Today in READ 411, we discussed the
“digital divide” in classrooms. According to dictionary.com,
digital divide is defined as, “the socioeconomic
and other disparities between those people who
have opportunities and
skills enabling them to benefit from digital resources, especially
the Internet, and those who do not have these opportunities or skills:
programs that help to bridge the digital
divide between rich and poor countries.” The digital divide seems to be a
barrier for student success, but it is not the student’s fault that this is
occurring in schools.
For
this blog I found an article about bridging
the digital divide in America's rural schools. The article starts of by
introducing as Yoder, Colorado, a rural area where 25-30% of a teacher’s students do not have Internet
access at home. In the school the article mentions, “three-quarters of the 120
K-12 students are eligible for free or reduced-priced lunch”. The school
tries to provide technology for the attending students and wants to “infuse” technology in the curriculum as much
as it can. The school is even requiring seniors in high school to take a
mandatory computer-science class. They want to provide students with the
technology schools they will use in college and in their everyday lives.
According to the article, “when it comes to technology inside traditional
classrooms, the small sizes — and budgets — of rural schools present unique
hurdles.”
However, schools across the country are trying
to bridge this gap by developing statewide, and trying to secure funding for
technologies. Many students across the country are unable to keep up with
Internet usage, and the schools might be the only way these individuals can
access technology. According to a 2010 study, “57 percent of rural
households had broadband Internet access, compared to 72 percent in urban
areas”. Teachers must be flexible with students, because not everyone has the
same availability to technology. It is important to teach these students
computer skills since they may encounter it in their future. As teachers, we must be able to keep on top
of technologies because it is constantly changing.
Paige,
ReplyDeleteYour post immedietly reminded me of the video we watched for our very first interactivity, "Olivia's Story." Her situation is a prime example of how very real this "digital divide" really is. We like to think that technology is all around us, even inescapable perhaps. However, this does not mean that everyone has equal access to technology. As you mentioned, not everyone has internet access,and if they do, it may not be a reliable connection. As teachers, I think that we should never simply assume that our students have technology available to them. Again, it is easy to do this sometimes because we are surrounded by computers, tables, smartphones, etc. We should be aware of our students' situations and make an effort to teach fairly and equitably.