Tina L.

Brewer
Issue # 8
Digital Divide
Due 12/8/08

“We cannot assume that our schools will naturally drift toward using technology effectively. We
must commit ourselves to staying the course and making the changes necessary to reach our
goals of educating every child. These are ambitious goals, but they are goals worthy of a great
nation such as ours. Together, we can use technology to ensure that no child is left behind.”
President George W. Bush

Background Information

Higher education institutions are expecting incoming students to be familiar

with technology and companies of the 21st century are looking for employees that

are technologically savvy. Therefore we must make certain that our students are

receiving training early on that will prepare them to become competitive in the

workforce and contributing members of society. The concern here is than how do

we effectively integrate technology into our curriculums and lesson plans, when

not everyone has equal access to technology (computers, Internet, DVD players,

etc).

The issue of the digital divide is not only economical but it is demographical

and racial as well. Data from the U.S. Census in the A Nation Online (2004)

report tells us that 143 million Americans, or roughly 54% of the population use

the Internet. The data also tells us that the rate of growth of Internet usage in the

United States is currently 2 million new Internet users per month, with Internet

use continuing to increase across income, education, age, race, ethnicity, and

gender lines. Therefore it can be concluded that the gap has increased in recent

years. Comparable differences can be found amid populations with limited formal
education – Hispanics (31.8%) and African Americans (39.8 %) lag behind whites

(59.9 %) in Internet access at home, suggesting serious ethnic and racial divides.

According to National Center for Education Statistics (2000):

o Students living within city limits – 11 students per 1 computer
o Students living in rural areas – 7 students per 1 computer
o Students attending schools located in impoverished areas – 16 students
per 1 computer
o Students attending schools in less impoverished areas – 7 student per 1
computer
o Overall average in 1999 was 9 students per 1 computer

It is accurate to say that the U.S has made improvements, but a closer look at

the data in A Nation Online reveals that considerable work remains to bridge the

digital divide. With 54 percent of Americans online, the current Administration

sees "A Nation Online" as proof that a targeted national commitment to bridging

the divide is no longer necessary. Along with a 17 percent decrease in

educational technology funding from FY 2001, the TOP and CTC programs have

been slated for termination in 2003. The rationale is that Americans are gaining

access to computers at an acceptable pace and as a result the role of

government can be curtailed.

Therefore when it comes to gaining better access, many groups of people are

simply unable to do so because the resources are just not there. Research tells

us that current and future workers will need to be able to learn new skills,

because technology will be the common bond among many jobs in our society.

Our development as a national influence has depended largely on the

capabilities of our workers. Our schools cannot fail our students by not preparing

them for the usage of technology; for some there may not be another opportunity!
Inequity of access to technology today becomes tomorrow's continuing societal

failure.

Scenario

Joshua has taken a job at an inner city middle school in Kentucky; he

previously worked at St. Martha’s elementary school in Ohio before relocating.

Joshua is the new science teacher at Johnsonville Middle School and has all

sorts of neat ideas to incorporate technology into his lesson plans (as he has

done so often at his previous school). The Kentucky school district was just

recently removed from semester warning, has limited monies but has been

making academic improvements consistently. The district has hired 3 highly

qualified teachers (including Joshua) to add to the staff at Johnsonville middle.

Joshua has noticed that the students’ access to technology (computers,

Internet, flash drives, DVD players) is very limited in the school. He has spoken

with other teachers in the school, but they do not feel technology is as important

as Joshua believes it to be. Many of the teachers accept as true that computers

cannot replace good teachers. However, Joshua is new to the school, just

completed his degree and has all sorts of new and innovative ideas he would like

to use with his students.

This type of environment is one that Joshua is unaccustomed to. He

begins to feel alone and outnumbered but then he remembers why he wanted to

teach in the first place – to prepare students for their futures! With that he sits

down and reflects on past teaching experience at St. Martha’s: how he handled
the opposition from other teachers/staff/administration; where he found monies to

back his ideas and how the students were better prepared to use technology.

With that being said Joshua decides to take the same stance here at

Johnsonville middle school. However, this district has less money, less involved

parents and more opposition from teachers who refuse to welcome change. Your

job is to assist Joshua in creating a plan to implement the much needed

technology into the school. Joshua believes that this will not happen over night

and will need a long-term and short-term agenda and plan. As his assistant you

will be responsible for helping him with the following:

1. Long-term and short-term plans for the program;

2. Teacher/staff/administration buy in;

3. Locate monies (grants, donations, etc) to fund the program;

4. Selection of technology to best serve the school and the students;

5. Presentation to the school board, parents and eventually to students;

6. Collaboration with St. Martha’s science dept– the dept will serve as the

benchmark for the program.

Discussion Questions

1. How would you define “digital divide”?

2. How can one person, school or organization assist in decreasing the

digital divide?

3. How can you get administrators and other staff to buy into the idea of
preparing students for the future – needing technology?

4. What are the benefits of students learning to effectively use technology?

5. What are the benefits of teaching students real life skills?

 6. How can looking at a school district or school that has already
implemented the program aide a school that is looking to do the same?

7. Who is responsible for closing the “divide” or providing access to the

technology? Schools? Corporations? Community Organizations? Parents?
Students?

8. What is the relationship of technological proficiency and success?

Useful Resources

Ohio Technology Access Project (OTAP) http://www.otap.org/

No longer used, but is a good site.

Microsoft Gives Students Access to Technical Software at No Charge to Inspire

Success and Make a Difference
http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2008/feb08/02-18GSDPR.mspx

U.S Department of Education Toolkit for Bridging the Digital Divide in Your
Community - offers some basic tips on how to bridge the digital divide through
the development of a community project
http://www.ed.gov/Technology/tool_kit.html

North Central Regional Education Laboratory

Critical Issue: Ensuring Equitable Use of Educational Technology
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te400.htm

The Digital Divide Network

http://www.digitaldivide.net/

C-Net News: What digital divide?

http://news.cnet.com/2010-1071-858537.html

National Telecommunication and Information Administration

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/reports/anol/index.html

PBS Teachers – Learning Now: Digital Divide Archive

http://www.pbs.org/teachers/learning.now/digital_divide/

Caught in the Digital Divide

http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech041.shtml

Three Dimensions of Racism and the Digital Divide in Education

http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/resources/dividedimensions.html
Digital Divide Lesson Plan for 7-12 graders
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/lessons/digitaldivide/

Five Technology Lessons Every Teacher Can Teach!

http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson285.shtml

Crossing the Digital Divide

http://www.econtentmag.com/Articles/Column/I-Column-Like-I-CM/Crossing-the-
Digital-Divide-17351.htm

Works Cited

Bell, R., & Ramirez, R. (1997). Critical Issue: Ensuring Equitable Use of
Education Technology. Retrieved November 29, 2008, from North Central
Regional Education Laboratory Web site:
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te400.htm

Dayton Microcomputer Association, Inc. (1999). Ohio Technology Access Project

(OTAP). Retrieved December 3, 2008, from http://www.otap.org/

Microsoft Gives Students Access to Technical Software at No Charge to Inspire

Success and Make a Difference. (2008, February 18). Retrieved
 December 5, 2008, from Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/press/2008/feb08/0218GSDPR.mspx

National Center for Education Statistics. (2000, February). Internet Access in U.S
Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-1999. Retrieved December 3,
2008, from U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research
and Improvement Web site: http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/ 2000086.pdf

Office of Educational Technology. (2003). Toolkit for Bridging the Digital Divide in
Your Community. In U.S Department of Education. Retrieved November
28, 2008, from http://www.ed.gov/ Technology/tool_kit.html

U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, &

National Telecommunications and Information Administration. (2004,
September). A Nation Online: Entering the Broadband Age. Retrieved
December 3, 2008, from
http://www.ntia.doc.gov/reports/anol/NationOnlineBroadband04.htm