Page 51 - Resources and Support for the Online Educator

CHAPTER 2 • How Might Teachers Respond to the Challenges?

All students bring to the table with them some form of social
capital; however, not all capital is held in equal regard in the eyes
of society, as demonstrated by injustice, discrimination, and bias.

Some students might be fortunate to access bonds that will
provide them with advantages established through family
connections, culture, or even ethnicity. Other students who
are members of groups that have been traditionally margin-
alized often find themselves pushed further to the sidelines.
Through the power of social media, however, individuals are
now beginning to disrupt this perpetual system of inequity. As
Julia Freeland Fisher (2018a) argued, schools are in position to
assist students in creating inclusive networks through bridges:
“Schools looking to prepare students for the workforce and open
doors for their students are pursuing models designed around
the critical role that social capital plays in expanding access
to opportunity.” Likewise, schools can help prepare students
through emerging technology platforms that cultivate relation-
ships, both on and offline. To address this need, the Institute
has created whoyouknow.org, which helps pair students “with
coaches, experts, mentors, and peers—otherwise out of reach”
(Christensen Institute, n.d.).

In an interview with Getting Smart (Ryerse & Berkeley, 2018),
Fisher stated that schools can also help students access these
bridge connections in the following ways:

• Focus on the network of care.
• See the school system in terms of “slots” in which a
student can learn.
• Incorporate project-based learning.
• Expand students’ access through advisory systems.

• Explore opportunities for change in school design.

32 Closing the Gap: Digital Equity Strategies for the K–12 Classroom

Excerpted from Chapter 2, “How Might Teachers Respond to the Challenges?”

Closing the Gap: Digital Equity Strategies for the K-12 Classroom 51