4.1 DIGITAL EQUITY

Candidates model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to digital tools and resources and technology-related best practices for all students and teachers.

The Shiloh Technology artifact is a table that I created, with the help of my school's local school technology coordinator, to show all the available technology at Shiloh Elementary. The table shows what types of technology are allocated to each classroom, as well as what types are available school wide for use by all classrooms. 

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This artifact demonstrates mastery of standard 4.1: candidates model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to digital tools and resources and technology-related best practices for all students and teachers. This artifact shows that at my school technology is readily available to all teachers and students. Each teacher in Gwinnett County is also provided a laptop to use as long as he or she continues to work in the county. Each classroom is also equipped with a projector that, in addition to syncing with the laptops, also shows our morning news program, and our afternoon announcements. I checked out 5 tablets at the beginning of the year, which I use daily in my classroom. We also use our 4 student laptops daily as well. I have signed up to take my class to the computer labs, and checked out the laptop carts on occasion. I also allow my students to use my teacher microphone when they are presenting to the class. The Mimio teach bar that is in my classroom is utilized by myself and my students everyday as well. Technology is readily available to all teachers and students at Shiloh. In addition to all students and teachers having equitable access to digital tools many training opportunities are also provided for the teachers throughout the school year. These training opportunites focus on technology related best practices, and work to ensure that all teachers in the school are utilizing these practices with their students. Training sessions are offered frequently to give teachers new ideas regarding how to effectively utilize technology in their classrooms. My school also has a Local School Technology Coordinator. Any teacher can sign up for a session with the LSTC if they need help learning a particular technology or if they want assistance with a technology based lesson in their classroom. I have recently begun working with the LSTC in order to learn the responsibilities of her role. I have even helped her train teachers on new technology and lead technology based lessons with classes during my specials time. This is giving me great practice in ensuring that all teachers and students have equitable access to digital tools and technology related best practices. 

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Creating this table showed me just how much technology is being utilized at my school. The previous school I worked in did not have near as much technology available, and putting this table together really drove that home for me. Working with my school's LSTC is teaching me a great deal about how to model and promote strategies for achieving equitable access to digital tools and resources and technology-related best practices for all students and teachers. I hope to have a role in the future that will require me to do these things school wide, so having this opportunity with my LSTC is invaluable to me.  One way I could make this artifact better would be to include a survey of the teachers asking how much of the available technology they use on a daily basis.

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The amount of technology that is available and utilized at Shiloh has an impact on student learning. Having all of this technology at their disposal can really help these students be better learners, and will help ensure that they are learning the skills that will help them be successful in today's world. This impact can be measured by observing the kinds of work these students are doing. It can easily be seen by visiting some of the classrooms in this school on any given day.