Challenges
Barriers
Possible Solutions
Digital Disconnect
Technology used at home is different from the technology at school. Students may have trouble transferring what they know into the classroom.
Digital Divide
Whether within school or at home, the accessibility of current technology is not the same for all classrooms, and students.
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Teacher Confidence
It can be daunting to use various technological platforms and tools,
especially if it seems there is always something new.
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Build on what they know
Students may be using technology at home but for different purposes, so they need time to experiment. Also, what are the learning goals of the activity?
Seek resources
Connect with local community centres or libraries. Make sure if you are asking students to do work online, they have ways of accessing it outside of school.
Be open and upfront
You don't have to be knowledgeable about everything. Learn with and from your students. You can be a model for patience, determination, openness.
References
​Castaneda, M. E. (2013). I am proud that I did it and it’sa piece of me”: Digital storytelling in the foreign language classroom. Calico journal, 30(1), 44-62.
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Gronn, D., Scott, A., Edwards, S., & Henderson, M. (2014). ‘Technological me’: young children’s use of technology across their home and school contexts. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 23(4), 439-454.
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Park, H. R., & Kim, D. (2016). English language learners' strategies for reading computer-based texts at home and in school. calico journal, 33(3).
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Rowe, D. W., & Miller, M. E. (2016). Designing for diverse classrooms: Using iPads and digital cameras to compose eBooks with emergent bilingual/biliterate four-year-olds. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 16(4), 425-472.
Shin, D. S., & Seger, W. (2016). Web 2.0 technologies and parent involvement of ELL students: An ecological perspective. The Urban Review, 48(2), 311-332