Too frequently, teacher technology education focuses primarily on how to use and integrate technology as tools (Kay, 2006), but it fails to explore its inherent and often problematic complexities (Asim et al., 2020; Benson, et al., 2017; Bradshaw, 2017, 2018; Heath et al., 2021; Subramony, 2017; Tshuma, 2021) or built-in injustice

Inclusive design is "design that considers the full range of human diversity with respect to ability, language, culture, gender, age, and other forms of human difference."

UDL is a framework for designing learning experiences so students have options for how they learn, what materials they use, and how they demonstrate their learning. When implemented with a lens of equity, the framework has the potential to eliminate opportunity gaps that exclude many learners, especially those who have been historically marginalized. If we want all students to have equal opportunities to learn, we have to be incredibly purposeful, proactive, and flexible. UDL creates a learning environment that is the least restrictive and most culturally responsive, trauma-informed environment for all students.

How is the information presented to learners? Is the content provided in multiple formats (e.g., text, audio, video, manipulatives)? Is the information chunked and organized to facilitate learning (Trust, 2013)?

Digital Tool in Practice: Kahoot! is a game-based student response tool. Educators can design or use predesigned Kahoot! games to help students memorize Constitutional terms.

Maine passed a law that protects users’ personal information. In a broadband context, this includes what websites you browse, what apps you have installed on your phone and how you use them, and your GPS location. The Maine law says that your ISP can use that to implement your internet service, but if the ISP wants to use this information for a reason other than providing the service, then they need to give you a choice. The default is that the ISP can’t use it unless you tell them that they can, so it’s an opt-in choice.

The inclusion of AI technology in the classroom can alleviate some aspects of a teacher’s workload and can also benefit student learning and achievement. Some AI that is available as assistive technology can be chosen and “tailored to fit individual student rates and styles of learning . . . but not replace the work of human teachers” (Johnson, 2020, para. 17), because teachers are better equipped to determine which teaching methods will meet the needs of each student. Teachers can work with machine learning technology to solve problems and challenges, and when used correctly, it can help their students become better learners and members of society (Atlantic Re:think, 2018; HubSpot, 2017).

rivacy is the “freedom from unauthorized intrusion” (Merriam-Webster, 2020, para 2). The right to privacy means “a person has the right to determine what sort of information about them is collected and how that information is used” (Sharp, 2013, para. 14). Yet, in today’s digital age, apps, websites, and online tools are collecting, using, and sharing private personal data to make money.

Microsoft Immersive Reader allows users to have text read aloud at different speeds. It gives users control over line spacing, font, text size, and focus. It can showcase the parts of speech and syllables.

In addition, English language learners (ELL) and multilingual students can benefit from tools that feature translation support (Knutson, 2018).

Imagine if you completely rearranged your classroom every day. When students walked in, the whiteboard or screen had been relocated, classroom materials were in a different place, and the seating arrangement was different. Students would have to spend time and energy reorienting themselves to the design of the space before being able to settle down to learn. The same principle applies to your online learning environment. Standardize the organization and language used for recurring course elements. For example, if a course uses the convention “Module #”, carry that forward across all content items. As elements are repeated, learners will build familiarity with activity and content types and their associated expectations.

Generally, the less equipment required, the more accessible the tool will be to a broad group of users, regardless of socioeconomic, geographic, or other environmental considerations.

The official UN definition for disability is the following:"The term persons with disabilities is used to apply to all persons with disabilities including those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various attitudinal and environmental barriers, hinders their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others." – UN, Secretariat for the Convention on the Rights of Persons FAQ, 2007

For many teachers the reality has been that what occurs in their classroom has been both private and isolating, a matter between the teacher and his or her students but a task largely tackled alone. But this isolationist view is, in the age of the social media and networking increasingly challenged and more and more teachers are finding their voice, sharing their ideas and gaining valuable insights from a global community of connected educators.

If you want to focus your search on specific sites, or kinds of sites, add “site:” and a portion of a URL (e.g., “site:.gov” searches only government sites, “site:.edu” only searches education sites, and “site:umass.edu” only searches sites hosted by the University of Massachusetts Amherst).

In the digital age, educators often turn to multiple spaces (e.g., Professional Learning Communities, conferences, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), many different groups of people (e.g., colleagues, students, people at conferences and social media), and various tools (e.g., Internet search databases, blogs, YouTube) for professional learning (Kearney et al., 2019; Staudt Willet & Carpenter, 2020).