Dear SITE Friends,
We look forward to seeing everyone in Las Vegas in the next few days. Just a reminder that the Equity and Justice SIG is scheduled to meet on Wednesday (see your schedules for specific time and location!).
Members of this SIG engage in networking and activities for promoting equity and social justice broadly in multicultural, democratic teaching and learning and teacher education, working to address educational, opportunity and digital divides. Issues of Digital Equity – such as empowering opportunities to create, produce, use and disseminate digital tools, strategies and resources for equity and justice purposes, and particularly to seek, identify and/or develop leadership within as well as to otherwise engage traditionally underserved or oppressed communities – are at the forefront of this SIG. Traditionally underserved groups in the U.S. include those identified in federal ESEA-NCLB legislation, such as children, youth and families who are low-income, disproportionately of color, language minority, living with special needs, immigrant, migrant, disproportionately female and/or otherwise neglected. Internationally these include those who are living in poverty, political turmoil, refugees and/or those otherwise struggling with inequitable access to opportunities for full personal, social, political and economic development. Members of this SIG tend to examine and take action within their own work around real and perceived opportunities and/or threats of digital age transformations and current and emerging information and telecommunications technologies within an equity and justice context.
We welcome you to join us. In the past SIG meetings have been opportunities to:
(1) Network and collaborate with like-minded colleagues.
(2) Raise our voices on these issues within the wider SITE Community and beyond.
(3) Participate in identifying a Digital Equity award-winner at each SITE Conference.
(4) Promoting and eliciting Equity and Justice papers and proceedings at each SITE Conference.
(5) Planning special events such as half-day or full-day Equity and Justice Symposia.
(6) Promoting and eliciting publication around Equity and Justice issues in SITE and relevant journals.
(7) Identifying and/or helping to develop so-called “minority” leadership – leaders from groups mentioned above and/or who work in solidarity with such groups (so-called, as we often work in majority “minority” communities).
(8) Identifying, attending and/or promoting Equity and Justice Issues in other relevant conferences and venues, as a way of developing strategic networks and alliances.
Current keen interests include an interest in promoting Supercomputing opportunities for traditionally underserved schools, teacher education programs and learners and tracking upcoming legislation such as the “Preparing Teachers for Digital Age Learners” Bill, for the potential of addressing Equity and Justice issues.
We look forward to posting and learning about additional opportunities, organizations, ideas and resources in the coming week. Please look for our posts of relevant resources and feel free to add your own!
Thanks!
In Peace,
Kevin Rocap, SIG Chair – and on behalf of Co-Chairs Bonnie Bracey and Versonya DuPont
