Abstract
This presentation describes a lesson the author created for her SOCI 101 Introduction to Sociology class in which students are taught how and why equal access to technology helps ensure quality education for children and young adults in all education levels across society (e.g., elementary, middle-school, high-school, post-secondary). It is important to address inequities in access to technology for education because it is tied to opportunity gaps and attainment gaps (Tawfik, Reeves, & Stich, 2016), and these inequities can affect how people access schooling during times of illness or school closings (Korkmaz, Erer, & Erer, 2022). The author teaches this topic from a sociological perspective, but all professors and those employed in the school sector can offer lessons in their fields on equal access to technology in education so that the lessons are applicable to their disciplines. Teaching about inequities in access to technology for education is important because many people receiving the lessons, such as college students, will be going into fields in which they work with people from different backgrounds (e.g., socioeconomic, geographical), and because many will go into fields tied to the education system itself, such as public policy, social work, psychology, law, politics, education, technology, etc. Students found the lesson to be informative and helpful. This study offers ideas on how professors from other fields can teach about inequities in the education system.
Presenters
Jennifer Pearce-MorrisAssociate Professor of Sociology, Raritan Valley Community College, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
Designing Social Transformations
KEYWORDS
Teaching, Inequity, Technological Access, Technology, Education
