As the technology and the use of it expands to wider dimensions, so does the amalgam of it in the education sector. Nowadays, high schools and educational institutions follow and embrace a great deal of ed-tech tools, that favour the students in essential learning and expand the dimension of education.
However, one question we all ought to ask our self is that- does the same apply for schools that are situated in the rural areas that are run by the state governments?
Without a case study or second thought, our immediate answer is a no!
The mode of education has directly shifted from a primary text-book teaching to a completely online world.. Having said that many teachers and students, especially in the rural areas, are struggling with the lack of technology and technological tools to keep up with the competitive world. Everyone seems connected, but no one has the same access.
In this article, we will discuss the four ways by which you can improve the digital equity in classrooms:
Seek and Understand
One of the primary tasks is to seek and understand the needs of the students, depending on the level of education they’re receiving. Reach out and find out the tech concerns and the areas for improvisation of the same. This can also be done by conducting a survey, that ranges between the duration of six months to one year. The survey can be as basic as the number of requirements for a computer, internet connection etc.
Try it out
Once you figure out the problem, you might want to come up with a solution to the problem. Before introducing the solution to the students, it is imperative to try it out by yourself first, instead of letting the students decide for themselves.
Tech equity vision
Tech equity vision is just a fancy name that is giving to the process of explaining or walking thought the uses of technology in the classroom, and beyond the classroom. Documentation of the steps of its use or any other accountability for the students to hold is a crucial step to help them learn to use the technology they’re going to be involved in.
Consider or reconsider the patter on homework and homework policies.
They are reconsidering the patterns of homework and the policies and the submission of homework place a significant role in a students’ learning phase. Just because technology helps students in solving or doing their homework, you need not burden them with more. Give them time and space to understand the technology and then go about with the procedure of using the technology.
Bottom Line
In many of the rural parts of the world, the use of technology in education is obsolete, due to which children are deprived of proper education. Hence, following the steps as mentioned earlier can help in improving the digital equity in classrooms – in rural as well as the urban areas of living.