Today, our class had a warm, welcoming, and interactive presentation from two guest speakers about the connection with technology, identity, and inclusion in a classroom environment. The guest speakers were with BCEdAcecess. This organization serves neurodivergent students and kids with disabilities in British Columbia: “All kids deserve access to equitable education”.
The speakers implemented menti to encourage an interactive presentation, allowing everyone to express a few words on each subject. Before beginning the slideshow, they presented an expanded, authentic land acknowledgement, opening up a conversation about indigenous learning and identity. The collaborative platform allowed the class to discuss our identity using singular words such as “female, woman, white, white-privilege, educated, LGBTQ, daughter, sister, etc.”
This topic then led into the concept of intersectional identities, with the speakers stating: “[think of] intersectionality as a concept to think about our privilege and identities and how it affects others.” Followed with an enlightening sentiment: “Every child will come into the classroom with an ‘invisible backpack‘…[teachers, parents, and staff also carry an invisible backpack].” This empathetic idea of the “invisible backpack” served as a reminder of the saying: you never know what a person may be going through in their life. This is especially prevalent in elementary grades as students may not have the proper vocabulary to articulate complex feelings, physical pains, or issues in effectively learning.
The link between technology and inclusion was introduced with the reality of inaccessible technology in the classroom. The speakers outlined some issues surrounding this topic: technology/devices are always outdated, equitable access to tech is difficult for classrooms due to financial barriers, and there is no central “keeper of knowledge” at schools—no reliable source of information on how to properly use technology. There is also an apparent lack of communication from schools to home/parents—what’s going well, what’s not, and generally making sure the students are using the technology in a way that supports them. Overall, there is a clear lack of support for educators to equitably and efficiently supply all learners with high-quality technology in the classroom.
This discussion inspired me to research additional classroom resources on how to implement affordable, accessible tech for students. One example is to utilize headphones to offer a text-to-speech function during individual reading if a student has a learning disability such as dyslexia. All students, neurodivergent and neurotypical, deserve access to beneficial technology for meaningful learning and development. “We all have different strengths, so universal access allows for support for all kids.”