“The Tech You’re Grappling With” (cont.), group work:
Henry, Hofai, and I talked about out technologies and how we / everyday people may grapple with them. Our group theme was “everyday hardware” where Henry chose chargers, Hofai chose laptops/personal computers, and I chose my smartphone (iPhone). It was interesting to hear what both guys had to say about how the technology they chose may induce struggle in peoples’ lives. Henry spoke about how chargers sold by big companies (for phones, laptops) can be unfairly priced for the the quality of charge that they deliver, and many people may not know this. This puts people that may not know where to look for other reliable brands in a bad spot- do I spend and go broke or buy a cheap unreliable charger? Hofai spoke about the high prices of laptops (specifically gaming) and how they are marketed and designed for males, although statistics prove that there are nearly just as many female gamers as male gamers.
Manufacturers can, without a doubt, make chargers more affordable as these accessories are key to the operation of the everyday device and should not be priced as a luxury.
Companies that design and build these gaming laptops to look more gender neutral by reducing the bulkiness and rigidness that make them like too “boyish”.
Since these are everyday pieces of technology, it can be assumed that a very large percentage of the world’s population can benefit from solutions to these issues with these technologies.
Ed Tech: Ability/Disability/Different Ability
“Implications for educators and technology developers” talks about how “educators and technology developers should strive to offer learning experiences that focus on “accessibility” for a wide range of students, increasing customizability for all users while “ensur[ing] equal access to the roughly 1 billion people in the world with disabilities.”” The article focuses on a number of solutions to these issues, like hands-on activities following videos with protagonists that are of color and prioritizing “mobile first” learning experiences.
This compliments the article “Ableism and the Academy: What College Has Taught Me About My Disabled Body” because Daniel talks about accessibility as a college student with a disability. Both articles are about accessibility. However, in his article, Daniel talks about his disappointment with the way people talk about the needs of the disabled. He does not like how things are called “accommodations” as opposed to “accessibility needs”. He talks about his frustration with universities and about how “college institutions are not giving students, staff, and faculty the resources to actively learn about these issues”.
Diversity+Tech 