Fairness and Equality with Technology in the Classroom

...In response to a comment on my last post, "how do you respond to issues of 'fairness' or 'equality' with regard to providing technology to some students in the classroom and not others?"

My response: Maybe we should start by teaching children what the definition of fair and equality really mean...

In regards to fairness, I think about situations that may occur in providing technology for those who need the assistance versus those who are "fine without it." For instance, what happens if the student who is perfectly capable of reading without assistance finds it unfair that another student uses technology to read the book? I don't want my students to think that other students are recieving what they might percieve of as an "advantage" over other students. On that note, I think we do need to start by teaching children what the words "fair" and "equal" really mean. Sometimes I feel that some teachers underestimate what children are capable of understanding. As an aspiring early childhood educator, I think that children at a young age are capable of understanding the differences amoung us and the fact that not everyone learns the same way. They may not completely grasp the concept, but I think the issue needs to be addressed as early as possible. I also believe that positive reinforcement is essential in enforcing fairness and equality. Always remind your students (whether they are using technology as an aid or not) that they are doing a great job; emphasizing that you appreciate their eagerness to learn and their ability to complete activities in whichever way works best for them.

AND...


All students should have access to technology in the classroom! In my eyes, I see the teacher,with the child who is dyslexic in the classroom, introducing a book on audio tape to the whole classroom. This is beneficial for both the child who is dyslexic and the children who are not. The teacher should offer the option to everyone, yet they should still encourage those who are capable of reading without the tape. I also visualize the students collaborating without the use of technology. The child who reads well without the audio can read out loud to the child who learns better through the audio;this can easily emphasize cooperation skills. Maybe the teacher can even plan a lesson where half of the children can be recorded reading pages in the book and half of the children can listen to the recordings in the book. Of course, this is only one example and we must also consider how to emphasize fairness with other assistive technology devices. Therefore, the technology is going to be different for each individual children. As I stated before, though,I think the option should be introduced to the class as a whole first.


The truth is that I'm not sure how to make technology fair to all quite yet. I am merely stepping into becoming a teacher but I do believe that I need to be prepared to "do as I say and say as I do."Any teacher can say, "Yeah, I think technology is great for children," but it seems that they're not putting forth effort to advocate for what they supposely believe in. 


Also, it's not just a want...


I am currently in my clinical observations and the amount of technology use in the classroom that I see is very,very minumum. It is scary yet it makes sense at the same time. Most of the teachers have been in the profession before the "technology generation" hit which causes a difficulty in understanding the benefits of technology. They think, "I've never had to use it before." Well, that may perfectly well be the case but should that ever, ever be an excuse? In my opinion, no. There is a new wave of students entering schools who need to be exposed to technology because it is a part of their life now. Even children who do not have the use of technology at home strive to be exposed to it because their generation is exploding with technology. I feel that some people might think of tecnology as a "cool new pair of Nike's," that every child wants. You know, the child comes home and begs mom and dad to buy him the new pair of shoes that Bobby and John have. If they don't, his reputation will just be ruined! If that were the case, then my generation would have been called the " Power Rangers generation."
Technology is not just a fad or the coolest new pair of Nike's that children want. It's what they need. It has benefits and possiblites for the future, the future that our children will be living in.