Equal Access to the Digital World!

What does it mean to provide equal access to the digital world?

That every student across the country has their own tablet or laptop?

Ok, that sounds like a great start but what about those students who struggle with reading the words that appear on the app the teacher has directed them to?

Or the disabled student who cannot fluently manipulate their hands?

Or the auditory student who is stuck with a teacher that's never heard of a podcast?

And the gifted student who isn't allowed to go to more challenging sites? 

So these students have an Ipad on their desktop. Do they have the same access to Web 2.0 learning tools that "basic" learners do? Is the Ipad helping them learn to the fullest? 

No.

Teachers and administrators must be well versed in the technology tools that are now available to help their students learn to the fullest. Acquiring these tools is not enough, one must know, understand, and plan for their use in the classroom. Teachers who practice Universal Design, lesson planning for all learning styles, will provide the necessary tools for their varied learners for each lesson. It is not enough for a teacher to be provided with the technology to hand out to the students if he or she does not know how it can benefit everyone, especially because learning with technology may not be the answer every time. The teachers knowledge and ability to flexibly tailor and provide lessons for everyone is what will provide equal access to the digital world.

Once we teachers and administrators know enough about our students and resources, our students will then be able to really use the digital world for their benefit. Yes, it may be time consuming, or there may be a learning curve, but trying to change the student to meet the curricula does not work. It’s been tried many times. A study performed by Courey et al. found that continued use of Universal Design resulted in better scores.  It’s now time to change the curricula to meet the student.  

Courey, S. J., Tappe, P., Siker, J., & LePage, P. (2013). Improved Lesson Planning With Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Teacher Education and Special Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, 36(1), 7-27.

Educational Value of Social Media

It's everywhere. On the news, our phones, at work, at home, anywhere we go on the Internet, social media is prevalent. But it's not in our schools. Now most adults use a few social media tools: Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter to keep us engaged and connected. But why don't we want our children and students to be connected?
We are deceiving ourselves if we believe social media is purely for entertainment. That may be what it has been used for primarily, but social media can aid greatly in the learning experience, and must be for our current generation of students. Students can follow politicians on Twitter, post YouTube videos of commercials in another language they are learning, and follow blogs of current authors. These are just a very few examples, but by integrating social media in my classroom I enable my students, your children, to be connected with the world, share information, find communities with their interests, converse, and participate. They can have real discussions with experts, receive immediate feedback, and feel that their input is valued.

It may be scary to have your children on the Internet, but I vow to model appropriate behavior and to monitor their Internet use when in my classroom. I will link to safe and educational sites. There will be consequences for students who stray to unsavory or non-educational destinations.

I will be using Edmodo in my classroom, a social media site that looks a lot like Facebook. It enables me to manage the classroom, post assignments, links, photos, notifications, polls, and quizzes. I encourage you to stay connected with the site to see what we are up to as a class.

Mrs. Benik's Edmodo

For more information about social media and a great article about the use of Edmodo, please read the article Go Ahead... Be Social: Using Social Media to Enhance the Twenty-First Century Classroom, by Shantel Marie Scott. It can be found here. 

Looking forward to staying connected with you!