It's probably because these educators and their implicit bias conceive the idea that students are less than their white counterparts in wealthy communities. The skills that come from digital activities are not highlighted instead of being seen as threatening. Which is upsetting it is not used as an advantage to POC and their education. Especially, when it's highlighted so well with white students.

It is just more than a digital divide there is a divide in equality, in humanity. We need to do better for the students.

Educators are student leaders and forefronts in the classroom. If their expectations are low and their bias succumbs to their students, students are doom from the start. I took an education and film course and what these teachers do to think they are helping their students aren't not fulfilling the expectations of pushing students to their best abilities. They are placing them in a leveling field that they expect POC students to be at in a futuristic "low-ranking job" and nothing more. It's sad and upsetting to read this.

Funding is a push back especially for the low-class, underprivileged POC students. I could go on and on about equality and equity. Especially when it comes to public school funding through property taxes.

Just like any great work of art like writing, you rewrite and revise till at its best. That goes the same for inclusive design and design justice, educators need to constantly reevaluate if what they are doing is the best for students.

How can educators successfully fulfill these expectations when switching to remote learning?

Also great to point out in the different ways of learning offer no unnecessary restrictions.

I like to called this a growth mindset in a way of teaching. Instead of looking at the data this ensures a call to act.

And all students of different race, backgrounds, status, etc, etc

I love how this is worded. By relating this closed mindset to a one-size-fits-all. Obviously, we need various sizes of framework which is UDL.

Definitely true. If you think in this way that every student is expected to do the same as everyone else you might as well stop teaching. Start to recognizing the diversity of students and their needs because not everyone can follow the traditional way of learning as there are more than just traditional teachings.

Is this like Moodle as well? I heard that for instance, if I am taking an exam on Moodle. Professors will see that if I opened a new tab.

I think it's really unnecessary to conduct a full photo/recordings of one's room especially when it comes to younger kids. You have to keep in mind those using it can never be trustworthy.

When I took AP Seminar in High School, the College Board offered a similar tool like Turnitin. It would detect any plagiarism and see if the sources you were using were getting cited properly. I thought this is highly effective and helpful.

I had to take a proctoring exam online and it was the worse experience I ever had. My proctor would constantly interfere by telling me I wasn't sitting the right way. Or that I couldn't rest my hand on my face. It's already uncomfortable for me to take a proctored online test. But to be physically comfortable for a 3-hour test was not an option for me. It's so difficult to focus! Also, the proctoring app still had access to my data and certain privacies. So be careful.

I think it's great that technology works so much in our favor. I like how speech-to-text apps or ebooks help students when reading is not their ultimate strength. When I had trouble focusing I would use e-books to read because it helps me follow along with the text.

I feel like this is important to bring up. Enforcing tools that have an objective and purpose for your students. I had a professor who used Tophat to take attendance. As well as to track if students were participating in class. It would ask us a question about the material and see if we answered right/wrong. The tool was useful, but the problem was connectivity issues, cost, and difficulty to get on the app.

It's also great to share it with your PLN! Not only you want to stay on top and be organized but it's nice to share your thoughts/opinions with everyone else.

I thought this was a great point to bring up. It reminds me of our recent class activity when we identified if certain apps are made for a specific purpose. Like Quizlet, it's a great tool for repetition and memorization. But you can't use it as a creative outlet for creating/building.

Another example that implements constructivism is virtual tour museums. Every week, my art history class would have a virtual tour and a tour guide would teach us about the different forms of artwork. We would have these tours on Zoom, but Google Tour Builder made me think that virtual tours achieve the same purpose.

I didn't know Google Drawings were a thing. I think the majority of my teachers would provide us templates or have us physically draw them out.

Kahoot is a great tool just like Jeopardy but more interactive with students. I loved the idea of using my phone to play Kahoot in class.

Would you view behaviorism like Quizlet then? It's a great concept for applying concrete questions and answers but it does not have room for versatility? I would also assume behaviorism doesn't favor critical thinking as well.

Also, your information can be sold to the dark web. I think loads of people seem to undermine how far leaked data/information can be located and to who it can reach. Fortunately, I have a VPN that allows me to track my information and if it even was at risk of being compromised/leaked.

This reminds me so much of how the Golden State Killer was caught. Since the DNA of the killer was stored in police database they didn't really know who it specifically belong to. Until, law enforcement's were allowed (legally) to check online databases that collect personal information such as family trees. They caught the killer because they found his genetic profile in the database of a site called GEDmatch. It crazy to think how your personal information especially your DNA can be traced/tracked.

This reminds of me of accessing a website through cookies as well. Some sites will not allow you to access them until you click "I Accept".

Not only with the opaque language, but with how time-consuming it is to read all of the language. You sign away your privacy once you click "I agree", we often do it quickly because of all the legal jargons, the complex language, and how lengthy the agreements can be.

Also, you are at risk for your information of getting leaked out in the public! Not every digital tool/app are compromised free!

When I read this, I remember in High School how my school would sell the students information to the US Military. I hope I wasn't the only one experiencing this, I would constantly get texts/emails from them to join. I believe this is regulated federally? Anyone want to tell me why this is even legal/right?

I think we are all guilty of this. Come to think of it, when I had to take a proctored exam through a software app. It had access to EVERYTHING on my laptop. Just a tip for everyone if you still have the app downloaded. For Apple, just double check in your settings (security and privacy) and make sure everything is how you want it!

I want to point out that not only you want robust tools to be accessible and used on any devices. But also question, if you want to use those tools if they required plug-ins. I think it should be considered, if the tools you're going to use requires certain devices. In the case of plug-ins it should be a red flag because not everyone has the specific plug-ins.

You want a user to have the ultimate user experience. I think when it comes to certain tools (like websites), they over do it in the aspect to showcase the company's personality. But if that's the case you lose more attention of the user for the sake of reputation. So I think there should be a good balance of the company's need plus the consumer/user.

I had a friend who was visually impaired. Back at my old school, we had to attended orientation to schedule our classes. I recall her struggling to use the school computers as she couldn't see/read the text. The format of the website is similar to UMass Spire but it wasn't operable to her. She needed her specialized laptop at home, and I thought its a shame how that sort of system wasn't accessible to her. Just unfair.

A great thing that I learned, you can scan the codes in your camera! I use to use snapchat for code scanning and now I use my camera.

These three principles reminds me a lot of my teachers in High School, where they would ask students how could they improve in the classroom. Whether it was the way they taught, how could they help students better, what would the students like to do, etc. These three means are great guidelines for both parties, students and teachers, to work in a successful environment. I think when you consider the different ways to teach and learn to using different tools/materials makes the learning process more open-ended and creative.

This reminds me of the time when I would answer questions on Moodle instead of copying the questions and answering it on a Google Doc. In which, Moodle would time out and my answers would disappear. I learn my lesson and would always use Google docs because it automatically saves my answer. So when you are doing an assignment or playing around with software make sure you get familiar with what tools works the best for you.

In a time like this, I have become so dependent on digital tools and it has been a lifesaver when it comes to group work. In the past, I had members of group who were in different time zones, so we had to adjust and figure out what days/times we could meet on zoom. With how accessible and manageable google is, it made it possible for my group to be successful.

I totally agree with the saying less is more. When I worked at a radio station I was in charge of promoting music camps or any on-going concerts the station would offer. Canva was one of the platforms I used to create my posters. When it comes to designing projects, you do not want to overwhelm the reader with so much information. Or put in random sections that strays the reader's attention away. So yes, less is more works entirely.

I agree that being introduced to new tools, it matters on how you were taught to use it! For instance, when I started to use G Suite in middle school, my teachers made sure to explain/show the process with the students. I think with new tools, the learning process should be slow and gradual. Using G suite since middle school has made me very comfortable and well versed with all things Google. With Microsoft I would say that's a whole other beast because I am still learning how to use it.

In my case, the tool I feel most comfortable is Google! I am pretty sure that is universal with lots of people. The way that I am familiar with Google does not compare to Microsoft. I think because I invest so much years and time into Google, learning Microsoft can be uncomfortable for me.

I think if you make a student pay for an e-learning tool that it would serve some educational purpose. I took a Chem course where my professor made it mandatory for students to purchase an app (which cost $35) to hold class discussions. Whereas in Moodle it's basically free and served the same purpose. I felt this was a "burden" and all it matter is that I had to post on time. I did not learn anything from this. So yes, cost of use is important to take in when considering the needs of your students. It must have a purpose! Free or not!

I remember a time in Middle School when I was forced to take online exams on a fairly new program so that my district could see how "well" students were doing. Teachers and other students like myself would complain how completing these exams were a waste of time. This was a way for the district to implement more standardized testing for their records. Which didn't help students needs nor the teachers. Sometimes not everything is tailored for our benefits.

All my life in public education before stepping into public higher education, I relied on Google for everything. Into College I had to force myself to get familiar with Microsoft and it was tedious. Tedious because I had no clue what to do and just had to explore.

All my life in public education I have solely relied on Google for anything I have done. It wasn't till college where Microsoft was heavily used and it was a tedious process for me to learn. Simply because I had no clue on how to explore it. After some practice I learn to love Microsoft. Even though, I save everything on Google, Microsoft is a great program. The same goes with Zoom, last semester I had to grow accustomed to it and it was not that bad.

In the virtual world, sometimes these spaces can be toxic if one is disengaging and providing misleading and unreliable information. So I think it's great these spaces can provide banters and a space to learn and grow. However, you do have to be wary of what is being put out there and deciding if its worth interacting with.

When it comes to who we want in our PLN, I think we take it lightly when new information comes across. These following questions are great guidelines of questioning if what we are putting out there (in the social world) enough to be reliable and effective? This just reminds me of having my old HS teachers on FB who would comment on each others post. Comments about of how great one is by taking different approaches to the curriculum. I think there should be more than just praising and actually considering taking in different approaches/perspectives seriously. A penny for your thoughts...

I also want to point out if you want to use certain sources, academically or whatnot. To make sure that source provides citations of where they are getting their information from. So that you are able to double cite as well. I thought it would be helpful to point out what is "reliable".

This is a great tip! I never knew I could search up if I wanted a PDF file. This makes me think of the time when I had to take AP Seminar in High School. This most certainly would cut down my researching time. I feel tips like this could have helped struggling HS students if made aware.

I think this is helpful advice. Google can be quite tedious, you kinda have to play around with your wording if you want to find what you want. Google Advanced Search helped me personally when it comes to cutting time searching around. But it can be a hit or miss sometimes, you just have to play around.