Does the Digital Divide Still Exist?
The article that I choose to read was entitled "Redefining the Digital Divide: Beyond Access to Computers and the Internet" by James R. Valadez and Richard Duran. The article was extremely outdated, referencing studies done back in 2002 and 1999. I think that our society has come a long way as far as computers and internet access. The digital divide probably does still exist on a very small level. I liked how the article referred to the digital divide as being multidimensional with three levels including motivation, possession, and skills (p33).
Possession
Twelve years ago having a laptop and internet connection was a luxury, now it is commonplace. Computers and laptops were a lot more expensive a decade ago, now you can get a quality laptop or desktop computer for $300. People in more rural areas were limited to dial up internet connections, now most everyone has access to high speed, broadband, DSL or Wi-Fi. It seems as though most teenagers and even preteens not only have a laptop with access to wireless internet connection, but also a smartphone with 3G internet access, regardless of race, sex or geographical location. I am sure there are still quite a few disadvantaged children in our society without a computer, but I do not think that the difference between races is as dramatic as it was a decade ago. Not because people are no longer poor, but because the price of computers and internet connection has decreased tremendously.
Skills
I do believe that schools with a higher socioeconomic status have access to better technology than schools with a lower socioeconomic status. Schools with a lower socioeconomic status have fewer resources available to them. School districts in more affluent neighborhoods have higher tax brackets than less affluent neighborhoods, which results in enhanced technology and an overall higher quality educational experience. Schools with a higher SES have computers, projectors, whiteboards, and many other high tech gadgets; whereas, schools with a lower SES may only have computer access in the library or computer labs. So even though all students may have access to the internet at school or at a library, the overall access for some students is still very limited. These students have less technical skills and are not as proficient in conducting classroom research on the internet. Some students may even lack discernment when trying to distinguish credible internet sources versus non credible sources.
Students in higher SES schools have access to advanced software that fosters learning and creativity. These students have classes specifically designed to teach computer skills. I live in Chagrin Falls which is the Kenston School District. Kenston offers students many computer classes including a Computer Applications class, an Intro to Computer Science class, a Website Design & Maintenance class, and an Advanced Web Development class. Kenston ranks number 82 out of 100 in the state of Ohio. Our OGT, SAT, and ACT test scores are far above the state averages, resulting typically above 97% in most categories.
Teachers are affected as well. Teachers in schools with higher SES's probably have their own personal computers at their desk with access to the internet, email, curriculum and grading software. Teachers in schools with lower SES's probably don’t have a computer in the classroom at all and have to resort to using a grade book. These differences directly affect the quality of learning and the ability for students to develop technical skills.
Motivation
I personally know many individuals who are unemployed and are currently on government assistance; however, they still have home internet access. There Facebook statuses are updated daily, they are tweeting constantly and YouTube is their favorite site. Creating resumes and searching for jobs is the furthest thing from their minds. Most students have access to computers and internet, but what they are motivated to do online can differ drastically. I don’t think that this “divide” is based on race or circumstance. Motivation comes from within. I grew up in a very rural area where high speed internet was not an option. Even today, my parents are still unable to get high speed internet access. Even though dial up was all that I had at home, which made online research very frustrating and time consuming, I still excelled in school. I went on to college and completed my bachelors degree in Information Technology and graduated with honors, despite my disadvantage.
Conclusion
Does the digital divide still exist? Maybe, but I don’t feel as though it is a major issue in our society. It would be interesting to see the results of an updated study. I “googled” digital divide and went back to the National Telecommunication and Information Administration’s website and all the information that I came up with was outdated. I feel as though disadvantaged children have just as much of a change to be successful as other students. They just have to work harder at it.
Resources
And some folks are still on dial-up... :)
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