Digital Equity
Tips for Ensuring Digital Equity In Your Classroom
In a technology run world, digital equity is a common concern addressed amongst educators serving students with various backgrounds. Equity as defined by Merriam-Webster, is "fairness or justice in the way people are treated." Today's curriculum is engaging, rigorous, and creative which synthesizes the highest education possible for our students. However, curriculum delivery has been changing from paper-pencil to digital platforms and tools. While these new ideologies and methods allow for deeper creativity and collaboration, educators are concerned with equal access to accommodations, strategies, services, and materials that are provided by the teacher in the traditional brick and mortar classroom. Below are tips that I have compiled for ensuring digital equity in my classroom from my own personal experience with the transition to a technology-integrated classroom.
Tip 1: Read & Write Extension
To enhance the accessibility of online resources for all students, but specifically for students with read-aloud accommodations, download the Read & Write extension for Google Chrome. Students can navigate the toolbar to have text read aloud to them privately through their headphones. This can be used for classroom activities and assessments.
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"student_ipad_school - 003" by flickingerbrad is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Tip 2: Annotate with Kami
As a reading teacher, my students struggle with comprehension while using digital platforms that offer a plethora of distractions. For all texts that my students read, they are required to use Annotate with Kami to unpack the text. There are highlighters, text boxes, free-hand drawing, and so many more tools that encourages focus and enhances comprehension while reading.
Tip 3: Epic! for Students
One of the most crucial and personalized services provided by a school system is the access to books in a library to instill a love for reading in young minds and improve reading fluency. EPIC! is a digital library that in which student accounts can be created that provides hundreds of e-books that students can read. Books are leveled by grade-level, interests, and provides reading opportunities for the accelerated reader program.
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Tip 4: Clever
Teaching in a technological world for multiple subjects requires the usage of many different websites and materials. By using Clever as a student portal, the educator can customize their teacher page to include applications of commonly used websites in their classroom for ease of access of educational materials, supplements, communication, and activities.
These applications, extensions, and websites help me ensure that my students have equal access digitally to academic accommodations and strategies, as well as supplemental services and materials in my technology-integrated classroom. I consider myself very lucky that my elementary school is one-to-one, meaning each of my students have a loaned Chromebook to access daily. I have compiled these suggestions in the circumstance that each student has personal access. Prior to using any of these applications with your students, I advise that you check with administration and ensure that you can connect your students to these sites using their school-administered accounts.
Do you want to learn more about digital equity?
Listen to this podcast by Dr. Nicol R. Howard