Walking into a discussion about accessibility I automatically went to access to computers and wifi.  This was a primary focus going into the pandemic and often continues to be the focus.  However, if anything, tonight’s discussion and the readings made me realize accessibility is so much broader and deeper than just access to a computer and wifi.  Bates’s (2019) SECTIONS model really made me appreciate the degree we need to consider accessibility when integrating technology into our teaching and learning environments.

The Sections Model

As I was reading about the components of SECTIONS, the consideration of students and ease of use stood out for me.  The points made in these sections are making me take a closer look at my use of technology in my teaching and in our learning environment.

Students

Bates (2019) discusses the idea that using technology can be very seductive and that teachers often feel the need to use technology because it has become an expectation and a given in today’s world where our students are viewed as being connected and demanding of technology in their learning.  But the reality is our students enter our learning environments with diverse experiences, access, knowledge, and skills of technology and with diverse learning styles and needs.  We need to set aside our assumptions that our students are digitally literate and expect technology to be part of their learning.

 

“it is…dangerous to assume that all students are highly ‘digital literate’ and are demanding that new technologies should be used in teaching” (Bates, 2019, 9.2.2).

I learned this the hard way last year in my teaching.  I use a lot of technology in my classroom on a daily basis.  In my classroom, each student is assigned their own computer and it is part of our daily routine at the start of class to grab your computer and log in.  Our lessons in ELA are created and posted on Teams for students to work on independently, in partners, and in small groups while I work with other student groups.  As the year progressed, I was finding the student enthusiasm to use the technology available to them waning.  Students were printing off handouts and texts instead of reading and completing them on their computers.  They were turning to the book displays I had in the classroom or asking me to go to the library to access information about topics we were studying.  They wanted to read the Social Studies textbook and complete handouts!  What a shift this was for me and an eye-opener!

“…the use of these tools or approaches should be driven by a holistic look at the needs of all students, the needs of the subject area, and the learning goals relevant to a digital age, and not by an erroneous view of what a particular generation of students are demanding” (Bates, 2019, 9.2.3).

I realized that, while technology can enhance the learning experience and support the various learning styles and needs in the classroom, there has to be a balance.  As Bates (2019) argues, we need to offer a range of options and opportunities for our students and not assume they want technology to drive their learning.  Using these tools requires us to holistically look at our students, our subjects, and our goals and make sure the tool fits the students and the learning.  Instead of the technology driving the learning, we need to ensure our students are at the forefront of our thinking and using technology to augment and support their learning.  It really comes down to knowing and listening to our students because they can tell us what they need and how they want to learn.

When reflecting on the course I am creating, while a substantial portion of the student work is online, I am hoping I have built-in enough opportunities for students to work in small groups or partners while using the technology.  The main activity of the module I am building is a jigsaw activity.  Because this is a blended learning environment,

students will be able to work with the technology while meeting face-to-face.  I have also included options for students to work with digital handouts or to print them off and write on the handout.  I hope the diversity of the activities and options will meet the diverse needs of the students and not create a digital and technological overload for my students.

Ease of Access

“Keep it simple” (Bates. 2019. 9.3.1)

The other learning curve for me in terms of student access is recognizing and supporting the diverse digital literacy skills students bring into the classroom.  We see them on their phones every day, and I believe this creates assumptions that they know what they are doing or that they have the skills they need.  I think teachers begin to realize very quickly that student digital skill sets can often be limited or specific to certain platforms.  We need to recognize that not all skill sets are the same and even the skills our students have acquired may not be what they need to use the technology we are asking them to access.  In addition to this, as Bates (2019) mentioned, there can also be gaps in technology skill sets between teachers and students.

While I was reading Bates (2019) and watching Michael Wesch’s (2020) videos, it was really driven home the idea to keep it simple!  The bells and whistles of technology can sometimes create excitement for all the possibilities and opportunities it can give to our teaching and learning experiences.  I often hear myself saying “How cool is that!”  But this can overshadow the accessibility of the technology for our students and the viability of using it in teaching and learning – whether it is related to support, cost, ease of use and access, interface, reliability, and sustainability.

This has made me turn my consideration to the course and lesson I am developing.  I have chosen Microsoft Teams as my platform and this presents some advantages and disadvantages in terms of ease of access.

While Teams has some limitations in terms of interface, I realize that there are aspects I can work on to help support accessibility for my students.  Providing orientation for students in using Teams and any technology and application within the courses is vital to give students the tools and skills they need to be successful and mitigate frustration.  This can be done face-to-face and also through tutorial videos, I have created in the lessons of the course.  Knowing how to use Teams and the technology also creates independence and support among the students.  I have also ensured that any website application and technology the students will use, they can access using their Microsoft login.  This eliminates the need for students to use multiple emails to access the tools and enables me to assess and track student progress.  Furthermore, most of the applications I am having the students use are supported by Teams – Flipgrid, Nearpod, etc.

I think my main concern is the use of Kialo-edu discussion forum and its accessibility.  This is a forum that relies heavily on text, and I have concerns about how to use it and support the learning needs of some of the students in my class.  I want to make sure the appeal of the forum doesn’t overshadow the ability of all students to access and navigate it.  It is part of their summative assessment and it is necessary to ensure the success of all students.  This will require me to provide some time upfront to walk students through the forum and have students learn its ins and outs.  Kialo-edu provides adds to the diversity of learning options available, but I want to ensure it still meets the mandate of keeping it simple and accessible.

Accessibility is so much more than computers and wifi.  Our discussions and reading have made me think beyond hardware and software.  It is first and foremost about our students – who they are and how they learn – and then what can be available to them easily to support and enhance their learning experiences.  No matter how powerful the technology or tool may be, if there are limits to any aspect of access for our students, then it prevents our students from learning and succeeding (Bates, 2019, 9.2.2).