4.

1 Digital Equity - model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to digital tools
and resources and technology-related best practices for all students and teachers.
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The ITEC 7430 blog entries provide information on technology-related best practices
and examples of how teachers might use various digital tools to bridge the “Digital Divide. The
entries also include strategies that explore challenges and efforts to improve equitable access
in my school district, Atlanta Public Schools, and beyond.

The ITEC 7430 equitable access blog entry demonstrates my ability to model and
promote strategies for achieving equitable access to technology-related best practices for all
students and teachers. The digital divide refers to the inequities in technology funding,
infrastructure, and access experienced primarily by lower socioeconomic populations
(Dieckmann & Villarreal, 2001). My ITEC 7430 blog post Undeniable Divide highlights the
discrepancy between varying demographics using The Homework Gap as an easy to understand
example. I also detailed how the APS Digital Bridge program has positively impacted the digital
inequities experienced by many of our students by providing laptops equipped with T-Mobile
Wi-Fi Hotspots to over 8,000 middle school students in need. As a result of the pending remote
learning phase, our school took the opportunity to implement a similar program specifically for
our learners. I planned and lead the Digital Device Parade to kick of the school year with digital
learning solutions for students impacted by limited connectivity and access to the virtual
learning space. Each enrolled student was provided a laptop and hotspot to bridge the
accessibility gap.

My ITEC 7430 blog also demonstrates my ability to model and promote strategies for
achieving equitable access to digital tools and resources. I review specific web 2.0 tools, such
as Google Suite, Adobe Spark and Explain Everything, and share a vision for how each might be
used to transform student learning by providing opportunities for creativity, critical thinking
and problem solving. In the Undeniable Divide post I highlighted easy to implement strategies
that educators can use to tackle equitable access in their classroom. For example, teachers can
conduct home surveys to develop a better understand their students’ current reality such as:
What kind of tools do they have? Are they “mobile-users” only? Do they have Wi-Fi? Are they
Apple or Android users? This survey will guide teachers to create and differentiate assignments
reflective of their student’s accessibility. Teachers can also be more inclusive by adding
accessibility hours during the school day such as lunch breaks and before and after school. It’s
also important for teacher to implement tools that are flexible and compatible with student
devices.

In completing the ITEC blog, I learned that the first step in improving equitable access is
understanding the technology disposition of the population being supported. To improve my
modeling and promotion of strategies for equitable access, I can continuously monitor the
accessibility needs of students and share community and district resources as they come
available. I will also continue to explore digital tool and resources that specifically meet the
needs of students highly impact by the digital divide and share them with other educators.

The work that went into creating these artifacts impacted school improvement by
strengthening the connection between home and school and student learning by ensuring that
students have the home access to online resources they need. This impact can be evidenced by
usage data highlighting an increase in student engagement and accessibility in the virtual
learning space.

Dieckmann, J., & Villarreal, A. (2001, May). Enriching Your Classroom Through Equitable
Technology Integration. Retrieved April 9, 2019, from https://www.idra.org/resource-
center/enriching-your-classroom-through-equitable-technology-integration/