Getting Better at Digital Equity

It is crucial for educators to understand the concerns of students before bringing digital equity to the classroom

FREMONT, CA: Access to digital devices and the internet is not just a simple question any longer, but the consistency, quality, and capabilities of the connections are also important. However, a lot of students and teachers are still struggling to get used to space where it appears like everybody is linked, yet not everyone has equal access.

The concerns of digital equity are multilevel, multifaceted, and sometimes technical too, but employing small changes can lead to a good outcome for such issues.

• Educators need to be familiar with the student’s present technological concerns and their aptitude or consider taking a survey to understand their access to the tools. Even when educators think that they have a better understanding of their pupils, it is better than no assumptions are made to have a clear and accurate perspective of their constraints and requirements. To understand students better, teachers can find out the number of students who have access to PCs and high-speed internet at home as opposed to those who use a tablet or Smartphone.

• Before assigning homework on a new application or a platform, it is better for teachers to try by themselves first. The process of trying out the new platform by themselves can help educators in identifying bugs and provide insight into pupils’ experience in the classroom. Besides, educators can also give some tips and allocate time to students to complete their work.

• Educators need to communicate with students about the use of technology in classrooms and beyond. Communication helps in raising the students’ voices and partnering with them on how to feasibly utilize technology for learning and teaching.

• Teachers also need to consider making changes in the online assignment policies because there are educators that do not allow late homework. A reason for being late can be a lack of internet access at home and a solution to overcome this concern is by giving sufficient time for students, which might also add to their flexibility.