Diversity Statement
Technology lends itself to be used in a multitude of ways to support a diverse range of needs. Every student who walks into a classroom is different. Technology is a good way to support the students’ differences while helping them grasp the standards. It is important for technology facilitators to recognize that culture is a predominant part of everyone’s lives. Being able to support individual cultures with the use of technology in a lesson or project is a great way to support and connect with the students. All technology facilitators need to help students celebrate their differences while also helping teachers celebrate their students’ differences in the classroom.
Recognizing that all students are different and think differently is the first step to understanding the diverse needs of students. Technology allows teachers to create an environment where thinking differently is rewarded, where ability supported and students are not punished for not grasping the concepts fast enough or too fast, and where low and high socio-economic students are brought together to work as one. As a technology facilitator, I have used technology to promote diversity among students and to help other teachers understand how to promote diversity among students. Below is a list of activities that I have completed that shows the promotion of diversity through technology:
Recognizing that all students are different and think differently is the first step to understanding the diverse needs of students. Technology allows teachers to create an environment where thinking differently is rewarded, where ability supported and students are not punished for not grasping the concepts fast enough or too fast, and where low and high socio-economic students are brought together to work as one. As a technology facilitator, I have used technology to promote diversity among students and to help other teachers understand how to promote diversity among students. Below is a list of activities that I have completed that shows the promotion of diversity through technology:
- Creating an equitable classroom where there is a fair and effective distribution of technology, by allowing students access to the technology during, before, and after school, regardless of their socio-economic status that might prohibit their access technology from home.
- Modeling and advocating for the use of technology for authentic, higher order tasks by creating projects that use engaging technologies and sharing them as well as helping other teachers develop projects and activities so the teachers can better reach students of all regardless of ability, ethnicity, language, socio-economic status, or age.
- Ensuring every student, despite their ethnicity or ability, gets to take on a leadership role with technology by rotating roles in projects and activities so all students get to showcase their strengths while having their weaknesses supported and improved upon.
- Identifying and addressing the unique needs of all students who have limited technology skills, while developing a plan to support and increase their skills through practice and support, even if the students do not have access to technology on a regular basis due to their socio-economic status.
- Having weekly, informal dialogues with teachers about the use of technology associated with differentiated tasks by talking about how the needs of special education students, English language learners, and advance students could benefit from these tasks while encouraging everyone's uniqueness.