought should be off limits, is actually a means of collaboration within a working community. I need to learn more about what is appropriate, what is important for them to learn and how to provide them with the opportunities within the context of the curriculum. I am excited and a little fearful.

Peggy
This chapter addressed issues of equity of access to information and communication technology, also known as ICT. The authors state that a major challenge for educators is to foster ICT literacy for all students. In our school, there is definitely growing awareness of the need for our students to have the skills to live in a world characterized by what Castells referred to as “informationalism”, but implementing effective methods to that foster ICT literacy is ongoing, and involves much change. The “digital divides” the authors presented in this chapter confirmed some knowledge I already had, but also introduced some new food for thought. I already understood the importance of equal access to computers, multimedia, software and the Internet. I am aware my students’ computer accessibility at home is often driven by income. From classroom discussions, it is clear there are many who have dial-up access rather than broadband, and each year there is a handful of students who have no access at home. The book’s suggestion to do a student survey to determine out-of-school access early in the year seems like a worthy one since a firm grasp of technology is increasingly important to our students’ success in school and in society. I agree with the authors’ point that teachers have to be creative in bridging this first digital divide, and making the most of what is available. We have a set of laptops for students to use in our building, and their use increased each year, which created its own set of new problems. This year we purchased USB drives for all students in grades 3-6 to make laptop use more convenient. Prior to this year, each student was assigned a specific laptop, which made it difficult when documents were missing, there were password issues or the specific laptop a student needed was being used elsewhere in the building. All these issues limited the possibility for easy access, and increased the students’ level of frustration. Planning for equipment failure is never easy, but is a reality we face regularly. Overcoming the second and third “digital divides” caused me to think beyond the obvious presence of technology in educational settings. The second digital divide refers to how ICT is used in and out of school because it determines access to knowledge. I would agree that many teachers have anxiety about whether they are using technology in the best way with good reason. Knowledge must go beyond technology skills and incorporate specific uses of the technology. Assigning creative, problem-solving projects that require application, analysis and evaluation is important. The part about third digital divide caused me to consider ways to make technology be meaningful to students and sensitive to cultural differences.

Tara P
Chapter 2, “TPCK for equity of access to technology” was very interesting because of the number of low socioeconomic status students in my district. Maine students are very fortunate to have one to one laptops in the middle school, but not all students have access to internet at home. There are so many students with no internet access because they can not afford it or because the access does not go out to their homes. There are some teachers at the middles school that do not have internet at their home because cable does not go out that far. Dial-up is also another issue because of how slow it is. I am also seeing loss of internet access because of the state of our economy. All of these issues come under the first digital divide. Research has shown that children are watching less TV because of new technologies. Many parents in my district see the laptops as a nuisance because of the amount of time spent on the computers and the way the students are using them is somewhat inappropriate. One of my goals as I teach is to help students understand what is out on the internet and how to use it in an educational way. Skype for example is more than just a video chat. I use the example of how Mrs. Iggulden and I use Skype to do our projects together. Instead of driving 30 minutes to meet we use our devises to our advantage. I believe students, parents and teachers need to be educated on the use of technology. Our world is a technological world and our children need to be prepared to compete. The book gave a great idea of profiling our students at the beginning of the year. This will help with what the students already know about technology and where I need to help them. Because internet access is vital to a students learning the idea of having an informational sheet giving free access points around town was a great idea. The second digital divide talks about how ICT is used at school as well as out of school. I agree with the book in the area of teacher training. There are many teachers that use technology ineffectively. Students suffer because the lessons may not be meaningful to them and also do not allow them to get to the higher order thinking. There needs to be staff training's that help bridge the gap. The third digital divide: access to culture-sensitive technological pedagogy is not much different from the way I would plan my lessons. My district does not have a lot of minorities. We have the differences of the have and have nots, but not many culturally diverse students. When students come from different backgrounds, I do keep their differences in mind and try to learn from them about their culture.

Zachary L.
The work that has interested me and prompted research in this program has roots in this chapter. I kept returning to the focus of utilizing technology (TPCK framework) to develop relationships with students through individualization of instruction and assessment in the high application high knowledge assignments of the Rigor-Relevance Framework's Quadrant D. It creates an intricate system of building the individual as a whole student and developing in them the skills they will need to be successful. When the relationships are developed, deeper understanding from both the student the teacher leads to more open discussions that creates validity of the assigned tasks in the eyes of all stakeholders. As a culture, we are becoming increasingly reliant on technology, but we are not training our students to understand it mostly because we do not have a strong enough understanding of it ourselves. Through developing relationships, improving understanding of the validity of the assigned tasks, and promoting an open-dialogue regarding technology in the classroom, we can begin to instruct our students and guide them to develop and hone the skills the will need regarding quick application of technology to a solve a number of problems, sorting through a variety of information, and conducting the interpersonal business of communication through a variety of medias. We need to instruct out students, but we also need to get out of the way. Is this another digital divide? Fortunately, Maine has the MLTI laptop program. The first digital divide regarding access to ICT for all has been bridged—theoretically. All of Maine's high school students have the same laptops. Schools have wireless high speed networks that are free to both students and the community. Students who cannot afford home access have an opportunity to get it through the same program. The availability of equitable ICT has been achieved within a segment of the whole student population. More access leads to higher performance and understanding of technology. Can we say that we have bridged the first divide? Equity has been created. Students can access the same knowledge through a number of sources. It is the Law of Unintended Consequences that gets me. We have proposed a bridge to this divide. Students have access to the same information through the same connection. Yes, in some cases performance has improved. The tools for solving problems are available and ready for exploration, and the second divide has settled in. Yet these tools are not always used. I am sure one could solve any problem through spending enough time on Facebook. Non-Achievement Enhancing TMI—the unintended consequence. I catch students off-task on Facebook throughout the class. Regardless of the activity, it was always in the background just itching to draw my students' attention. As a teacher, this became a problem. Am I too teacher centered? Maybe. Do I disclose to my students why they do the work assigned? Absolutely. What is the line I need to draw regarding applying punishment for non-productivity? Setting ground rules without teeth is dangerous. That leads me to the one section of the chapter with which I steadfastly disagreed. Defensive teaching and learning has a strong place in the organization of a school. Thus far, this text has promoted self-guided application by students with the teacher creating from the sideline. I agree that this can work well, provided the students know what is expected of them and the culture of the school and class expect this. I teach freshmen and sophomore students. If I did not set a framework of expectations for them that rooted itself in academic punishment and reward, the students would push to see how much they can get away with. I do not advocate that defensive teaching is the way; please understand that. I only state that creating expectations with an attached system of punishment/reward is a necessary element in supporting the hierarchy of the school. Once the students understand this, relationships can be forged, students can be nurtured, and we can let this extended learning happen with us on the sidelines.

Megan P.
I work in a low income district and have seen many of the digital divides that are referred to in chapter 1. I have always assumed that since many of my students cannot afford the finer technologies (e.g. blackberry phone), they would not be as technologically advanced as some other students who posses this. This is why I found the three digital divides most intriguing. The first digital divide is one that many teachers are aware of and the concept makes sense. Our district has tried opening its computer lab to the public, but many students do not take advantage of this opportunity simply because it is known that only the “poor” students use these computers. Although I agree that these students need to have access to more technology, I am not sure how to do this. It also intrigued me that there was more than one digital divide. After finishing the reading the three digital divides make sense. Some of my low SES students do have computers at home but their parents are unsure how to run it. Their friends, who are usually lower SES, are not aware how to run more advanced technology. The third digital divide also makes sense but is not often thought about. As teachers we need to be more aware of students culture and how to integrate that into our teaching and technology. This is often not looked and not taught to teachers. Kelly makes the point that we (teachers) succeed if our classrooms are “equitable classrooms” or through “good teaching.” One aspect of teaching special education that I am constantly struggling with are these two concepts. I try for my classroom to be “equitable” and to possess “good teaching” but other teachers that I work with in their classrooms do not possess this. The question that often comes to my mind is “how do I make all classrooms equitable and ensure that all teachers perform “good teaching.” This chapter was full of insights but I'm not sure how many solutions it possesses. Many of the solutions would work if the teachers would cooperate. Among many schools, including mine, this does not happen. I also find that I am looking at this book slightly differently than others because I work so closely with other teachers. Other teachers impact my students just as much as my own teaching. I want my students to have an enriched education that will bring them to the level they need to succeed in life and not an eduction that merely gives them mindless work.

Linnea
I’m reminded of the comments in Tyan and Cuban (Tinkering Towards Utopia) about the blackboard being a tool of reform. Equity of access is extremely important in challenging class structure. The First Digital Divide: Access to Technology Hardware, Software, and the Internet One-to-one computing begins to address this issue. There's still the question of high-speed access versus dial-up. Maybe this just provides the opportunity to prioritize. I find that I am forced to prioritize some task if I need to access something that requires high-speed connection. It may determine whether I will do the task at home (dial-up) or elsewhere. Then I make decisions about a few different tasks. But this is something that is implicit. Teachers (specifically me)need to make this consideration explicit to the students. Prioritization is a skill that needs to be identified and taught. "Perhaps far too much of the discussion about the digital divide has revolves around this aspect of equity." (p. 33) Perhaps not. I feel that having dial-up is a greater handicap then not being able to write or type. Use of dial-up excludes me from videoconferencing, streaming audio, streaming video, and using my time efficiently. At best, I can download a file at the rate of five minutes per megabyte. Why don't I just get high-speed Internet? The town in which I live does not have a contract with a cable company. We live too far from the DSL nodes to establish a connection. Geographically we are in a hole, living by a lake surrounded by hills. Granted, I live within 5 miles of two municipal libraries. Unfortunately, they're open for a total of six hours a week. It is possible for me to sit in my parked car outside the library and gain access to the wireless connection. I'm still limited by the charge in the battery, the outside temperature, and daylight. I'm unlikely to do this after dark. The Second Digital Divide: Access to Achievement Enhancing TMI I really agree with the comment about ineffective TMI strategies (page 40). It is too easy to allow the computer to become a babysitting toy. This is encouraged by some management strategies, if the administrators evaluate by merely peering into a room and are happy when they see that students are engaged with the computer screens. I found that "lids down" is not enough of a directive. I need to have them "bag the tops". There's no quibbling. Students understand that a computer is as much a distraction as a tool. The Third Digital Divide: Access to Culture-Sensitive Technological Pedagogy "Far more practical is that during the construction of the cultural preferences of different students are all covered at different times." (Page 46) not only is this practical, but it provides greater opportunity across gender and cultural boundaries. I've discussed this very idea with the Dean of the College of Engineering at UMass Amherst. This approach is probably the most important strategy in bringing diverse students into an engineering program. And it starts at the elementary schools, continues through middle school and high school.