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: Podcast Exploration & Differentiation in the Classroom
Reflection:
The module five blog post entitled “I Hate Hearing Myself Talk” reflected on podcasts in the classroom, but more importantly equitable access to technology in the classroom. In completing this blog post, I had to research multiple technologies that can be used in the classroom to bridge the digital divide. These technologies were then analyzed and several of them were even used in my classroom to determine how each of these technologies can decrease the digital divide and make equitable access for all students a reality. I created this blog post independently and posted my response to my online portfolio.
Standard 4.1 sets the precedent for the modeling and promoting of strategies to close the digital divide through digital tools and resources and also technology-related best practices. This artifact demonstrates my ability to choose example digital tools and resources to help achieve equitable access. Such digital tools mentioned in the blog post include: podcasts, Skype, Google Forms, Bubbl.us, and video lectures. The research and implementation of these tools in my classroom allowed me to model their use in my classroom but also model their use for other teachers to incorporate in their classrooms.
Closing the digital divide also requires all teachers to use digital tools and resources and through the promotion of these digital tools and resources I am able to influence the implementation of other teachers’ use of digital tools and resources as well. The promotion of these digital tools in the classroom also requires me to be aware of technology-related best practices. For technology use to be valuable in the classroom, all teachers need to implement digital tools and resources in a manner that engages all learners and also provides differentiation for all types of learners. Teachers also need to be aware of technology-related best practices when they plan lessons and take into consideration the issue of equitable access. Teachers need to ensure that all students will have access to the digital tools and resources being used in the classroom and model this equitable use to their students.
Completing the blog post reflection was a great process for me personally. Prior to my current degree pathway, blogging was not something I was comfortable with doing. I like to write but was not sure about putting my writing on a public platform for others to view. After having experience with blogging, the sharing of my ideas almost became therapeutic and allowed me to express my ideas about various concepts. This specific blog post was a great basis for me to really dig into the issue of equitable access and research different technologies that can help close the digital divide. In doing this blog post differently, I would like to reach out to other teachers at schools with a greater digital divide to get their opinions and ideas regarding equitable access in their classrooms. I think having more opinions would have helped shape my blog post even further and give me a better perspective on the digital divide.
The work of this blog post impacted both student learning and faculty development. Student learning was impacted in that several of the digital tools and resources discussed in the blog post were tested with my students. Based on the performance of my students with these tools and the reflection after implementation, I was able to determine if these tools would be beneficial at helping close the digital divide. Faculty development was also a result of testing these digital tools with my students. The tools that were found to be especially beneficial at helping with equitable access were communicated to other faculty within the school. In this manner, other students were also exposed to digital tools and resources to help close the digital divide. The impact can be assessed overall by determining if the use of these tools has helped in closing the digital divide within the school. The school currently does not have a major issue with equitable access, so assessment would be even more beneficial to identify students that are more greatly impacted by equitable access and determine if the digital divide has been closed between these students and the general student population of the school.
The module five blog post entitled “I Hate Hearing Myself Talk” reflected on podcasts in the classroom, but more importantly equitable access to technology in the classroom. In completing this blog post, I had to research multiple technologies that can be used in the classroom to bridge the digital divide. These technologies were then analyzed and several of them were even used in my classroom to determine how each of these technologies can decrease the digital divide and make equitable access for all students a reality. I created this blog post independently and posted my response to my online portfolio.
Standard 4.1 sets the precedent for the modeling and promoting of strategies to close the digital divide through digital tools and resources and also technology-related best practices. This artifact demonstrates my ability to choose example digital tools and resources to help achieve equitable access. Such digital tools mentioned in the blog post include: podcasts, Skype, Google Forms, Bubbl.us, and video lectures. The research and implementation of these tools in my classroom allowed me to model their use in my classroom but also model their use for other teachers to incorporate in their classrooms.
Closing the digital divide also requires all teachers to use digital tools and resources and through the promotion of these digital tools and resources I am able to influence the implementation of other teachers’ use of digital tools and resources as well. The promotion of these digital tools in the classroom also requires me to be aware of technology-related best practices. For technology use to be valuable in the classroom, all teachers need to implement digital tools and resources in a manner that engages all learners and also provides differentiation for all types of learners. Teachers also need to be aware of technology-related best practices when they plan lessons and take into consideration the issue of equitable access. Teachers need to ensure that all students will have access to the digital tools and resources being used in the classroom and model this equitable use to their students.
Completing the blog post reflection was a great process for me personally. Prior to my current degree pathway, blogging was not something I was comfortable with doing. I like to write but was not sure about putting my writing on a public platform for others to view. After having experience with blogging, the sharing of my ideas almost became therapeutic and allowed me to express my ideas about various concepts. This specific blog post was a great basis for me to really dig into the issue of equitable access and research different technologies that can help close the digital divide. In doing this blog post differently, I would like to reach out to other teachers at schools with a greater digital divide to get their opinions and ideas regarding equitable access in their classrooms. I think having more opinions would have helped shape my blog post even further and give me a better perspective on the digital divide.
The work of this blog post impacted both student learning and faculty development. Student learning was impacted in that several of the digital tools and resources discussed in the blog post were tested with my students. Based on the performance of my students with these tools and the reflection after implementation, I was able to determine if these tools would be beneficial at helping close the digital divide. Faculty development was also a result of testing these digital tools with my students. The tools that were found to be especially beneficial at helping with equitable access were communicated to other faculty within the school. In this manner, other students were also exposed to digital tools and resources to help close the digital divide. The impact can be assessed overall by determining if the use of these tools has helped in closing the digital divide within the school. The school currently does not have a major issue with equitable access, so assessment would be even more beneficial to identify students that are more greatly impacted by equitable access and determine if the digital divide has been closed between these students and the general student population of the school.