EDUC-5373- Week 1 Blog
Filling in the Equity Gaps using
Technology interview from the Igniting your Leadership with Technology
article is the main focus area of discussion. The interview conducted was based
on incorporating technology within the classroom to engage students and enhance
instruction.
Dr. Erin English's elevation to decision-making roles and educational technology experts was born from her initial involvement in creating a vision and plan of how her school community would utilize funding from an Apple company. Erin's exposure to creating meaningful ways of networking and collaborating with technology, conducting educational technology professional development for educators, and working with education leaders to empower them to embody the use of technology are all part of her experience as an educator.
Based on information
garnered from the interview, the ISTE education leaders standards Visionary
Planner, 3.2.b, Build a Strategic Plan was addressed by Dr. English in working
collaboratively with educators and leadership within the school community to
create a vision and a plan for utilizing funding from the Apple company, which
would be of benefit to their educational institution (International
Society for Technology in Education, 2017).
Equitable access, shared vision, and prepared educators are elements of essential conditions that were highlighted by the interviewee in which technology was used to support learning within the school district and students’ homes. Educators were trained to utilize and integrate technology within their classroom and students are given equal access to technology within the schools (International Society for Technology in Education, 2017).
Empowering leader, 3.3.c Inspire a Culture of Innovation was also addressed by having leadership embracing and implementing the use of technological resources that would transform their school district holistically (International Society for Technology in Education, 2017).
Professional
development plays a significant role in the initiative conducted by Dr.
English school district, as educators became competent and more knowledgeable
of how to use technology to create authentic learning experiences for students,
network with other educators, and utilize technological resources to develop
lesson planning in a more efficient way. Education leaders
went through a transformational process, which enhances their abilities to embrace
the technological programs that were designed and think critically to improve the
teaching and learning process.
A lack of digital literacy of multi-language
parents and students, digital access, socio-economic disparity, and racial
ethnicity are the real-world challenges that are described in the article. Equipping
and supplying computers in the schools enabled students to have equal technology
resources, which was implemented to mitigate the digital access divide. The
parents of these students were also trained to improve their literacy skills
and awareness of digital security, which enables them to assist their children at
home to have access to online learning platforms.
I applaud Dr. English for executing
the vision plan, and for giving students equal access to computers in their
schools. Better plans could have been put in place by the school district, such
as allocation of public funding, sponsors, and resources to these parents from a
low socioeconomic background, to have computers in their homes, whether or not
they are able to purchase an internet data plan. This would have ensured
sustainability and stemmed the gap of digital inequality in the homes.
Not having access to the internet to
utilize, impacts learning continuity and hinders students from being engaged in
self-directed learning. In a study conducted by Rashid and Asghar (2016) has shown
that some technology use and self-directed learning are correlated, which heightened
students' awareness as they explore different contents. The school district would
have seen accelerated academic performance owing to the fact that they are also
able to design different learning resources for students to use outside of
school.
Technology is imperative for engaging
students in curriculum content, maximizing their learning potential, and extending
learning beyond the classroom as stakeholders of education continue to implement
plans to bridge the gap of digital access.
References
International Society for
Technology in Education. (2017). ISTE standards for students. ISTE. https://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards-for-students
Rashid, T., & Asghar, H. M.
(2016). Technology use, self-directed learning, student engagement, and
academic performance: Examining the interrelations. Computers in Human
Behavior, 63, 604-612. Retrieved
from: https://se.instructure.com/courses/8155/pages/week-1-introduction?module_item_id=919246
Sachowiak, B., & McClay, J. (2019). Igniting
your leadership with technology. Retrieved from:
https://pressbooks.pub/edd7032018f/chapter/filling-in-the-equity-gaps-using-technology/
Trecia, I so enjoyed reading your post. It was easy to follow and clearly developed. As you mentioned, it's critical that technology is incorporated into the classroom to maximize student learning. While there are several benefits to educational technology, it's important to make sure educators are properly prepared to implement technology in their classrooms. As Dr. English discussed, professional development can enhance a teacher's instruction and transform our practice. As we enter into positions of leadership, it's critical we take the time to offer beneficial professional development to help educators and students reach their full potential.
ReplyDeleteThis was well done Trecia. I did not read the interview with Dr. English, but within my own reading, I am starting to see through lines with providing authentic learning experiences and targeted professional development. As she was working collaboratively with educators, leaders, and going through professional development, what were the effects on people who were not already on board with more robust technological integration? How did she increase buy-in from the reluctant?
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work, Trecia!
Education is quickly and drastically changing, not only for our students, but for educators as well. Over the past few years there has been an enormous shift in our ability to meet each and every student at their level while also offering them authentic educational experiences. Engaging educators in new and vital ways to collaborate through the use of technology is imperative if we want to meet our students where they are and help them achieve their future goals. Thank you for sharing!
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