My mother once told me that life is not fair, and if anyone told me it would be, well… they lied to me. While this may be true in most aspects of life, a child’s education is where this life truth can be halted from time to time. Every child deserves a quality education with equitable access to knowledge, materials and supplies, and technology. Even with this truth, the flip side to this truth is that not every school district, family, and/or the community itself, can afford the rising costs. So what can be done about it, and how do teachers, school administrators and families get around this technological divide?
Schools need to understand that not all students have internet or the tools necessary to even “dial up” the internet itself. For the most part, I believe that this is an understood reality, even in the money districts. The problem, primarily, is in the Title 1 schools/districts and rural areas of the states. All teachers should differentiate their lesson plans to ensure that each student can complete their homework, projects and/or papers in an equitable manner for those who do not have the technology available to them at home. According to the article, Zero to Eight – Children’s Media Use in America, one in ten lower-income children has a video mobile device in the home as compared to one in three upper-income children. My students are predominately in the lower-income category and as you can see, just from being where they were born, they are already a few clicks and swipes behind.
I currently have students who do not have a mobile device and internet service at their home. I need to be mindful of that as this could be an embarrassing thing to admit to. I still assign the lessons and projects as I normally would, however, I do offer, for every assignment, a technology free alternative if the assignment is required at home. Some students choose to use some extra time in school to convert their written paper into their Google Drive during school hours, and others simply just turn in the paper hand written. We have a few old computers in the classroom and nice computer labs that all students have access to throughout the day.
As teachers, we have been taught to teach the students in differentiated styles to allow for the best chance for their learning and success. Students have different needs not just in learning, but to the digital tools and resources to educational and instructional technology as well. Whether it is an ESOL, ELL, SPED, BYOT, BYOD, 504, IEP, EIP, GIFTED & ADVANCED, or even a general education student, each student deserves equitable access to technology and everything else that comes with it. Without equitable access, by definition, the playing field is already stacked to reward the children that were born into the life that already has an app for that.