The Digital Divide

So many times I have begun planning a unit and recognized an opportunity to meet some "tech" learning standards, only to realize that it won't really work unless students can take the work home. Immediately, the bottom falls out of the plan and, as a result, I offer the "tech" element as an option.

There is no denying that the tablet and e-learning are generating buzz in the education world and in many parts of the country the confluence of these ideas has reached critical mass. However, for much of the country--including the part I teach in--many students do not have access to a computer or the internet outside of school.

All teachers are familiar with differentiating instruction to meet the needs of different learners. Adapting materials and techniques is one of the most important, and challenging, parts of the job. While there are many things to take into consideration when modifying and differentiating, most have to do with the cognitive, behavioral and learning characteristics of the students. I'm beginning to feel like there is a fourth dimension to the modification process and it is access to technology.

It is difficult creating learning experiences that are engaging for the most capable students while still being feasible and approachable for others. The same is true of technology education in terms of the need for technology instruction and the unequal access outside of school.

I think it is important for students to learn word processing and use the internet to research a topic, but the computer labs at school are in high demand and the students need as much instructional time as possible. So, if I want students to research their paper and type it up, that means that I must give up class time that could be spent learning other skills. In my opinion, some of the researching and writing should be done at home. I could give the students worksheets to do at home, but I don't believe that's the best way to improve writing and it causes students to dislike writing.

It is a real problem and it is only going to get worse. This year my school district opened up a mobile device network at the school and students can now bring their own laptops, tablets, and e-book readers to school for approved classroom use. Right now only a few students have tablets, but in a few years the prices will be dramatically lower and they will become accessible to more and more families, but until the tablet becomes as ubiquitous as a standard calculator there will always be a segment of the population that is without. This is compounded by the fact that internet access is second only to electricity when it comes to "powering" e-learning and technology integration in education.

A few months ago I was very excited to learn of the "Connect to Compete" initiative, which was a promise by major telecommunication companies to bring low-cost internet to everyone in the United States. For a rural district like mine, this is the technological infrastructure that will form the foundation of any future ed-tech initiatives. I hope that this initiative is a success!

However, the lack of internet access is not just about income it is also an issue of rural versus urban living. In Northern Wisconsin the internet is available almost everywhere, but in many places it is far too slow to stream a video or download anything larger than a PDF. This chart is a bit dated, but a quick Google search will reveal that America continues to lag behind in broadband penetration, due in large part to our geographic size. Nevertheless, if we are ever going to fully realize the potential of educational technology it is essential that America have a world-class technological infrastructure.



Do you have any thoughts or ideas on this issue? A success story that relates to the "digital divide?" If you do, please share it.