Totally agree with this. If the technology does not enhance the learning in some capacity then it doesn't really belong in the classroom. It should always improve learning, not distract or just be a different way to do the exact same thing.

It seems to me like there are two major problems here that are compounding on each other. First being the access to new technology and the second being innovative use of this new technology. I see this exact issue when looking at different schools in my own school district. One high school that is in a more affluent area of town tends to draw students of higher socioeconomic status and academic achievement. Since majority of students who attend this school have access to the internet and personal laptops, they are able to spend funds on different types of technology and use these in a variety of innovative ways (ex. two virtual reality rooms). There are other schools where the students who own laptops are far and few between and some do not have access to internet at home. The focus of these schools is not as much enrichment but on simply getting students connected. My question is if it is more equitable to distribute funding for technology not by number of students in the school but the overall socioeconomic status of the neighborhoods surrounding. I understand this would be a complete headache to try and undergo but do not the smaller schools with more difficult students deserve more aid?

Very true. Our mindset surrounding an issue is the biggest barriers as teachers. I am a firm believer that there is always a way, we simply have to think outside of the box sometimes and be willing to go the extra mile to address these inequalities.

It makes sense that this would be the case. I imagine it like Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs where in order to have innovative technology integration, you first need to have other needs previously met. There is also the problem of a steep learning curve for student who may not be as integrated with technology. If you spend half of the class trying to get set up with a particular program then you have less time for positive facilitation of that technology. I have attempted this year to integrate google classroom for my classes at it took almost 2 months to get every person in every class signed up. This was due to parents need to log into an online platform and grant permission and a wide variety of other problems. My wife who works in a grade 5 private school managed to get all of her students signed up and working within 20 minutes.

This whole process shows how intentional we need to be with our technology integration. Every step needs to be carefully thought out and taken in order to make sure students are able to use the program to its full capabilities. Showing them once at the front of the class and handing them devices is not good enough. I also really appreciate the personal responsibility component. I think then when dealing with a screen there is a sense of responsibility that is sometimes lost due to the novelty of the program or activity. We as teachers need to make sure our students are still held accountable for their actions and learning.

Love the amount of free resources that are given on this website. I wonder how useful children and teens find this course due to its depth and breadth of the many topics. I think the focus on strategies and managing is a very powerful tool for those experiencing anxiety.

I appreciate all these easy to read small resources. Gets the main idea across as simply as possible for students to digest. Absolutely will use this resource for my class during our mental health unit.

I wonder of the 20% of children who experience anxiety; for what percentage was it there from a very young age and what percentage seemed to gain in in their adolescent years.

Like this a lot