Is Your EdTech Equitable? Using TAXI to Drive The Inquiry
Concurrent Session 8
Brief Abstract
Is the edtech in your online courses equitable and inclusive? Join us to explore fourteen key questions that may support your review process. Hear how edtech founders and designers approach equity as we dive deeper into these questions raised in my article, “14 Equity Considerations for Ed Tech.”
Extended Abstract
FRAMING QUESTIONS
Which education technology in our online courses might be more equitable and inclusive of all of our learners - and educators? Which inclusive and supportive design elements are worth considering?
OVERVIEW
This session expands on my recent article in Campus Technology, “14 Equity Considerations for Ed Tech,” by engaging participants in a highly-interactive, collaborative review of eLearning technologies. By the end of this workshop, all participants will be able to utilize the “TAXI” model to make edtech decisions reflective of a broad range of equity considerations. Further, participants can expect to come away with dozens of new ideas for technologies that may help address eLearning gaps at their institutions.
INTERACTIVE APPROACH
Whether this session is selected as an onsite or virtual, live "education session," my approach will be highly interactive and collaborative by nature.
After a brief overview of the “TAXI” model, we will pivot toward a participant-centered approach in which we brainstorm our favorite emerging edtech, highlight the tech we feel is most equitable, and then examine the tech more closely through a variety of equity questions. As participants share stories of the edtech that they feel is most equitable for various pedagogical use cases, we will gather and share these notes with all participants dynamically (on-site or virtually using collaborative tools (e.g. Padlets, Figma whiteboards, polling tools, etc).
TAKEAWAYS
While overviewing the TAXI model, I will also provide examples of edtech that addresses equity in various ways. During this session, I will also briefly highlight equitable design considerations shared with me recently by edtech founders and design leaders. Most importantly though, our shared time will focus on providing participants with time to reflect together with OLC colleagues on the current edtech decisions we are engaged with as it relates to gap areas. This session will also connect participants in the room with shared priorities so that this collaborative work around edtech equity can extend beyond the conference.
FURTHER BACKGROUND on TAXI
TAXI is a vehicle to drive us toward four kinds of equity considerations: 1) tech equity; 2) accessibility equity; 3) experiential equity; and, 4) identity equity. TAXI is not an attempt at anything definitive. Instead, TAXI provides questions to help us arrive at new destinations for inquiry, focusing on how our K-20 technologies may broaden access, or what we might call the "e-learning capital," of all students — especially those that have been historically marginalized. To learn more about this model, visit Campus Technology.