What is the “Digital Divide” in your school and how might you as a leader in technology help teachers and students overcome it?
“If access to free public education is a right in America, the COVID-19 crisis has revealed that in today’s world, basic connectivity—access to the internet, a device, and basic tech supports—are now the equivalent of paper and pencils” (Makori, 2020). “The challenge is in finding low-cost ways to help bring that equity to those who need it in order to make financial or educational progress” (Austin, 2019).
Techboomers.com identifies the digital divide as “a gap created between different demographics of people in their ability to understand, access and effectively use technology. This inequality in ability can be due to a variety of factors, including age, country of origin or residence, exposure to technology, available income, and motivation” (Guide to the Digital Divide, 2018).
Techboomers.com also listed five major causes of the digital divide:
- Ready access to the Internet, and the ability to pay for it.
- Learning digital literacy at a younger age through exposure.
- Expenses for hardware, including computers, mobile devices, etc.
- Motivation: having enough spare time to learn, and general interest.
- Actively following technology trends on the Internet (2018).
In Wrangell, we are a one-to-one school district which has closed the gap a bit between students by providing devices for all of our students. However when Covid hit last March, I saw a significant disparity between students due to their access to reliable internet. At that point in the crisis, internet providers were offering access at lower prices or upgrades in plans for free. Our district and public library set up hotspots in the school parking lot for students. While these were all wonderful ideas, it was not enough to give all of our students a level playing field. If a student does not have a parent who could afford the discounted internet and could not sit in the parking lot for several hours with their students there is no way we could provide them the same education as the rest of the students.
During this pandemic, we are seeing the digital divide on a much grander scale across the nation. The graph below from last April is a small picture of the obstacles students face to even “attend” school during this momentous time.
As an educator in a global pandemic, I have to keep an open mind and change the way I teach my students. I have to be prepared to go remote at any moment, but have a plan for students that will not have sufficient access to the internet. I honestly do not have a good answer about how to make this work flawlessly, but I know that I will have to be patient, flexible, and communicate with my students and their families regularly to be successful.
Resources:
Austin, S. (2019, January 15). Bridging the digital divide. Retrieved November 14, 2020, from https://www.kansascityfed.org/en/publications/ten/articles/2019/winter/bridging-the-digital-divide
Guide to the Digital Divide: Causes, Impact, and Solutions. (2018, June 25). Retrieved November 14, 2020, from https://techboomers.com/guide-to-the-digital-divide
Makori, A. (2020, June 16). The Digital Divide Among Students During COVID-19: Who Has Access? Who Doesn't? Retrieved November 14, 2020, from https://www.crpe.org/thelens/digital-divide-among-students-during-covid-19-who-has-access-who-doesnt
I am surprised at how this topic has come to the forefront of our new way of teaching school. The one-to-one programs all seemed like such great ideas when students could use the school's internet. But now it really calls out the problem, students don't have internet access at home. Before this really is solved, communities will need to improve internet access for all. Maybe that will be the big issue for future political races.
ReplyDeleteA few things stood out for me in this post. 1) That internet was now the equivalent to paper and pencils, and (2) the chart showing percentages of low income kids who have to find public wifi or use cell phone data plans to access internet. For some reason I had never thought of internet being so pivotal. My kids in elementary school used a lot of materials that were paper and pen, and only had one class of keyboard typing practice on top of the occasional ipad they used for educational games. Handouts seemed the primary method of teaching, and paper and pen were used predominately. Yet, as my daughter has reached junior high, and especially during covid, she has only used Google Classroom, and everything she does is through internet. I am saddened that socioeconomic status is one of the major factors in the digital divide--that chart spoke volumes. In Fairbanks it seems like SES is not the only factor, as many wealthier people live in the hills where internet connection is spotty.
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