Toolkit for "Smart Tech Use for Equity"

In “Smart Tech Use for Equity,” Mica Pollock writes, “[M]ore technology use isn’t inherently good.” The goal of the educator-led project Smart Tech Use for Equity is to help teachers distinguish technology uses that support equitable learning and development from those that do not. The feature story describes the process educators in the project used to think about equity and technology. This toolkit provides a template for you and your colleagues to apply that same process.

Essential Questions 

1. How can technology support equity in schools?
2. How can I determine if my uses of technology support my vision of equity?

Procedure

Smart Tech Use for Equity invites educators to ask two questions about the technology they use with students:

1. Does it allow all learners to share/communicate their thinking and inquire deeply into a concept?
2. Does it empower all learners to recognize their knowledge and contributions to the learning environment and to society?

If the answer to these questions is “no,” then it’s likely that the technology isn’t “smart” after all.

The educators featured in “Smart Tech Use for Equity” developed a template to help teachers test the “smartness” of their tech use with equity in mind. Click here to see samples of the template (modeled after examples in “Smart Tech Use for Equity”) and click here for a blank template to use on your own or with colleagues.