About
This website is a repository for references, ideas, and techniques for how to integrate technology into instructional practice. The resources in this website adhere to my personal philosophy regarding technology use:
Ethical Use
The use of technology needs to respect student data privacy as well as all local, state and federal laws and guidelines such as FERPA, COPPA, and CIPA. Students must be safeguarded from explicit material while interacting with technology such as when browsing the web and be made to understand the ethical problems of plagairism.
Equitable Use
Technology should promote equity amongst students by being available and accessible to all students, both at school and at home, regardless of physical ability or access to a high speed internet connection.
Students with disabilities should be able to use technology to reduce or even overcome the limitations imposed by their disabilities, such as students with visual impairments using braille displays to browse the internet and gain access to a wealth of knowledge. Strategies should be used to overcome the so-called "Digital Divide" , the phenomenon where almost one fourth of students, in particular underserved and historically marginalized students have access to only 1 device or fewer in their household (Moore, Stawinoga, & Vitale, 2018). Technology should be made free and widely available, such as through the distribution of free school-provided laptops, to allow technology to become a boon rather than a burden for students.
Social Resonsibility
Technology has made communicating with others easier than ever before, but it also bestows greater responsibility on those who use it. Care should be taken such that the use of technology should complement and not replace physical, in-person communication. Students should be taught that the physical tools that they wield carry a great deal of power and so they should be careful about what and how they share with whom and when.
Technology can give students a voice louder than ever before, but students must understand that there is always a person on the other side of the screen and they must be careful what they say so that they do not reveal important information such as their addresses to strangers or say something even unintentionally hurtful to another fellow human being.
References
Moore, Stawinoga, & Vitale. (2018, August). The digital divide and educational equity: A look at
students with very limited access to electronic devices at home. Retrieved from
https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/R1698-digital-divide-2018-08.pdf