The article Teaching Our Way to Digital Equity by Justin Reich which we are assigned to read presents some helpful strategies in how to approach this topic.

For me, the use of exemplars is very helpful. In my opinion it is one of the best ways to support teachers who are at the very beginning stages of implementing a new strategy, concept or instructional practice. My school board is trying to implement new instructional practices in a particular area that are easy to understand in theory, but implementation is overwhelming to think about and difficult to visualize. Being able to visit model classrooms or access videos of teachers implementing the strategy in practical ways would make the process of professional development go a lot smoother for many teachers, myself included.

The Kids, Cops & Computers program does something similar in Toronto. It provides free laptops to students while also promoting positive interactions between students and the police. It also promotes student leadership.

This is a powerful quote that calls for deeper reflection on the way we view students.

I like this model because the 5 phases appear to represent a continuum of learning. Sandholtz's model could be used as a framework for self-evaluating one's ability to incorporate technology and pedagogy well. The concept of a developmental process of professional learning appears to be a practical way for teachers to identify personal learning goals and map out their PD since the rate of technological advance is so rapid it often overwhelming to know where to start and how to move forward.

My take-away is that teachers need to be very intentional about how they use technology. They should therefore be able to identify what they want to achieve with the technology before they start to use it. Otherwise technology-use will not be beneficial for the students. Added to this consideration should be the idea of value-added learning below.

I am very interested in learning how to do this!

I personally see a need for professional development in how to do this effectively, or more concrete examples beyond those presented in this article (as helpful as they are).

Is there some sort of framework or template that can help a teacher rate technology based upon criteria such as this (the ability to create, analyze, evaluate, gather, synthesize knowledge)?

This is a challenge I am having this year. Although such positive reinforcements like points or coins is very motivating for the students, it definitely presents a challenge when you have time constraints and want them to spend as much time as possible engaged in the task at hand. Applications that have these features should have a way for teachers to turn them on or off without negatively impacting students' rewards for their work.

I learned this the hard way. I created an assignment for my students in a program called Freckle Math (freckle.com) and asked my students to complete it. I was happy to note that the students were signed in and working on Freckle Math site for the entire time. However when I logged on to see the results, I discovered that some students went to other activities instead of the assigned one. I learned that I have to actively monitor what they are doing even when they are all logged onto the same computer activity.

The way that I observe student anxiety being addressed in my school gives evidence to the notion that there is limited communication between the school and clinical environments. I think this is the most important message conveyed by this study.

This looks like a good topic for a literature review.

According to the Anxiety website (https://www.anxietycanada.com/parenting/my-anxiety-plan) "it is common for children and teens to experience anxiety symptoms of more than one anxiety disorder". Fortunately many of the tools on the website can be used for more than one type. This being said, it makes it even more important to have a clear understanding of how the anxiety impacts school functioning so effective accommodations can be put in place.

I observe this to be the case in my school. In one specific example there was no direct communication between the school and the psychologist. Once the parent contacted the teacher and advised them of the diagnosis, it was left up to the School Support Team to suggest appropriate accommodations for the student. One suggestion to improve the process would be to have the mental health professional observe the child in the school setting and make recommendations that are specific to the child's learning environment.

Given that Greif Green et.al. noted potential differences between how parents see the anxiety and how the child sees it, identifying how anxiety interferes with academic and social functioning would be key in creating an IEP that meets the specific needs of the student.

Services for primary students with anxiety at my school are in the form of accommodations provided by the teacher. Sample accommodations include pairing the student with a stronger student who can act as a role model and academic support for the student; seating the student so that he/she cannot see what other students are doing (to decrease anxiety about his/her work performance in comparison with others); teaching the student to verbalize his/her feelings; monitoring the student and daily written communication with the parents.

According to Greif Green et. al., (2017), cognitive-behavioural interventions for anxiety encourage the development of coping skills and discourage avoidance/escape. I noticed that the tools in the MAP are focused on teaching students how to deal with their anxiety rather than how to avoid it. The MAP tools therefore seem to be in alignment with clinical best practices.

I have already shared this website with a colleague who has a student diagnosed with anxiety. There are SO many helpful resources here!

This is very interesting information. I did not know that selective mutism is an anxiety disorder. I was under the mistaken belief that it was caused by emotional trauma.

It makes sense to me that they would be identified at the time of starting school. As mentioned earlier in the article, they can be social and talkative in situations where they are comfortable (such as at home) but the first day of school can be a huge transition.

Having encountered a primary student with selective mutism this year, this is very enlightening.