This week in technology we had a zoom presentation by BC Ed Access. They discussed with us inclusion in the classroom and how technology can be used to benefit inclusion.
To begin class, three different coloured cards were handed out to class so that everyone had one card. Everyone who had a blue card was told they could only stay for half the lesson and then everyone with a green card was told they needed to leave immediately. I had a yellow card and was told I got to stay for the whole lesson. Of course this was a simulation of what it would be like if we were told we could not attend school because there was not enough resources available to have us in the classroom. I was excited that I got to stay however I did feel sympathy to my friends who were told to leave and it made me feel awkward that I could stay when they had to go.
The analogy that we were given was that students who need glasses to see the board would never be asked to take their glasses off. I felt this was very insightful because it’s true. Glasses are a tool to help a student learn because they are physically incapable of fully participating in class otherwise. This really helped me understand the severity of not having proper resources for students who need it. It really is no different than the glasses analogy.
The challenge is that there is a lack of resources in schools and so when an education assistant can’t be available for a student who needs it, the student simply cannot attend school and that of course is not ok. Some things we talked about to help solve this crisis is advocate for funding, ensure that assistive technology gets written into students IEPs and include cell phone use in that list of assistive technology. It is also important to be aware of strengths that all students have and believe that they are all capable of learning the same information even if that means taking a different route to get there.
It is also important to discuss with the class that it is okay that some students may need to use various technology to help them and that is ok, it is not unfair.
To wrap up they showed us the exclusion tracker that keeps track of how and when districts are excluding students. This tracker is online at https://familysupportbc.com
Overall, this was a really eye-opening presentation. It was interactive and brought to light a lot of challenges that students and teachers face everyday.