We have been discussing how technology can inadvertently exclude students. For example, all elementary students are required to fill out a form determining whether they can have their photo taken. On top of that, it includes whether a photo can be published on a public site. This idea of inclusion has continuously popped up in my mind as I have gone through teaching. When it comes to technology, there are often many varying opinions. Some people love technology and its social media connections. In comparison, some people are skeptical and avoid it all together. Teachers can often run into the parent that does not give consent for their child to be online or to be published online. The common phrasing is “you never know who will see it and how can anyone control where it ends up?” This makes it difficult when you try to mold the two sides together. Often times students are excluded from activities that require their picture. For example, during Halloween or a Christmas activities. Furthermore, exclusion can happen when technology is unavailable to a family. This often happens in rural areas but it does occasionally happen in urban areas also. How do students get report cards if they are only provided online? Many teachers are only available through e-mail, so how do parents get in touch with them when they don’t have technology or are unable to visit in person during certain hours? All these situations are ones that occur daily in teaching. There is a constant back and forth between technological progression and conscious awareness of exclusion.
Similarly, it is necessary to consider the idea of where information goes once it is provided online. When using technology and resources within elementary schools it is difficult to track where the students information ends up. There aren’t any particular regulations around these issues. Even when it comes to teachers using technology or online media, there lacks regulations. When a teachers wants to implement a specific program such as My Blue Print (within my district) it comes with a very specific agreement with those who manage the data collected. However, on open sites such as Flipgrid, Twitter or even Instagram there is information that is collected and not tracked which makes it difficult for teachers to use those types of sites. Therefore, it is imperative that districts, teachers and administration work together to create regulations around technology so that both students and teachers are protected.
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