Rural Tech Educator

    We live in a technology world, but technology isn't always easy for everyone to access. That is why digital accessibility is so important in today's ever-changing technology world.  (YouTube: Deque Systems) What is digital accessibility?       Digital accessibility is design of technology products and environments to help people with various disabilities not be impeded or otherwise unable to partake in use of the service, product or function (Patrizio, 2022).  For the 57 million people with disabilities in the United States,  visual, auditory, motor, speech, and cognitive disabilities, they rely on various assistive technologies and alternate methods of interaction to use; digital documents, web and mobile apps (Deque Systems, 2018).      While digital accessibility is an extension of the the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) principles to the use of assistive or adaptive technology, more was needed due to the influence...

(Adobe Stock Photo)      Assessments and the amount of data that given through them have become an essential part of education. Once an assessment is given, it is then up to teachers and administrators to understand all the data and results.      This is why it’s important for schools to have plans in place on data analysis, action and creating a data-driven culture. (YouTube: Uncommon Schools) Analysis     Paul Bambrick-Santoyo’s book “Driven by Data” breaks down the importance of assessment analysis (2010). In Chapter 2, he breaks down the foundations of effective analysis by using an example from the movie “Man on Fire.” Dakota Fanning’s character shows a swimmer who was the fastest in the water, but finishes in third. Bambrick-Santoyo states that if the coach skips the meet and only reads the newspaper results, the coach would probably advise that the student swimming faster. Instead, Denzel Washington’s character, who was at the ...

(Photo credit: Ozona High School Lion Yearbook)    The COVID-19 Pandemic shook up the world in terms of technology usage. It was during this time that issues like lack of broadband internet in rural areas and for minorities was brought to the forefront. The digital divide became wider when COVID-19 hit, forcing schools and businesses to close and go remote for learning and work.      Four years later, school districts are still dealing with after effects of learning due to COVID-19. The technology issues that COVID-19 brought to light are also still being addressed.  (YouTube: The 'Digital Divide' and COVID-19's Impact on Internet Access from Mashable) Digital Divide     The Digital Divide is a gap between those with computer and internet access and those without (Mashable, 2021). In a 2020 study between Common Sense Media and Boston Consulting Group, 16 million students lacked adequate internet or devices to sustain effective distance lea...

    As a teacher of a career technology education course, I find grading a daunting task. For the subjects I teach, I'm more concerned that the student learn how to perform an overall task or job, than whether or not they can pass a quiz or test. To me, watching my journalism students in the field videoing and photographing events, interviewing students and teachers, selling a local business an advertisement, or creating social media posts shows me those lessons that I have taught them.      However, in education As and Bs are still the standard when it comes to grading. That's why I was glad to read about comparisons in standards-based grading and competency-based education.  Standards-Based Grading     Standards-based grading involves measuring students' proficiency on well-defined course objectives (Scriffny, 2008). While many schools adopt both traditional and standards-based grading, there is an argument that standards-based grading can and s...

      As a public school teacher in Texas, I feel like I am sometimes surrounded by data. Data is complied on students, their testing, their assignments, the programs we use, the certifications they take, basically every little detail of their lives. That data is then analyzed to death, in my opinion, in hopes we can give students a more personalized education and have a better understanding of their learning.      My own son, who just finished second grade, came home with his own binder (photo below) with his data at the end of school this May. Yes, even 8 year-olds have school data! It was filled with TPRI and RTI and MAPS testing showing what kind of student he is in reading and math. One slip told me that he will probably master or meets his STAAR Test next year. I'm glad to see that my child is doing well. I'm glad to see that his reading is off the charts for his age (takes after his momma), and I'm glad that he is doing so well in math (not his momma...