Digital equity is achieved when individuals have access to technology in order to participate in society, the economy, and learning. When a society has digital equity for its citizens they are able to access and effectively use technology.
Looking at the above statements about digital equity has really gotten me thinking back to the nationwide shutdown for the COVID pandemic. Before the shutdown I assumed most people had access to some form of technology. Which in the broad sense is true, most parents had some access to the internet. What I failed to see is that access was very limited. April 2021 rolls around and we have been out of the classrooms for one month. Being an early interventionist and visiting students within the home I knew that some of my parents had a smartphone but not internet. Trying to facetime parents was difficult and sometimes impossible. Trying to service students, write an IEP, and educate parents became a creative collaborative effort. My district did a really good job of trying to hand out chrome books that students used within the classroom before the closure. Many students did not have internet access at their home. About 50% of my students parents had jobs and they were at home with grandparents, siblings, and other caregivers. So while they may have had access to the internet they were often not present during learning sessions. Fast forward to 2021 and now I am taking a graduate course. Reading the information on digital equity has me looking at the shutdown and online learning in a different way. I have made notes of how to promote digital equity with my learners. Such as offering a parental learning session in which I can help parents to understand the online learning platform. Having access is not enough, as an educator I need to plan, instruct, and offer support for my learners and their families. Digital equity includes the ability to use the internet in order to navigate society. The following link will take you to a very interesting article for educators: https://www.iste.org/explore/Lead-the-way/5-things-every-educator-should-know-about-digital-equity This link provides you with six positive points educators need to know in order to consider themselves somewhat knowledgeable about digital equity. I like that each of the six points directs you to another web page in which it is explained further with a variety of suggestions and resources. Take some time read through it , some of the suggestions are simple ideas we can incorporate into our everyday teaching. Until I began this class I had not read about ITSE standards. This article makes a good point of why these standards should be incorporated into every curriculum.
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AuthorDanielle Boudreaux ArchivesCategories |