Journal 6

Social Justice: Choice or Necessity?
By Colleen Swain and David Edyburn
This article explains the importance of technology as you enter to levels of education. The standard is rising every year for incoming college freshman due to the fact that they system is realizing that to be fluent in technology is a huge part of future jobs and careers. They are trying to make all students aware and ready for what lies ahead. In the article David Millers defines Social Justice as "very crudely, I think, we are discussing how the good and bad things in life should be distributed among the members of a human society." Some examples the article mentions about using a social justice lens to view the effectiveness of technology use in the classroom are: "only students who have demonstrated mastery of the basic factual content of a unit are allowed touse technology applications for a problem solving and simulation to expand their understanding of the concept, students are expected to hand-write the first draft of a report so they can type it into the computer when the class goes to the computer lab, and many more." The article also dives into how technology is equitably implemented, here are some instances they listed: available, used routinely, used in ways that reflect real-world applications of interest, complexity, and power, used to enhance learning opportunities for all students, and used to monitor teacher/students progress over time. A large problem in the U.S. is accessibility in schools, some do not have many resources to help provide the correct technology for students. The Digital Equity Portal and Toolkit is an amazing way for schools to get the technology necessary for their students. It has more than 150 strategies and resources. "There are computer refurbishments websites where schools can obtain computers and also ways to get deeply discounted computers. There is also a growing collection of free or open source software available." Great sources like this become available everyday, it is important that educators try and obtain these useful tools to bring to the classroom. Students benefit tremendously from these tools. The article mentions the an important part of incorportating a framework of sical justice when using technology in the classroom is to be reflective, keepinga journal or making notes in lesson plans are mentioned as great tools to be used. Surveying is also a great strategy to use when wanting to know the experience of the students. It is very important to implement technology in the classroom, it is a component and catalyst for social justice. Students gain so much from having the opportunity to use some of the devices.

Are their any forms of technology that can help students that are less fortunate in their learning capacity?
Yes! There are many instructional and assistive technologies that can help students with special learning problems or impairments. These devices can help students that have trouble reading or have language difficult.

Does the Digital Portal Toolkit find you?
No! It is very important that teachers search for these sources. They are out there and ready to be used but it is up to the educator to find it and bring to the classroom. It is so very important that educators make the effort to find these things, the students benefit enormously form these resources and as eductors you want to give them the best possible education.