As an inner-city school teacher, I find equity to be quite a struggle in the educational system. There has never been complete equality for all races and genders at any point in history in regards to education. The follow short essay was my response to the discussion questions:

Equity in education in general, and educational technology use in particular, is a multifaceted and dynamic issue. For this discussion, first indicate which equity issue in educational technology use causes you the most concern, and why. What factors do see contributing to inequity in educational technology access and use? How can technology mitigate inequities – how can it be used for good? (Be sure to consider Wisconsin's Assistive Technology Initiative, and the IBM and Apple assistive technology products.) What are a couple things might you do to help raise awareness about or moderate technological inequities?

Equity is always an intriguing topic to read and write about. There has never been complete equality for all races and genders at any point in time in the educational system.  With the increasing developments in technology, more and more issues of inequality are surfacing.  Across the board, members in this class are recognizing the fact that a child's social economic status greatly impacts their abilities to partake in technological activities. I believe that, especially in the state of Wisconsin, not only does a child's SES impact their education, but their race still can help or hinder their chances of being involved in technology driven classrooms.

In Wisconsin, the majority of low-level income families are African American or Hispanic. These students are unable to afford the technological luxuries of their middle and upper class peers.  Of the 14 students in my class (all of whom are participants in the Choice Program) only 2 have computers in their homes. I've learned that assigning research papers that involve the Internet can be extremely complicated since most students only have access during school time and when they can get an adult to take them to the library. 

It is not fair to expect these students to be at the same level of technology understanding as their peers. These families have to make a conscious choice whether a new school uniform or gas for the car is more important. A home computer does not fit into the equation.

Technology can mitigate inequities if schools and parents are willing to work together to provide a strong technological curriculum for the students. Teachers who can get the support of their community to create a small computer lab or have classroom computers, already opens up multiple doors of new learning. Getting students hooked on technology can increase their desire to learn more and start encouraging their families to come together to recognize the positive results that can come from using technology.
Making students and parents aware of the benefits computers and technology can bring—job and application postings, connections with family in different states, homework/tutoring help, access to T.V. shows and movies, world exploration—is part of the role of the teacher.  At the beginning of the school year teachers should immediately start using computers and software to engage their students, either in or outside of the classroom. Web quests, gaming, simulations, PowerPoint, email, and reach questions should all be taught and used in class.

If teachers are able to raise awareness and help start a positive movement for the implementation of technology in all schools despite the social economic status of their students, then maybe one day equality can be achieved.