Equity and Citizenship

Equity and Citizenship Advocate: ISTE Standards for Education

Olivia Foy

Coastal Carolina University

EDIT 760, D1

January 21, 2022

Equity and Citizenship
2
Introduction

In a world full of technology, it is crucial that in the education system we are consistently

adapting and integrating technology into the classroom setting. As a teacher, I see firsthand the

importance and reliance on technology for these students in their daily lives. Schools today are

striving to incorporate as much differentiation in regards to technology as possible in order to

help close the academic gap so visible in education today. A benefit of integrating technology

into classroom instruction is the abundance of choices available in programs and online

resources to help address standards that students are struggling with as well as ones to challenge

the students who are excelling in the class. As educators, it is our responsibility to provide

students with the necessary support that they need to be successful in their learning in a way that

is easier for them to understand. With everything going digital now, classroom instruction should

follow suit as well.

In regards to ISTE standard 1, Equity and Citizenship Advocate, it is not just vital to

incorporate technology into the daily schedule but to ensure that the programs and tools given to

the students are reliable and current with the on-going changes of technology. According to

Damarin, the digital divide does not only correlate with those who have access to technology but

also to the ones who have technology compatible with the ongoing changes in the digital world.

As teachers we need to make sure that we are using technological resources that can be adapted

to multiple formats and easily acceptable (2000). With this in mind, we must introduce a wide

variety of tools in our classroom to promote choices for the students where they feel comfortable

with selecting the best resource to meet their needs that is better access whether at home or at

school. With a diverse range of learners in our classrooms, no one program will work for

everyone and students need to feel confident in choosing the best one to support them in their
Equity and Citizenship
3
academic path during the course of the school year. In order to ensure this, we must look at the

first standard in sections to analyze how well we are adapting our practice and methods of

instruction and where we might be falling short in providing the necessary foundation for our

students.

Standard One

For the reflection of standard one, I will be analyzing the implementation of this standard

in connection with Andrews Elementary School, the school in which I currently teach. In the

school, we incorporate a wide range of technology and programs to help provide different

resources for the students to choose. In addition to one-to-one devices for all students, my school

also has other technology tools such as tablets, robotics programs, document cameras, video

cameras to sync to boards, and many other tools. Students are taught new programs each year

and these programs are incorporated throughout the year in instruction. In the rest of the paper, I

will discuss how Andrews Elementary addresses each indicator.

Indicator One

For indicator one, it addresses the need for all teachers to be actively using technology in

their classrooms. At Andrews Elementary, all teachers are trained each year in the foundations of

new programs, such as IReady, Safari Montage, and many other programs. As teachers undergo

the training, they are expected to implement these programs throughout the year. In fact, IReady

is one of the tools used for progress monitoring and SLO data collection multiple times a year.

Google classroom is another program that my school actively uses with the students. All students

are expected to access their learning materials and activities on google classroom throughout the

week and teachers can send immediate feedback and grades. Parents also can receive summaries

throughout the week on the progress of their child. We also have several e-learning days built in
Equity and Citizenship
4
where students access their google classroom at home to complete assignments and meet their

teacher either on Zoom or Google Meet for instruction.Students are constantly being trained in

new programs. My class uses a variety of resources such as EPIC for online reading, Xtra Math

and Prodigy for math instruction, Discovery Education videos for science and social studies and

many more. We also have different companies through the district come and work with teachers

to implement new technological tools and analyze the data that is gathered from them. Overall, I

feel that the staff members at my school are proficiently trained in using technology in their

classroom to promote student engagement and success.

Indicator Two

In accordance with the second indicator, it is very important that all students are provided

with the necessary devices and connectivity that is needed to conduct lessons and assignments,

even from home. In reference to the digital divide, there are so many students who do not

possess an electronic device at home or even wifi internet to complete lessons. With this in mind,

it is the responsibility of the school to provide them for each household when expected to

complete learning from home. On e-learning days and as students are tasked with remote

instruction during our pandemic time period, it is more often during the school year where

students are required to complete class at home. Districts need to have the necessary tools to

provide families in case they need them, Unfortunately, not all districts have the necessary means

to give the devices out to every family or even ways to supply internet. On a positive note, I can

say with confidence that my school does have one-to-one devices for all of their students as well

as hotspots given by the district for families who need them. Last year when conducting virtual

learning for students throughout the year, my school and district was able to successfully
Equity and Citizenship
5
guarantee all houses with the necessary devices and wifi connectivity they needed for students to

complete assignments and meet with the teacher online.

Indicator 3 and 4

Indicator three refers to schools modeling digital citizenship. As a school, teachers need

to model for students how to act appropriately online as well as analyze the effectiveness of

online sites to determine which would be most effective in completing assignments. As students

are interacting more and more online in discussions, online meetings with classmates and

teachers, as well as consulting different sites for research and classroom lessons, it is important

to demonstrate to students how to effectively promote online etiquette and care when choosing a

site to view and interact. When students are on the online meet at my school, they are expected to

follow certain online etiquette guidelines while interacting with the teacher and classmates. This

is practiced in class prior to students working from home and consequences are enforced if

students fail to follow these rules. Guidelines are also sent home for parents to be aware as well.

When completing assignments online, students are given specific instructions and sites to access

in order to ensure they are using effective sites and are being safe online. Students do not share

their information with classmates or with anyone else online. The district also provides tools like

GoGuardian for teachers to monitor students’ screens in order to ensure they are completing

assignments like they are supposed to instead of just going on the internet. Another benefit of

GoGuardian is that teachers can also open tabs if students are not at the right place for their

assignment and close tabs that they do not need as well. Overall, my district and school monitors

student involvement online very closely and takes online digital citizenship very seriously.

Summary
Equity and Citizenship
6
As I reflect over standard 1 of the ISTE standards, I feel very confident in what my

school is doing to ensure that technology is available to all students and proper guidelines are in

place for when students are online. According to the US Department of Education, one of the

areas of technology that has been the most concerning is closing the digital divide. While great

progress is being made in closing the gap between students who have technology readily

available and those who find it unaffordable, there is still the underlying problem of whether

students are indeed using technology for creativity and collaboration or rather just for passing

time. Not only is it important to ensure that all students in general education participate in stem

activities and other technology tasks to promote engagement, this opportunity should be

extended to students with special needs as well ( US Department of Education, pg. 20).

Not only is technology crucial for students in promoting their learning, it is also

important for teachers to differentiate their instruction and make the content more meaningful for

everyone. At Andrews Elementary, there are numerous programs available that students can

access to support their understanding of content and remain engaged in the learning process. As

the US Department of Education mentioned, technology provides teachers with the tools needed

to foster extended learning in addition to their classroom instruction. With this in mind, schools

need to provide teachers with the necessary tools to offer these programs to students as well as

training to effectively implement these programs in their classrooms (pg. 28). With technology

playing a key role in education, it is important that everyone is doing their role in providing the

necessary means to approach this digital divide still evident today.

Equity and Citizenship
7
Works Cited

Damarin, S. (2000). The “Digital Divide” Versus Digital Differences: Principles for Equitable

Use of Technology in Education. Educational Technology, 4(4), 17–22.

https://www.jstor.org/stable/44428620

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. (2017, January). Reimagining the Role of Technology in

Education: 2017 National Education Technology Plan Update. Office of Educational

Technology. Retrieved January 16, 2022, from

https://tech.ed.gov/files/2017/01/NETP17.pdf