It is the responsibility of the teacher to provide equal access to the digital world to all learners? What does this mean? How does one accomplish it?

     I believe educators primary focus should be preparing their students to become positive productive members of society. In our ever changing world people need a variety of skills to become appealing to employers. I am in complete agreement with that principal from the Digital Natives film I watched who said employers are not looking to hire people who can sit back and memorize a bunch of facts. Social skills, team building, and the ability to use various technologies are essential skills many employers are seeking when hiring.
    I think it is the responsibility of the teacher to try to incorporate each of these skills into the classroom to prepare our youth to enter the "real world." Teachers should not integrate technology just for the sake of it, but use it to teach children how to use it productively. Due to a variety of factors, there is quite a discrepancy amongst schools in the availability of technology for students. I feel teachers need to be aware and sensitive that their students come from a wide variety of families and not all students will have access to the same technological devices. In my opinion, if a teacher is integrating technology as part of an assignment, the resources need to made available to all of the students. I would hate to see a child receive a "bad" grade due to factors that are totally out of their control. In my opinion, I feel the responsibility of ensuring students have the access to new technologies that will enrich their lives lies more on the district and/or administrators who are determining where the funds are going rather than the teachers.
     However, I feel teachers need to see the big picture and focus on developing children into becoming productive members of society. Skilled individuals whom employers are fighting over to join their workforce. If the resources are there for the children, educators must use them to enrich and develop our young people for their future. Not doing so, is only doing a disservice to the children.