4.1: Digital Equity:
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Artifact
Blog post: Equitable Access for ALL Students – Problems and Solutions for Digital Learning Reflection I composed a blog post discussing my thoughts on equitable access. The title, “Equitable Access for ALL Students – Problems and Solutions for Digital Learning”, emphasizes the word ‘all’ because so many students continue to be underserved despite technological innovations designed to benefit all learners. Included in the blog post is a detailing of the problem and workable solutions relevant to students of low socioeconomic status (SES), students identified as racial/ethnic minorities, students with physical disabilities, and students with mental disabilities. Links to research that promotes the need for attention to equitable access and to research that demonstrates specific strategies to accomplish this are included. To promote the relevance of equitable access, I provided links to and discussion about the digital divide, subgroup access and college attendance rate data provided by the American Psychological Association, and the Individuals with Disabilities Act mandates. The digital divide, I explain in the post, is reflects the disparity of access with damaging consequences well-documented in research. The American Psychological Association, for example, reported that students with physical or mental disabilities are less likely to experience technology usage commensurate with their able-bodied peers’ usage, and they are also far less likely to attend college or escape poverty in their adult lives. In the blog post, I also model methods of encouraging equitable access and lesson development. Included are ideas for schools struggling financially to increase their hardware supply: non-profit organizations have been known to refurbish computers and mobile devices and offer them to families in need, for example. The effectiveness of Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) and 1-to-1 school-purchased device initiatives is discussed and substantiated in research. Digital tools and resources such as mobile applications that assuage fears of device theft and mitigate concerns about students misusing school-supplied devices are included, and use of the principles of the technology-related best practices aligned with Universal Design for Learning when developing lessons are promoted. During the development of this artifact, I explored resources that revealed the true depth of the equitable access problem and the breadth of the digital divide. Students truly suffer when they are not exposed to learning experiences and resources to which other students are exposed. It is important that educators recognize and work to resolve discrepancies when they are present. To that end, if I had this artifact experience to do over, I would incorporate a specific equity problem and solution alignment table for teachers to use easily. The table would present “if…then” scenarios with model lessons and specific examples. When this artifact and these concepts are discussed with teachers, the impact on faculty development promises big returns on student learning. Meeting students where they are and providing them with the resources they need to be successful readies them for, well, success. Attainment of that goal can be measured by disaggregating various data sources into subgroups targeted for intervention before and after implementation of equitable access strategies. References Barron, B., Walter, S. E., Martin, C. K., & Schatz, C. (2010). Predictors of creative computing participation and profiles of experience in two Silicon Valley middle schools. Computers & Education, 54178-189. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.07.017 Hohlfeld, T.N., Ritzhaupt, A.D., & Barron, A.E. (2010). Connecting schools, community, and family with ICT: Four-year trends related to school level and SES of public schools in Florida. Computers & Education 55(1), 391-405. Rideout, V. (2011) Zero to eight: Children’s media use in America. Education Digest, 79(6), 59-63. |