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Digital resources are expanding the limits of today’s K-12 classrooms. From interactive learning platforms and collaborative tools to virtual reality and interactive chatbots, the technology options available for education are exhilarating. Hidden within mind-blowing bells and whistles of technology lies the capacity to reach a wide range of students with varying needs. Educators can support large groups of learners as they develop their knowledge and skills in the ways that most suit them in achieving academic and future success.
Yet for districts and schools to prepare each and every learner to thrive in a technology-driven world, there must be equitable use of technology in the classroom.
Drawing upon the experience of working education professionals dedicated to equity and inclusion, this blog explores ways to foster a learning environment where every student has the opportunity to thrive with technology. Here are practical strategies for turning technology into a tool for inclusivity and empowerment, not a barrier to learning.
The role of digital equity and inclusion in schools
Digital equity and inclusion have a significant impact on what learners who use technology experience on a daily basis. The pillar that sustains digital equity is access. Access ensures that the very resources that can boost learners’ development and expand their minds are at their fingertips. When there is a lack of accessibility to valuable resources, equity becomes compromised.
What digital inclusion means
By definition, digital equity exists when tools and technology are made available for people to fully participate in their community and society as a whole. Full access to employment, learning and vital services fosters inclusivity that promotes social and economic justice.
In the context of schools, digital inclusion means all groups of people have access to information and communication technologies (ITCs) compliant with the following five standards:
- Affordable, high-speed internet service
- Functional devices that meet user need
- Access to ongoing digital literacy training
- Quality technical support
- Applications and relevant online content designed to enable and encourage student self-sufficiency, participation and collaboration.
How lack of digital equity and inclusion impact students
Learners lacking access to any of the five factors listed above find themselves at a clear disadvantage. They are more socially isolated with far fewer opportunities than their counterparts with more access. This exacerbates existing disparities and further marginalizes families and communities.
Challenges faced by schools in achieving digital equity
Most of the challenges when it comes to access and equity in schools stem from insufficient resources to comply with the above five standards. Problems schools face are linked to larger socioeconomic situations far beyond the control of an individual district, much less school. However, improvement is possible by addressing issues that are solvable within a school or classroom.
Lack of familiarity with technology on the part of educators and learners is one obstacle. While becoming acquainted with the digital world in their classrooms, learners may find instruction lacking or insufficient surrounding the actual technology they must use each day. A common misperception is that this generation, including learners and younger educators, are digital natives and naturally familiar with technology and devices.
Replicating poor education with technology is a concern voiced by Dan Schwartz, Dean of Stanford Graduate School of Education. He warns educators to pay attention to how they use technology so it doesn’t replicate biases or automate teaching that’s based on poor instruction models.
Erika Tate, PhD, has worked to advance equity in schools and communities for the past 20 years as a learning designer and professional development specialist with a focus on STEM and digital learning. She provides the all-too-common example of transferring a paper and pencil quiz with low-level questions and one right answer into an online environment. This does not improve assessment practices or give a teacher more insight into learners’ reasoning. Learners are still limited in the modes in which they can express or represent their thinking.
Strategies for increased accessibility and inclusivity for students
Strategies that promote equitable use of technology in the classroom start behind the scenes with sufficient infrastructure and thoughtful technology planning. True educational equity then pivots on what teachers do with technology.
Tate elaborates on her example by explaining that digital tools go beyond the rote worksheet and can provide learners more choice and voice, allowing for learners to elaborate their thinking using visual or audio features or in dialogue with other learners via video. These elaborated responses offer educators more evidence of how learners are building their understanding, the connections they’re making between ideas and the lived experiences they draw upon. This enables educators to provide more specific and responsive feedback. This then creates more opportunities for educators to connect with and build or strengthen relationships with learners.
Ongoing professional development
To effectively support equitable access for diverse learners, educators need ongoing professional development and training that covers both the technology and inclusive teaching practices. Administrators need to be concerned with both the tactical how-to as well as bigger picture technology integration issues.
Training must be in place for them to be able to guide learners and support their digital literacy and fluency. Keeping teachers up to date is often challenging due to heavy workload paired with time restrictions. Accessible support through stackable courses or microbadges like Hāpara Learning Bytes gives them the freedom to learn and build skills on their terms.
Using technology to power learning for different student needs
Learning is complex and each student is different. Therefore, a common challenge in education is finding a way to tailor lessons to each learner’s specific needs and level. Technology can help as a scaling tool, providing personalized lessons. Learners can address their individual strengths and weaknesses with planned lessons that have targeted support.
When learners feel inadequate in comparison to peers, they may participate less and become increasingly isolated. Disengagement is linked to lower performance, absenteeism and even dropping out. Culturally and linguistically driven pedagogy promotes learners’ cultural differences and backgrounds. Creating safe and inclusive environments in the physical classroom and online is key for learners to feel valued and accepted.
Reaching language learners
Technology provides the necessary resources for students who are learning English to further develop their language acquisition. Along with creating a safe learning environment, educators can benefit from the use of technology to aid their lessons. Language translating and learning platforms can support students in their assignments while enhancing their learning. Interactive and visual media can also help to keep students engaged, and ease their way into learning activities.
Disabilities and attention issues
In the US, 20% of students have attention issues that make learning in the traditional manner difficult. Students with specific learning disabilities, ADHD or other related disorders often struggle to keep up with grade level in general education classrooms because they process information differently. Alternative ways of teaching allow educators to provide an effective education that meets their needs. These include:
Concise targeted instructions reduce room for confusion and guessing, which allows the learners to process the information and keep in mind the expectations.
Present information to learners in the ways which they respond best to. Teaching them to identify their most effective ways of learning helps educators create targeted lessons.
Positive behavior strategies make the classroom expectations for learners clear and consistent. Acknowledging positive behavior and not tolerating negative behavior teaches learners social emotional control over their emotions to ensure a peaceful environment.
Collaboration between educators creates support while reviewing student data and different education methods. Access to technology helps teams align on IEP strategies and shared expectations.
Overcoming common barriers to digital equity
Having to navigate through different platforms and systems on their tablets or laptops to find what they need to complete an assignment can break concentration for any learner, especially an individual with special needs. Digital organization is not natural to many learners, notes high school course developer, Juila Tell.
A simple structure and user-friendly interface can support students as they develop their executive functioning skills, allowing them to place their time and effort on learning.
Hāpara offers a learning system similar to the way students intuitively navigate online. All the educational materials a learner needs live in one place. With such structure, learners are less likely to get distracted. This also reduces anxiety and offers an overview of their assignments. Equitable access to education when reinforced by technology tools allows students to have a fuller understanding of the learning process and to manage their learning.
Instructional design and practice
Digital tools, coupled with effective instructional design, can increase equitable participation in classroom learning, states Tate. For example, a video-based academic discussion can “slow down” a classroom conversation when learners are posting their responses to an educator’s questions or learners’ responses. This enables an educator to monitor learners’ contributions, asking, “Who is sharing? Whose ideas are taken up?”
This slower, more thoughtful pace provides time for educators to review responses, gain insight into students’ learning progress and offer specific feedback to deepen learning and encourage participation.
To conclude, Tate urges institutional leaders to provide and protect time for ongoing professional learning. Educators need opportunities to collaborate and plan instruction with each other, and reflect on how their beliefs and practices shape their instruction. With their colleagues, educators need to pose questions, exchange ideas, practice instructional delivery and give each other feedback. All these things are necessary for educators to improve their instructional practice and create equitable, inclusive learning spaces for students, she concludes.
Vetted inclusive content
At the institutional level, leaders need to ensure that high-quality inclusive content is easy to access. Collaboration within schools and districts supports educators in incorporating the most relevant and valuable resources available.
According to Tate, schools or districts need to adopt high-quality instructional materials or purchase licenses for digital learning tools. “When teachers are left to their own devices to search, evaluate and implement instructional content and tools, the quality of student learning from classroom to classroom is likely to be inconsistent, and therefore inequitable,” she explains.
Learning environments that support individual learner needs
In a classroom setting, design learning environments to highlight the students needs, where they can feel seen and valued. A safe environment where educators interact with learners can lead to them feeling like they belong and they can express themselves openly.
This can be achieved by using supportive language and expressing genuine interest in learners so they feel like their voices are valued. In an online context, regular interaction and communication with tools such as Google Forms and Hāpara Highlights allow educators to keep a pulse on what learners have on their minds.
Oakland public school teacher Rebecca Recco promotes equity in her middle school classroom with Hāpara. With Hāpara Workspace, she can automate specific supports for the needs of different learners. This allows her to spend more time face to face with individual learners.
“When students are struggling with different ways of learning, it is important to find ways to meet them where they’re at,“ she explains. “I can make any number of paths through the same project and no student knows that they are getting a different path than any other student.”
Embracing student mental health
Mental health knows no boundaries. Extreme difficulties, isolation or anxiety affects learners in classrooms throughout the country. Josh Stock, middle school teacher and author of Special Sauce, lived this and now is committed to finding every possible opportunity to let a learner know that they’re seen, heard and valued.
It is important to check up on learners individually and pay attention to their feelings, he advises. Creating a relationship with learners can help educators create a space where learners feel like their emotions are valid. Identifying students who are struggling allows educators to pay closer attention to them and provide a tailored learning plan that will not take a toll on their mental health.
Finally, he recommends incorporating technology like Google Workspace for Education or Microsoft Reflect along with low-tech activities like breathing exercises and listening to music. Kinetic and sensory exercises that support learners’ mental health also helps them stay calm and focused throughout their lessons.
Discover why vetting edtech tools for inclusivity matters, and unlock strategies to leverage edtech for inclusivity.
