Equal Access...?

In class last week we discussed in small groups what we thought equal access means to technology in schools. I could understand what people were saying, but I believe that equal access to technology in today's classrooms really boils down to two main points:  funding and alternatives.

Funding is something that is out of the control of both the teachers and the students, however the administration plays a role in influencing district and government funding. Funding can greatly affect the degree to which technology is available in a classroom, as well as how easy it is to access any form of technology. Of course funding greatly varies from district to district, and state to state, but the fact is that it does play a role to defining equal access for today's learners.

Alternatives is something that I discovered more about during my undergraduate studies in college. If you wanted pizza one night you had like 568 different options(an exaggeration) but you could always find a place to get more pizza for less money. In terms of equal access, finding alternatives is a responsibility that falls upon the teacher, given proper authorization and support from his or her school. So maybe your school doesn't have a laptop for each kid, or smart boards in each class, but maybe you can assign a group project requiring library time so kids without computers can work with ones who have them. Building your own smart board and getting it approved is also an alternative.

There are many ways to provide equal access to all of your students, some of the more obvious ways require significant funding and support from your administration and district, but the key to finding all the alternatives you can and ensuring  that each and every student can learn from and with technology, is the one ingredient that often separates extraordinary teachers from ordinary ones; creativity.