Technology for Everyone

Research and data gathered in recent years shows that technology is vital in
a childs education especially since most students familiarize themselves with
technology tools at an early age as mentioned in Common Sense Medias article
Zero to Eight, Rideout (2011). Important as technology is for education, there are
many students that lack the resources to learn and use it. Schools have become
increasingly aware of equitable access issues and are working towards finding
solutions with the funding and partnerships available. Parents are embracing
technology use in the classroom more and many want to help their kids succeed but
lack funds, resources or knowledge to provide learning outside of the classroom.
Equitable access is an issue that often draws attention to schools and what they are
doing to find solutions. Though children work mostly at schools, equitable access
solutions should be discussed for all of those involved. Providing equitable access
for educational technology is an issue whose solution can only be found through a
community based effort involving students, parents, partnerships, and faculty
especially technology coaches.
As enthusiastic as students can be about using technology, the fact that
some may not have availability of resources is a concerning issue. Every student
has a different background, and many have parents who earn low incomes.
Computers and tablets are widely used in schools and assignments that can be
done at home often require those, which some people cannot afford. No matter how
much a parent wants to help their child, providing food, clothes and shelter takes
priority over buying a computer. Many of the students I teach are low income and
often rely on technology available at school to work on assignments. The data Brigid
Barron (2010) was alarming and stated that students whose family income is
$75,000 or greater are approximately twice as likely as their peers to use the
Internet to complete school assignments and find information (pg. 179). Many
students dont have the luxury of the internet to learn more or complete
assignments. There are some students at my school do have computers but the
machines and the software is often outdated which can make work at home
frustrating. Software that is common such as the Microsoft Suite Package which is
consistently used in schools, can be expensive and many parents do not have the
funds to purchase them.
A solution that many teachers have suggested is having students come in
early or stay late. That can work only if the student rides on a bus that arrives early
or has a parent drop them off before school starts. Often times that is not the case,
particularly for low income families who have to work long hours and rely on the bus
to transport their kids. Being involved in the school is extremely important for
children and extracurricular activities are a great way for students to contribute.
This is a point that many teachers need to remember when suggesting extra hours
for students to have access to technology. Some students, especially many at my
school, are asked to work after school to help provide for their families. This is
common for low income families and asking a student to choose to stay after school
to work on an assignment or help provide for his family is unfair and insensitive. In
order to address these needs so that these students could use technology, schools
and staff would need to find a way to be flexible with their tutoring or support hours
which would require many to do more work on top of their daily responsibilities.

School data and feedback are closely reviewed and shared among staff
members so that teachers are reminded what backgrounds many of their students
come from. With the issues of low income families and afterschool activities, many
teachers rely on using the available technology their school has to offer as a way to
provide equitable access for their students. Unfortunately due to funding or other
financial supports, the available technology for a school can be low. This requires
teachers and students to share equipment which can be frustrating at times as
there are common problems such as, battery life for laptops, computers that are
sent to be fixed, old equipment models that struggle with up to date software.
Lessons or projects that get started but have breaks between days of use due to
another teacher reserving the equipment is common and frustrating. Students often
forget how to use a site or tool and it has to be retaught. The school I teach at works
with students whose families are mostly low income. Thanks to financial support the
school is able to have different technology options for teachers to use. The school
has a media center, a computer lab, four laptop carts and two tablet carts. In
addition to those options, some teachers have older desktops that are in their class.
Even with all the options the availability is low and it is very difficult for teachers to
reserve equipment and plan lessons that require technology. When equipment is
difficult to reserve and use, it can have a big impact on students learning of the
technology as well as the work they are trying to complete. If a student only has
technology use at the school, completion and quality of work is greatly affected. A
means of support and technology is needed for students who dont have the proper
tools at home.
Classroom instruction on technology use plays a key role on knowledge
students obtain on equipment and software. The knowledge can help produce
quality pieces of work of which the students can take pride in. A common problem
is that some students need further instruction outside of the class. If they do have
the equipment necessary, they might not understand how to use it. Parents can
provide help but there are some families, especially low income ones whose parents
have not had an advanced education and are not comfortable with helping their
children. This can frustrate students and its hard for them to have an enjoyable
learning experience and work hard on assignments if they are not comfortable with
the technology they are using. This requires extra attention and planning from the
teachers during instructional time. Teachers have to teach the lesson, technology
instruction and accommodate any questions or difficulties students have because
its not certain they will be able to understand it at home. Schools and staff need to
reach out and find ways to motivate parents to be more involved and inform them
on what role technology is having in their childs learning experience.
There are many issues that face teachers and schools trying to provide
equitable access to technology for students but there can be solutions to provide
more help for the disadvantaged. As with most educational plans it would take effort
from the entire community in order to be successful. Hohlfeld (2010) states
Community and family involvement in schools is a well-documented antecedent to
student success (pg. 391). Schools can reach out to gain more partnerships to
receive more funding for technology or technology donations. The school I teach at
reaches out to community businesses and tries to gain any supplies or materials for
no cost. Thankfully I teach in a community that is very giving and we have received
many items that our school wouldnt have been able to afford. Our students who
live in low income families are given opportunities to use software on a daily basis

that greatly contributes to their academic success. Recently our technology

department reached out to Best Buy and received at $2,000 grant to buy multiple
items for students. The items were displayed and students learned about them
during Teen Tech Week which was a week that was set aside to promote and teach
different items that students could use to help them in their academics. By
providing more technology and setting aside valuable school time to teach the
technology, all students can have an opportunity to use it for their success. Hohlfeld
(2010) mentions that schools should use additional items for student rental (pg.
393). Some teachers might cringe at the thought of students taking tablets or
computers home for fear of being broken or messed up but as research shows,
meeting student needs with technology is vital for their learning experience and
many students would be absolutely grateful. A child would be able to use money
made at a job to help their family or support themselves better and a parent wont
have to feel guilty for not being able to provide the materials needed for todays
students. The stress free atmosphere created at home and consistent use of tools
would benefit parent and child interaction with school assignments at home which is
positive for learning.
Teachers and parents can work together to help provide extra support for
students who need to learn technology. Along with providing before and after school
time for students, teachers could hold a tech tutor session one or two times a week
that would last until traditional work hours so parents could pick up their kids. There
could be an early morning session and one that runs later in the day. Our
department has implemented these sessions and although it can make for long
days, the students and parents greatly appreciate the flexible hours for their child to
receive the support and use of technology for help. The flexible hours also allow for
parents to learn about software and what their child is using on their assignments
so that they could possibly help at home if they have the necessary equipment or
rented equipment. There are study skills classes offered for students in schools to
help finish homework and class assignments and I believe a school could create
those classes specifically for technology needs students. Counselors could look at
family income and other needs and determine what children could greatly benefit
from taking those classes and offer it to them. Even if it was a half year credit the
knowledge gained from working with technology and having the assistance of an
expert could provide the student with the advantage they needed to stay on top of
their assignments and know how to properly use common software. Hohlfeld (2010)
suggests involving parents on the needs for students in todays schools. Some
parents might not be aware just how important technology is for students in todays
classrooms (pg.393). As traditional methods of teaching are being modified or
discarded the materials change as well. The more parents know the more involved
they will be with their child hopefully. The information could be shared electronically
through a school learning management system such as the ones we use, Infinite
Campus, Canvas or in school meetings.
As schools move towards implementing more technology, the communities
surrounding them need to support what is needed for students. Diverse students
and their families can have a quality engaging learning experience. More effort on
everyone is needed but the outcome would be great. Disadvantaged students dont
have to be left out of a great school experience and as teachers and future
technology leaders we can help ensure there is equal access to technology in
schools now and for the future.

References

Barron, B., Walter, S., Martin, C., & Schatz, C. (2010). Predictors of creative
computing participation and profiles of experience in two silicon valley middle
schools. Computers & Education, 54, 178-189. Retrieved from http://www.lifeslc.org/docs/Barron_etal-Predictorscreativecomputing_2010.pdf

Hohlfield, T., Ritzhaupt, A., & Barron, A. (2010). Connecting schools, community and
families with ICT: four-year trends related to school level and ses of public schools in
Florida. Computers & Education, 55, 391-405. Retrieved from
http://www.aritzhaupt.com/eprofessional/papers/2010/HohlfeldRitzhauptBarron_CE.p
df

Rideout, V. (2011). Zero to eight: childrens media use in America. Common Sense
Media. Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/research/zero-to-eightchildrens-media-use-in-america