I found the readings assigned interesting and relevant. These readings have helped me to understand the different opportunities and processes that are available to secure federal monies to provide educational technologies in my school and how to narrow the digital accessibility gap.
How might Biden’s proposal plan to provide Broadband internet access for all Americans impact your community? Is this an issue for your community? How does your school or district currently address this need?
According to Arbel (2021), the pandemic has made clear that millions of Americans are not online, a problem that isn’t limited to rural areas but includes cities too. Biden’s proposal could have a positive impact on my community (Allen, Texas), especially amongst the low-socioeconomic families. Certainly, the current public health crisis situation has created an opportunity to evaluate having access to reliable broadband and wireless internet access for all. Since last March we have experienced a “Digital Access Divide” throughout the country that has impacted not only the learning opportunities but also the quality of education for many students. This “Digital Access Divide” has also impacted my community and the education of many learners throughout the school district.
The problem of accessibility to broadband and wireless services has been addressed by the school district and by each campus. The school district has partnered with local businesses to provide discounted prices to families in need of broadband and wireless services. For example, AT&T has created plans for broadband and WiFi access for teachers, students, and low socioeconomic families. These plans were discounted up to 25% of their regular price. On the other hand, each campus was able to identify those students and families in need of devices, access to broadband, or WiFi services and provided them with a device or WiFi spot. Each campus also informed the students and their families about the discounts that were offered by local businesses regarding broadband and wireless services. I can see that we have made some progress with the connectivity issue in my community. However, some families and students are still lacking access to broadband or WiFi services making it difficult for them to be able to function in a digitalized society during a public health crisis.
Consider the discussions in the ISTE (2018) guidance document and Crossland et al (2018) of accessibility, UDL, and/or personalized learning outcomes for students. How might either or both of these documents support your proposed technology integration plan?
After reading and reflecting on the documents assigned for this week’s assignment, I can see how these documents can support my technology integration plan. The USING ESSA TO FUND EDTECH (ISTE 2018) is a versatile federal education funding stream that can facilitate a variety of important initiatives and services. Additionally, this document provides research and example cases throughout the nation showing how the proper use of technology, supported by advanced learning and coaching, can maximize technology activities and programs. One of the components of my plan is to offer professional learning for teachers to be able to enhance their digital literacy skills and become more familiar with the ISTE Standards for educators and students. Therefore, the funds from this grant could be used to cover the cost of professional development for teachers and administrators throughout the school year. Additionally, with the funds from this grant some digital literacy activities or programs for students could also be supported by these funds.
The ESSA and Digital Learning Closing the Digital Accessibility Gap by Crossland, Gray, and Reynolds (2018) is a document that shares important information about digital accessibility. I found this topic extremely relevant, especially for teachers and administrators that might not be familiar with how to integrate technology with universal design principles. These design principles should support all students’ learning needs, including students with disabilities and English learners. I can see how this document could also support my technology integration plan by assisting teachers and administrators to implement the universal design principles while using technology for learning and teaching.
What funding option(s) might be a good match for the vision and goals of your technology integration plan? Provide support for your answer. What are your next steps to pursue this option(s)?
The funding option that might be a good match for the vision and goals of my technology integration plan is Title IV-A since my proposal is designed to provide student and teacher support. Therefore, the Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grant could provide the necessary funds to support my plan. These funds from this grant could also be used for teacher professional development and collaboration, blended strategies, social and emotional learning, and safe and supportive learning environments. All of these topics are expected to be addressed in my technology integration plan. Finally, in order to pursue this funding, I will need to meet with my campus administrators and school district leaders to raise awareness of this opportunity and show how these funds could be utilized to enhance the digital literacy skills of teachers and students.
References
Arbel, T. (2021, April 5). Broadband for all: Inside President Biden's $100 billion plan to improve internet access. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/04/03/biden-infrastructure-plan-100-billion-broadband-internet-proposal/7074754002/.
Crossland, A., Gray, T., and Reynold, J. (2018). ESSA and digital learning: Closing the digital accessibility gap. American Institute for Research
ISTE. (2018). Using ESSA to fund EdTech: Getting the most out of Title IV-A. ISTE. https://iste.org/advocacy/news/december-2018.
How might Biden’s proposal plan to provide Broadband internet access for all Americans impact your community? Is this an issue for your community? How does your school or district currently address this need?
According to Arbel (2021), the pandemic has made clear that millions of Americans are not online, a problem that isn’t limited to rural areas but includes cities too. Biden’s proposal could have a positive impact on my community (Allen, Texas), especially amongst the low-socioeconomic families. Certainly, the current public health crisis situation has created an opportunity to evaluate having access to reliable broadband and wireless internet access for all. Since last March we have experienced a “Digital Access Divide” throughout the country that has impacted not only the learning opportunities but also the quality of education for many students. This “Digital Access Divide” has also impacted my community and the education of many learners throughout the school district.
The problem of accessibility to broadband and wireless services has been addressed by the school district and by each campus. The school district has partnered with local businesses to provide discounted prices to families in need of broadband and wireless services. For example, AT&T has created plans for broadband and WiFi access for teachers, students, and low socioeconomic families. These plans were discounted up to 25% of their regular price. On the other hand, each campus was able to identify those students and families in need of devices, access to broadband, or WiFi services and provided them with a device or WiFi spot. Each campus also informed the students and their families about the discounts that were offered by local businesses regarding broadband and wireless services. I can see that we have made some progress with the connectivity issue in my community. However, some families and students are still lacking access to broadband or WiFi services making it difficult for them to be able to function in a digitalized society during a public health crisis.
Consider the discussions in the ISTE (2018) guidance document and Crossland et al (2018) of accessibility, UDL, and/or personalized learning outcomes for students. How might either or both of these documents support your proposed technology integration plan?
After reading and reflecting on the documents assigned for this week’s assignment, I can see how these documents can support my technology integration plan. The USING ESSA TO FUND EDTECH (ISTE 2018) is a versatile federal education funding stream that can facilitate a variety of important initiatives and services. Additionally, this document provides research and example cases throughout the nation showing how the proper use of technology, supported by advanced learning and coaching, can maximize technology activities and programs. One of the components of my plan is to offer professional learning for teachers to be able to enhance their digital literacy skills and become more familiar with the ISTE Standards for educators and students. Therefore, the funds from this grant could be used to cover the cost of professional development for teachers and administrators throughout the school year. Additionally, with the funds from this grant some digital literacy activities or programs for students could also be supported by these funds.
The ESSA and Digital Learning Closing the Digital Accessibility Gap by Crossland, Gray, and Reynolds (2018) is a document that shares important information about digital accessibility. I found this topic extremely relevant, especially for teachers and administrators that might not be familiar with how to integrate technology with universal design principles. These design principles should support all students’ learning needs, including students with disabilities and English learners. I can see how this document could also support my technology integration plan by assisting teachers and administrators to implement the universal design principles while using technology for learning and teaching.
What funding option(s) might be a good match for the vision and goals of your technology integration plan? Provide support for your answer. What are your next steps to pursue this option(s)?
The funding option that might be a good match for the vision and goals of my technology integration plan is Title IV-A since my proposal is designed to provide student and teacher support. Therefore, the Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) grant could provide the necessary funds to support my plan. These funds from this grant could also be used for teacher professional development and collaboration, blended strategies, social and emotional learning, and safe and supportive learning environments. All of these topics are expected to be addressed in my technology integration plan. Finally, in order to pursue this funding, I will need to meet with my campus administrators and school district leaders to raise awareness of this opportunity and show how these funds could be utilized to enhance the digital literacy skills of teachers and students.
References
Arbel, T. (2021, April 5). Broadband for all: Inside President Biden's $100 billion plan to improve internet access. USA Today. https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/04/03/biden-infrastructure-plan-100-billion-broadband-internet-proposal/7074754002/.
Crossland, A., Gray, T., and Reynold, J. (2018). ESSA and digital learning: Closing the digital accessibility gap. American Institute for Research
ISTE. (2018). Using ESSA to fund EdTech: Getting the most out of Title IV-A. ISTE. https://iste.org/advocacy/news/december-2018.