Equity in Action CA with Sue Thotz and Leticia Citizen

Sue Thotz and Leticia Citizen from Equity in Action CA,  a group of educators who are working to diversify conference spaces in Southern California.

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Transcript

SPEAKERS

Sharisa, Sue, Leticia, Sonal

Sonal  00:03

Welcome to the SBCSS Digital Learning Bits and Bytes Podcast inspired by our dedication for equitable and inclusive educational technology and computer science. Today's digital learning team hosts are Sonal Patel and Dr. Sharisa Chan.

Sharisa  00:20

Hello, everyone. I'm Sharisa Chan. 

Sonal  00:22

And Hi everyone. I'm Sonal Patel.

Sharisa  00:24

We'd like to begin by introducing our special guests, Sue Thotz and Leticia Citizen from Equity in Action CA, which is a group of educators who are working to diversify conference spaces in Southern California. Welcome, Sue. And Leticia.

Leticia  00:37

Thank you. Thank you for having us.

Sonal  00:39

And we'd like to start with a bit of fun. You know, we've got to have some fun. She's laughing right now. Please share one bit or bite that people may be intrigued to learn about you. So why don't you go first?

Sue  00:50

All right, um, I guess the most recent bit is I just returned from Japan. I went to Okinawa. The last couple of weeks. I've been in Okinawa for this big reunion, a worldwide wide reunion of all Okinawans from around the diaspora. And so when I arrived, my group and I the Los Angeles Okinawans were all we were all welcomed with a big parade. So not just us, but all these other Okinawans from all around the world. And yeah, if you don't know, Okinawa is a little tiny island about three hours by air, south of Tokyo, and it's a little prefecture in Japan. And that's where my family is from. So I went home recently,

Leticia  01:30

maybe their frame of reference would be the Karate Kid. 

Sue  01:32

Oh, that's true. That's true. Karate Kid three. Yes. If you're familiar with that doesn't look at it. 

Leticia  01:36

And he visited and Cobra Kai. And I think it's like season three. 

Sue  01:42

There you go, There you go. That's your reference.

Sharisa  01:46

Thank you. Those Connect home. Yeah.

Sue  01:50

Every five years, we do it. 

Sonal  01:51

I  love it, thank you.

Sharisa  01:52

 Amazing. I would love to go and and experience that myself. So same question for you, Leticia.

Leticia  01:59

So my bit, I would go with maybe that I'm trying to think of something that like when I've shared it with others who went Oh, wow, I didn't realize that. So I'm actually married. That's not the part that they like. But this is actually my second marriage. And what I like to point out about that is because like my husband and I own people like to call us like the modernized diverse Brady Bunch and that like, we have two daughters and two sons and the daughters are biologically mine and the boys are biologically my husband's. And that actually works out that like it goes boy, girl, boy girl. And that, like we were able to bring together these two separate families in to combine them into one. And I think we're doing pretty well, seeing as like our eldest boy graduated from UC Davis. And now he's finishing up his second year at LMU. Our second kid, girl is at University of Oregon. She's going to graduate actually, this spring, after four years there with two majors one minor. And then our third kid, boy, is it his third year at the San Diego State. And then we're down to our last kid at home. So we're about to be empty nesters. Although I think she's trying to throw a monkey wrench into the whole thing. She's trying to find a way to stay home while still going to college. You know, I told her that's not part of the plan. But she's a senior in high school. So yeah, our Brady Bunch family is, is branching out and doing some great things. Yeah. 

Sharisa  03:38

That is amazing. And beautiful. I love that. Thank you for sharing that. That's very personal. And it's amazing. I think people need to hear that. So yes, thank you. Okay, so we're actually going to move on to a question for you both. And you can feel free to answer however, whoever first. So here's the question, what exactly is equity in action? See, I know we touched on it a little bit. But can you tell us a little bit more about what you do? And you know how you all got started? Tell us more about about you.

Leticia  04:09

We got started just from conversations. Like it. It truly was just like conversations and taking note of who was in we were at each time we were having these conversations, was that an ed tech conference? Right. And so it was, you know, I remember like the first time to toll an eye who was one of our members. So we're actually composed of six educators. One person Nyree, who's taking a sabbatical right now to finish up her doctorate as part of the group and then we have three other educators who couldn't be with us today. Dalton Toutoule NToya, Tori Wallington who's the sped teacher for Murrieta and then Jen Dean, who is a

Sue  04:58

she is a board member at CUE But she So the primary teacher, yes, the teacher.

Leticia  05:03

And so it just like, like I was gonna say, you know, Totol when I go into a conference and noticing that we were each taking a scope to see like, do we have some other, you know, black educators or latino educators in this space and then realizing that we were doing that and then introducing him to sue who I've known Sue, seems like yawn. Yeah. And then like going to another conference, and we're all there again, and have these conversations are just like, kept organically happening.

Sue  05:33

The question and the observations about, you know, what, who are the folks of color in the room was a perpetual conversation that was happening at HR at tech conferences, and it took like, okay, alright, we're noticing this, what are we gonna do? Right, and I know Leticia and, you know, I know some of these folks, and it was just us just kind of getting together and saying, you know, we know that this is happening, and we want to make a change. And so engaging the leaders of those spaces, the leaders of those conferences, and asking, like, how can we help? What is it that we can do to make this space more diverse to make people feel welcome to bring in more presenters of color, to bring in more topics, content, activities, and spaces that will make this space better, right, and bring in more folks of color. So that was, you know, a lot of how we began and just partnering with a lot of a lot of leaders in this space and trying to figure out what our part was,

Leticia  06:28

right. So I think the key word there is partnering, because when we do like it, you know, if you go to a conference leader and say, like, hey, we want to talk about who's in the room, and who's missing, right, that can be threatening. Right. Yeah. So we're not there to point fingers. And we've actually received a lot of great feedback, even recently from the president of SGVCUE who's who pointed that out to us, like, you do this in such a way that we come, you know, with compassion, and we come with grace. And but we come also with saying, like, hey, we want to like, let's go ahead and pause, reflect, see who's here. And then like, take note of that data to then say, like, what can we do to, to bring in more, right, and like, let's try to do this together. And not, you know, all right, here's your information. You got to do better, right, what you're going to do now, right? It's very a partnership. And we like we've been working with a lot like, I accused like Sonal. Yeah, remember. First time. Yes, you took over as president, and we came to present Toutoule and I. And you, you open up the door.

Sonal  07:36

Like I just really appreciate you

Leticia  07:40

for being here, you know, if you have any feedback, and I was like, wow, actually.

Sonal  07:46

No, I took notes, you did took action.

Leticia  07:48

Yeah. I remember the first time you brought in Tori to present and yeah, like, go see him I want and you came back and said like, hey, let's talk about this again, right? You want some feedback on it. And it was just, those are the kinds of things that we look forward to doing. And

Sonal  08:04

for those of you that don't know, listeners out there, Tori Wellington is a member of the equity and action ca group. Yes. And I still remember that I think that you just driving those conversations, you just asking the right questions of us in a non intimidating way, made me meet me as a leader and you know, the rest of our board at the time, reflect, reflect on those questions, because you were right, I often myself felt as a minority in the space, right. And then, you know, I think there was just, I mean, you have a conference full of 100 people, and yet, there's only 10 people of color in the room that is worth questioning. So thank you for bringing that to the table. And thank you for not, you know, feeling intimidated to just ask those questions. Right, right.

Sharisa  08:45

I love that. If I can just chime in early to, I want to say that I think it's amazing that you come in with such purpose, you know, you know, what you, you know, what you're hoping to achieve? And so your everything that you're doing is very purpose driven. It sounds like and to me, I'm like, That's so inspiring, because that's, it's scary to do for a lot of people, you know, it's something that's not easy to have those difficult conversations and to say, this is what we stand for. Because you don't know how people will respond to you. But the fact that you're doing it, it again, like Sonal said it opens up spaces for people who are minorities like us to say, Hey, okay, like somebody sees me, they hear me and I'm valued. So I think that's so important.

Sue  09:30

I think even today, we did we did our, you know, our presentation today at the Technology Leadership Network meeting here in San Bernardino, Riverside County, with a lot of the folks that are, you know, from the local districts, and you know, we asked folks to bring their identities into the space and it's always scary. It's always scary because you don't want people to, you know, to feel offended. You don't want people to feel that they are not important or seen in there and that includes all the white folks in the room. that includes all, you know, I mean, we, I don't want them to feel bad about who they are, or bringing their identities into the space, I want them to see that there are other identities in this space. And be curious about that, you know, it's not about sharing who you are, you know, for the sake of like, account, you know, that's part of it. But you know, we do want to see the data. But we also want you to feel like you can bring your different aspects of your identities into this space. And it isn't just about your race or your gender, and, you know, but and maybe some of the things that are maybe ostensibly apparent, in some cases, they're not alright, sometimes we have to share who we are in different ways. And so the whole idea is just making some of those identities more visible, and building upon that, right. So I think that's the intention of that exercise is, is having the time for that reflection, and being curious about each other in that community.

Sonal  10:53

Absolutely might, force some careful reflection on, you know, on the people that were there in that room. In fact, it did. And those reflections from people from the people at the network meeting, were phenomenal just for them to talk about what they see in that data, you know, and just give their insights as to what they're feeling. And you heard that one person today saying, you know, we've got to be mindful that what you see might not be what you're perceiving, right? Like, we make assumptions, take the time to ask people ask people about the identities and their backgrounds, because it might surprise you. And, you know, you, you may learn so much,

Sue  11:28

that can also be a tricky thing to do. Right? For folks who are like, Yeah, you know, some of us are racially ambiguous, yes.

Leticia  11:36

About that all the time.

Sue  11:38

And it's like, you know, you don't want somebody walking up to you and asking you in a way that might be off putting in some way, right? Like, I'm sure you guys have had this experience before, where they're like, What are you? And you're like, well.

Leticia  11:51

We even have that conversation, right? So like, so that I have this. So just to let you know, as well, like I couldn't actually California, we actually meet once a week. And we've been doing this consistently. And it's all virtual, but and it's not just a it's just for an hour, but it's not just this space to, to like talk about like, Oh, where are we gonna go next? And who are we going to work with next, but it's really a place where we get to come and ponder these questions, right? So he brings her own experiences. Yes. And so when we talk about it often, because we are we're racially ambiguous and people can't figure out who we are, and, you know, what we're composed, or whatever that is. And so, she was always like, so how would someone do that, though, you know, and so those are the kinds of things like conversations that we're having all the time. But I look like we were, I was just telling Sue earlier, I look forward to our meeting every week. Because we get to come and like talk about these things that are my critical friends. They're my people that can check in my people that I can cry, or just be silent. And just listen, like, we all like take these moments where we're taking space and making space, and sometimes we're colliding in those spaces. And and it just, it works in an even, you know, outside of that one hour a week when we are meaning, you know, half the time, we might take it to Twitter spaces where we can talk to others, like, Hey, this is what we're thinking, you know, we want to invite some of you in to come and talk about this on Twitter spaces to share your thoughts on this. Like, we're stuck. We need, you know, some referees, we need some additional perspectives. And then we also have a chat that we're constantly in there, like, oh my gosh, okay, so what do you think about this? And what do you think about 900? It just, it's really formed itself into a family. We do often have people asking if they can join.

Sue  13:53

What's been what's been so nice is like we know each other so well, right. And we're very comfortable with each other. And I wish everyone had a space like, I wish every person who cared about, you know about race and equity. And like any of these conversations, I wish everybody had a group of people to process with, and not just process and like, share, but also take action with, right, because part of the only thing that keeps us going, I think is like we have work to do. And it's that work that drives us and gives us purpose. And yes, we are friends. And yes, we enjoy each other's company. But we have a purpose. And we have a mission that we are always trying to work on and figure out what's next. Right? So yeah, so I think that that I think we've tried to share how it is that we formed and what other folks can do to form the same group. But it's kind of magic, right? It is magic to form another group and it takes dedication and perseverance and the time you have to allow the time to have a professional what network like this that works together for a purpose.

Sonal  14:55

So that kind of lends itself to the next question, actually, because we were thinking about how you've created The safe space for you all to come together and have those conversations, you share a little bit about Twitter. And that might not be a comfortable space for people to, you know, to share. What are the ideas you have in terms of creating safe spaces for conversations around equity with these individuals to open up opportunities in other spaces for others to be able to share?

Leticia  15:19

Oh, I mean, when we've been invited to host our own sessions, like at conferences, we, you know, we'll submit or we've been asked like, hey, you know, we want to give you this time. You know, we don't they hand it over to us. And just like, we've got the time you got the space, do what you want with it. 

Sue  15:44

For example, San Bernardino County, 

Leticia  15:45

yep. For DigCit week, right, right. Right. Yeah. That, like, we've been very blessed with that. And we take it very seriously. And, you know, we're thankful for that space. So we do like, when we're invited in we, you don't understand how much time we spend on like, okay, so what it because we want it to be intentional, we want it to be welcoming, and how are we making sure that we can have these conversations, we're like, thrown on all these different scenarios. But what if we have this person who shows up and he doesn't want to share, like, we're gonna do all those things. We just, we try to leverage that. And we're very careful with it. And we recognize the responsibility that comes with it. So, you know, leveraging the spaces that are provided for us to go when we've also held. We've also Yeah, to Ecuadorians, like we hosted our own event for virtual When do Equitarians happen, by the way, 

Sue  16:39

whenever we want to. 

Sonal  16:39

Oh, yeah. Okay.

Sue  16:40

So the first one that happened, I think, was like October 2018. pandemic. Yeah, we wanted to host a conference, a virtual conference. And so we had a space that we created and, and just organized and invited people to come and share. 

Sharisa  16:57

And we like had those conversations too. Again, like we opened it up so that way people and we like it was it was so interesting, because it was like, it wasn't like a normal conference, one because it was virtual, but too like, we just tried different things. Yeah. Like we had like panelists, and then like, opened up to the audience. And then we hosted like, scones. Yes.

Sonal  17:17

And then you reach out to some awesome presenters to come out. Oh, yes,

Leticia  17:22

we leverage our voice Academy ova that you and I are both partners on Oahu. Va. Yes. And so we were intentional, again, about like highlighting presenters from marginalized communities to bring them in, give them that space. You know, like, Here, here's what we're thinking yet. Dr. Howard was keynote one time. You know, we just kind of say like, here's what we're thinking, here's our theme. And we let them know. So we've done that twice. We're, we have the outline for the third one. And we did choose a date. We're actually taking time to reflect as a team, because we haven't done that yet. So we're meeting in January, we're actually going to do a retreat where we're meeting in person, all of us for the first time. Because we've just been like, yeah, we've been going yeah, we've basically. Yeah, so we're just gonna, like, do a retreat,

Sue  18:14

we're going to examine our mission. So part of it is just like, take a reflection time and figure out where it is that what we've done so far, and celebration of what we've done, where are we hoping to go? Does this get adjusted? Do we need to change what it is that we're doing? And then also kind of like, what do we want as individuals? And how does our individual desire to learn more or to share more, or our careers or anything? How does that fit within the structure of what we're doing? And how do we make sure that that our work together fits in with what we want as individuals and so this is that whole this reflection time is going to be intended to kind of just make me will be exactly where we are? We don't know we don't but we at least want to take the time to do that reflection. Yeah. 

Leticia  18:59

And maybe we like you're giving me some ideas about like, yeah, maybe we need to look at how are we you know, opening up more spaces or providing more opportunities to have others come in and just like you said, like, talk about this to feel safe in that space. I know. Sharisa, you like shared that with us when you invited us in? For DigCit week you like afterwards shared how like, you know, I mean, I don't want to take your story. We have a tendency to do that. We actually, like that's another thing. I don't know if it's a plus or minus, where like, we hear stories from others and we're like, oh, we're gonna amplify that. Yeah, I put you on the on the spot.

Sharisa  19:41

No, no, that's actually it's what I was hoping to speak about a little bit anyway. So thank you. That's perfect. So yeah, the first time I actually got to interact with all of Equity in Action CA was during DigCit week, and I didn't say to too many He thinks because we had an audience who were chiming in. But I was, let me start off with saying, I'm very thankful because that was a space for educators or people within education, where equity, the topic of equity can be a little bit stressful for anybody it could be. But especially when you're like, with, with teachers or administrators, and you know, so but people were willing to share their stories. And I sat back and kind of like, oh, well, I'm proud of like the host, I'm not gonna say too much. But at the end, I was just like, oh, my gosh, I want more, I felt so safe. I felt so comfortable. Like, I shared some things with you that I haven't shared with people who I've known for 20 years of my life. And I'm just like, wow, like, some people in my family don't even know what I shared with you that day. And for me to feel safe enough to be vulnerable like that, like, oh, yeah, like this is, it felt good, it felt good, it felt welcoming, it felt so safe. Like, I just want more people to, to get like into it, and be immersed with you all. And then I joined that Twitter chat afterwards. And I couldn't figure out how to make it work. I'm like, Why isn't my mic working, like anybody else. And I'm like, I finally got it to work. But same thing, like just talking about even having like, your PLCs, your your group, your communities that you work with, whether it's forced or not forced, it's such it, it makes such a difference, when it's first, you may not be working towards that same goal, or you may not care as much about that goal. But when it's a group of people who have a, you know, and an end goal, that's the same. It's just like, oh, wow, a lot of like you said, magic takes place. And it just, it's amazing. So when I tell you that I'm like, Oh, my gosh, they're just, I love you guys.

Sonal  21:49

That's awesome. So I have a question for you. I mean, you've shared about the work that you're doing. It's powerful. It's been amazing. You've already influenced so many organizations, and school administrators and educational partners in general, what are some pieces of advice you'd like to share with the audience that is listening right now that, you know, mostly in education? What would you like to share to help continue to drive this movement around equity and action.

Sue  22:15

We are preparing for some upcoming conferences. And I think, you know, at least I'll say in the conference space, we are dealing with structures that are already existing, that are historical, that have all you know, that we've been dealing with for so many years that are already there, they're well established. And when when we are asked for advice on how to make those spaces more equitable, sometimes it's just really hard for me to take the the brick building that's been already constructed, and say, Okay, how do we fit these ideas into that current space? And that's what's so hard. And instead, I'm trying to just say, Okay, let's start with a blank slate. How do we begin by imagining what we desire? What do we want in these conferences, and that's what we've been able to do with equiterium a little bit is like, nobody is holding us to any kind of standard, we get to do whatever we want. And so when it comes to adjusting the current landscape of ed tech conferences, where do we want to go? And who do we want to be? And how does it how do we want it to feel, and then maybe work backwards from there, like, do some backwards planning of those spaces, and then see where we can kind of meet in the middle? is, that's what the one thing we were talking about this week. I don't know if that's realistic, I feel like it is in a lot of ways. But in some ways, maybe it's just, you know, for us to be able to build our own space, right? And say, okay, you know, we're going to build equitarium three, the way that we want it to be, and we're going to host it in a way that feels good to us. And if you all want to come to our party, then please feel free to come to our party. And then, you know, maybe we can all meet somewhere in the middle. But I don't think we should let that structure and that history and that tradition, stymie us to the point where we just don't feel like we can do anything to change it.

Leticia  24:03

Or we don't have to keep thinking in that same way. Right. I think that's the other thing, too, is like, yes, there's already the structures and the systems and these rules almost that are already, like, set up. And when we like, look at those rules, like what we're thinking, does it fit in here? So, you know, we almost like unapologetically. Go ahead, and like, No, this is how we're going to do it. But at the same time, it's like, how do we still do that without you said, isolating, you know, keeping, making someone feel like we're like, pointing a finger at them or competing, right, like, how do we still say like, Joe, you can still do what you do in and we're gonna do this alongside of you. It's gonna look a little different because we just, you know, we're trying to be creative with it. The other thing too, is like when we do invite people to it to come in and just say like, Hey, go ahead and share the voices again. It's like, you know, when people ask like, Alright, so what do you want me to say? We were like, No, you decide

Sue  25:11

when when they're sharing their identity? Yes piece of paper on their pod. They're like asking us, are we supposed to put Why am I suppose put caucasan? Like, what? What am I supposed to put? Yeah. Like, I don't know, how do you how do you call your

Leticia  25:23

And I think that like to say like, you don't need to ask permission. It's your decision. Like it always lied in your hands. How do we keep with that, while still trying to? I don't know, if we're trying to change things or

Sue  25:38

We are trying to change things. We are trying to change things. You know, I think we want people to feel welcome in these spaces. But how do we do that in a way that makes everybody feel welcome? And not just the traditional? You know, same old, same old? Yeah.

Sharisa  25:54

All right. So ladies, you just presented a phenomenal webinar on digcit and racial justice for us. For digcit that week, can you tell us more about your work around that

Sue  26:05

digital citizenship is something that both of us care very much about. And when it comes to things like, you know, like race, or identity, or the kinds of issues that that we care deeply about, we see this, we see a strong connection between the people that we are online, and the people that we are in real life and the kind of action that we can take. And so when we talk to teachers about this connection, it is about you know, having your students understand that they carry identities with them in the classroom, they also push out a lot of these identities online, right? When they begin creating when they begin sharing information when they are gaming, right, that those identities are present. And so how are students thoughtful about which identities they share, and which ones they don't share in some of these spaces, and other pieces, like the kinds of communities that that they form, both within the classroom and in social media spaces, you know, those communities have to have some sort of code of, you know, of what's right, and what's wrong in a lot of ways, and race and ethnicity, you know, these are always part of those communities as well. So how do we teach our students to stand up for the things that they believe in, to be able to take care of each other to be able to take care of the community and create the spaces that they want to create, and especially when it comes to, you know, civic engagement, and the ways in which they, they see things every single day online, in social media, they are seeing all kinds of content, racist, homophobic, you know, misogynistic content, and, you know, in social media, in their gaming spaces in all these online spaces, how are we teaching our students what it is that they need to do in order to be able to combat all of this and feel the freedom to be able to create these spaces in a in a way that they can feel good about?

Leticia  27:51

Yeah, yeah, and even adding the point of, you know, our student, a lot of our students are creators, too, right. And so they're creating constantly in these virtual spaces. I know. So part of what I do, outside of equity, and action is, I am an Instructional Technology coach in Beverly Hills Unified School District in California. And I also teach digital citizenship. So I actually meet with every TK five class for 30 minutes, every two weeks. And part of what we're doing. And so when I talk about this a lot is that like, my students are constantly creating, and they're creating with the intent of like, they're creating not to share with me, I tell them, I'm not the one you're creating for like, you're not doing it because Miss citizen said it in Yes, my name is citizen, I teach digital citizenship. Light I should have shared. Um, but I tell them you're creating with an audience in mind. And so I'm constantly creating these opportunities for them to you know, we're here in this physical space. But now we're going to take it into the virtual space and giving them opportunities to not only take in what each other are creating, but to also share, you know, feedback that that's part of digital citizenship, how are you giving each other feedback? What are the things that you're saying, I'm taking into account like Sue said, like, students are bringing their their parts of themselves and they're choosing each day, what part they're going to bring in, or what part they're going to keep out. And so part of that, too, is how they're responding to each other, or taking in the information that they've shared with you, when maybe you interpreted it this way, because that's your background. And so how can we still provide these opportunities to have that conversation to gain that understanding? Because there's going to be misunderstanding oftentimes, but the next step is then like, hey, let's talk about this. And how do we do that in an engaging way that's still safe, respectful and responsible, right? But that like, we're doing it online to you and then how that how was how was all those skills and all that information that you're learning when you like decide to create and you're sharing outside of this community and you're sharing with the global community? Hi, do you still do that, too? So? Yeah, we like do this session quite often we did it. For y'all for digcit. We also did it for Nearpod. Like the week before me, we had an overwhelming response from folks about that, too. And just, you know, when we first got tech, digital tools, I was trying to make sure I say that when we got digital tools in the beginning, right, we were all trying to be reactive, right? It's all about the No, no, no, don't don't don't keep everybody safe. Yes. Right. That we're keeping them safe. And the thing is, like, No, we've like moved now to his base of like, our students are using it. Our students are creating, they're consuming, they're doing all these things. We want them to create more they consume, and they can do all those things. Now it's how can we be proactive? Right? How are we like, now preparing them to like handle and I'm not saying that, like, you're gonna give them all the tools, and it's all gonna work out. And it's rainbows and roses. It's just now you have a foundation. So then when things do come up, and you're like, This is the choice that you made. Let's talk about this. Right? Like, what are the things I always connected back? Like, if there are things happening at my school? My principal, she calls me right away. We just had an incident is digital search. I'd need you here, you know, and it's like, man, we've been talking about what are we been learning? Let's make that connection? Come back. Yeah. 

Sonal  31:21

So is that if we don't teach them who will?

Leticia  31:26

Right, and then the parents are a component part of a crucial part of that too, right? That, like, we got to make sure that we're providing opportunities for them to learn. They, they they're out there looking to us. And thank God for common sense education, because I can like, share those tools with him constantly. So it's like, and even as teachers, we're still learning. I mean, what I do love about common not to be uncomfortable, what I love about

Sonal  31:54

Common Sense Media,

Leticia  31:55

that's what she does outside of equity. But they're constantly evolving and getting better. And like, okay, you know, what's the new thing now what's going on, they try to stay up to date, which then helps me stay up to date, which then helps the students and ask it the other part, too, is asking our students, they know about all the things that are happening. I mean, they come to me with some things, and I'm like, oh, what? You got to show me you got to talk to me about it. But I love that they feel comfortable enough to say like, Hey, this is what's been going on at home, you know, online, this is what, they always come to me with their online questions or their online situations. And I think that that's where we want to get to.

Sue  32:39

that is the value of teaching all that to sit is developing those relationships so that your students have a safe space, have somebody who they know, cares deeply about their online life, and they know who they can talk to. Right? That's a huge part of it. Yeah,

Sharisa  32:54

absolutely. Okay, well, all of that is so valuable. I'm sitting here thinking about how I'm gonna, you know, take these steps with my own child, because growing up without having those type of online spaces, you know, and I know how I feel about it, but everybody else in the world doesn't feel the same way I do is from my generation. So just knowing what's out there. Now, I have a lot of hope. You know, after even teaching my own students in the past, digital citizenship with Common Sense Media, it's been, you know, it's something that we did, and we would do Nearpod. That's how I got exposed was through the duel there. But yeah, it's there's a lot to think about as a mom, as an educator, as a person who works in digital literacy and digital technology. There's so much thing you as a digital use, right? Yes. Right, myself and those kind of in that world, you know, and just yeah, you're right. They're in there so much. I'm like, I don't want to see this. What are they posting right now, like, you know, but if we don't make a move, and we don't help create those safe spaces there, it's going to always be like that. So I'm thankful for that, for sure. Well, this is also valuable. Thank you so much for sharing with us today. It has definitely been a pleasure having this conversation with you. It's always a pleasure having conversations with you both. So thank you for being you. The work that you're doing, we do find so inspirational.

Sonal  34:15

Thank you so much, Sue and Leticia, it's always such a pleasure to listen to you to have these conversations with you. We want to inspire our listeners further. Do you have some resources that we could share with them after this?

Leticia  34:26

Yeah, absolutely. We have our website and we have an entire wakelet with a variety of resources that are we've been curating for years. Yeah. And that they're set up you know in categories so it doesn't get too overwhelming. And then you can also reach out to us to

Sonal  34:44

Twitter handles real quick.

Sue  34:45

Sure My Twitter handle is just @suethotz 

Leticia  34:51

My Twitter handle is @citycoach

Sue  34:56

equityaction.CA

Sonal  35:03

 Awesome. So thank you again ladies, we really appreciate you and thank you all for tuning in.

Leticia  35:09

Thank you.

Sue  35:10

Thank you. 

Sonal  35:11

Join us next time for more bits and bytes of digital learning and computer science. And remember, if you're hungry for more, you can simply text GLS news 222828 Or find us on Twitter at SPSS underscore Ed Tech.