Providing Equal Access

Providing equal access is a difficult task. Let’s also keep in mind that equal access is not the same as access equity. There are many students with different learning styles, disabilities and access issues to take into account when planning lessons. Students with any disadvantages must be given the same opportunities to use technology. “Ensuring equity means that all students--regardless of class, race, culture, gender, socioeconomic status, or physical limitations--have equal opportunities to participate in meaningful and authentic applications of educational technology.” (Bell 1997)

In an ideal world, every student would go to a school that has proper funding for technology, technologically savvy teachers and access to the “digital world” from home. More often than not, this isn’t the case.

The question is how do schools/teachers provide students with equal access to the digital world?

The answer…

Prepare for every obstacle you may encounter.

It’s important to know your students, their limitations or gifts and, if possible, any information about family background/culture. It’s also imperative to find out to what your school has access. Does your school have a technology coordinator? (Bell 1997) How many computers, TVs, DVD players, or digital whiteboards does your school have? (Bell 1997) Is your school equipped with tools for the deaf, blind or non-English speaking students? The more teachers know about the population they’re working with, the more successful they may be in giving them all the same opportunities.

The important thing is that even if students don’t have the capacity to do a project the same way as everyone else, there must be an alternative. And if students don’t have access to technology at home, then the technology and time must be provided for that student(s). If there isn’t enough time for all students to access the technology for a “decent” amount of time, then maybe jobs could be assigned and computers/equipment could be shared. There’s always going to be “what ifs?” when it comes to creating lesson plans, but teachers can learn a lot from others’ experiences and suggestions.

Reference:
Bell, Rosemary. "Critical Issue: Ensuring Equitable Use of Education Technology."
North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. 1997. Web. 14 July 2009
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te400.htm

Why is it important for a teacher to evaluate a website?

The Web can be a great resource for teachers. Everyone with access to the internet also has access to loads of information that they may not find in their local libraries. Where does this information come from? Well, the answer is, anywhere, everywhere and from anyone. It seems today, everyone and their brother have a website. The problem is, the authors of websites can be merely trying to sell you something, or has written their information without proper research or editing.

It’s important to study the pages you want to use to look for things that validate the website’s accuracy. A teacher could check if the site is an original source or just copied from someone else’s work. It is also important to see if the article/webpage is published by a reliable company. Teachers should also look at when pages have been updated and if the site is dated at all. You don’t want to supply your students with outdated data! In general, the sites you use should have other links, documentation, author(s), dates/updates and lack of advertisements.

So, be sure to check these things or you may be feeding your students some bogus scrap.