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Headshot Young Girl

Mikaela Elbourne

AMS24

United Kingdom

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Challenge

The digital divide is a problem that has been talked about in education for a long time. In our post-pandemic world, a second facet to this is beginning to emerge, where the digital divide is not just about access to technology, but also who is (or isn’t) using it and how it is being utilised. It is about the choices that school leaders and classroom teachers make about what technologies are allowed into classrooms (Aubrey-Smith, 2022). Despite having innovated ideas with teachers, run staff development workshops within my school and working 1-to-1 with teachers, there is still a small group of teachers who are resistant to using technology much, if at all, in their classrooms. We know that pedagogical uses of technology can allow for better inclusive practises within the classroom, open up new opportunities and ways to engage with the stimuli, connect learners with new audiences and resources, yet some teachers are not getting on board. I am left wondering what the consequences for our children will be if they are not provided with meaningful opportunities to engage with technology. How long will the children in these classes have to wait before they are afforded the same opportunities as their peers? Why, in some schools, are innovative teachers being asked to do less, so as not to make other teachers look bad? Why is it optional to provide what should now be the minimum standard of education in our 21st century world? It is 2024, which means we are almost a quarter of the way through the century, yet I would argue that most classrooms are not even nearly a quarter of the way into a modern education style. The challenge is ensuring equitable opportunities to engage with technology to enhance learning for all students, regardless of the teacher.

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