4.1 Digital Equity
Candidates model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to digital tools and resources and technology-related best practices for all students and teachers. (PSC 4.1/ISTE 5a)
Artifact: A New Definition of the Digital Divide (ITEC 7430)
Reflection:
Researching and reporting on digital equity was a requirement of ITEC 7430, Internet Tools in the Classroom. I read three articles that discussed the stereotypical definition of the digital divide as well as a newer and possibly more applicable way for my school to consider which side of the divide students find themselves. After reading the articles, I wrote a report and published it to the blog on my e-portfolio. In my report, I discussed the fact that the digital divide is not simply a matter of students who have access to technology as compared to students who lack that same access. Instead, the divide can also be viewed through the lens of knowledge. I reported that students who possess and know how to use technology are more likely to be successful than students who do not have access to the same technology and students who have the technology but who lack the knowledge of how to effectively use it.
Writing this artifact allowed me to demonstrate mastery of Standard 4.1, which states that candidates “model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to digital tools and resources and technology-related best practices for all students and teachers.” In this report, I explained the different definitions of the digital divide. I also provided suggestions for how teachers at my school could potentially overcome the barriers we face in that our students have access to technology but are ignorant of how to best leverage that technology for their own academic success. One such suggestion for the staff at my school was to become familiar with the tools we ask our students to use before asking them to use the tool, since one definition of the digital divide is that lack of knowledge can separate students just as much as lack of access.
When I write another similar report in the future, I will focus on concrete strategies that both teachers and students can use to better prepare students to use technology to achieve academic and work-related goals, rather than simple amusement and distraction. I will also focus on specific ways that teachers and schools can reach out to assist those students who do not have access to the same technology that many students at my school have, such as WiFi access provided by the school system for students who meet certain conditions and training for families who quality.
Researching and reporting on digital equity was a requirement of ITEC 7430, Internet Tools in the Classroom. I read three articles that discussed the stereotypical definition of the digital divide as well as a newer and possibly more applicable way for my school to consider which side of the divide students find themselves. After reading the articles, I wrote a report and published it to the blog on my e-portfolio. In my report, I discussed the fact that the digital divide is not simply a matter of students who have access to technology as compared to students who lack that same access. Instead, the divide can also be viewed through the lens of knowledge. I reported that students who possess and know how to use technology are more likely to be successful than students who do not have access to the same technology and students who have the technology but who lack the knowledge of how to effectively use it.
Writing this artifact allowed me to demonstrate mastery of Standard 4.1, which states that candidates “model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to digital tools and resources and technology-related best practices for all students and teachers.” In this report, I explained the different definitions of the digital divide. I also provided suggestions for how teachers at my school could potentially overcome the barriers we face in that our students have access to technology but are ignorant of how to best leverage that technology for their own academic success. One such suggestion for the staff at my school was to become familiar with the tools we ask our students to use before asking them to use the tool, since one definition of the digital divide is that lack of knowledge can separate students just as much as lack of access.
When I write another similar report in the future, I will focus on concrete strategies that both teachers and students can use to better prepare students to use technology to achieve academic and work-related goals, rather than simple amusement and distraction. I will also focus on specific ways that teachers and schools can reach out to assist those students who do not have access to the same technology that many students at my school have, such as WiFi access provided by the school system for students who meet certain conditions and training for families who quality.