Today’s Considerations for Technology
In many ways, especially in today’s environment, technology use has dramatically expanded. But we must remain vigilant on how that expansion may cause access issues for all students. We may assume that technology use may greatly expand access to services, but how often do we consider the tech limitations on our students? In my opinion, and we all have our opinions on opinions, technology is just as exclusionary as it is inclusionary – one example that sticks out in my head was the use of the CampusGroups app versus printed conference books during our 2020 annual conference.
From my perch in downtown Columbus, in compliance and as chair of a Care Team (plus other roles), we see several students who we would have “assumed” have tech access today. We assume students have a laptop that supports virtual meetings. A webcam for “face-to-face” appointments. A space at home, should they need to move to at-home learning. The list goes on. Same for all of our staff and faculty colleagues. How are we providing a community of learners access to equitable technology?
Does your institution have an emergency grant program or angel fund from a donor that can help students? Is there a partnership that can be explored with Apple or Microsoft? Do we need to rethink our expectations of students? While we may guess today’s students are the most tech-savvy cohort to come our way, and in so many ways that’s true. But what we’re learning (and would make a good research project) is that students are familiar with the devices in their hands – their iPhones, Androids, etc. – and not as familiar with full-fledged computers. So, what support can you provide to overcome that hurdle for students?
I pose these questions as hypotheticals. So many of us may not be in position to directly make these changes. But – we are in a line of work where we can advocate for change. This is a challenge we can all work to improve on our campuses. Student equity and access to technology go hand in hand and today’s educational realities make it much more important for students to have a level playing field. These are questions I reflect on as a majority of the students I work with are all remote. How do I help them achieve their very best success?
While you’re in the technological mindset – take a moment to log in to your OCPA CampusGroups account and update your information. Make sure your mailing preferences are up-to-date, upload a picture of yourself, and much more!