The Digital Divide:
Even as technology becomes more affordable and internet access seems increasingly ubiquitous, a “digital divide” between rich and poor remains. The rich and educated are still more likely than others to have good access to digital resources according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The digital divide has especially far-reaching consequences when it comes to education. For children in low-income school districts, inadequate access to technology can hinder them from learning the tech skills that are crucial to success in today’s economy.
Review the course bibliography and the Powerpoint Presentation for class # 2. What are other possible consequences of the digital divide in the context of education? How do you think we can help bridge the gap? Explain in no less than 150 words.
Who said it? Read the statements below and decide which of the following perspectives they reflect: technologist’s, social pragmatist’s and/or critical analyst’s. Explain why. 1) The Internet could be looked at as one giant “garbage dump”. 2) Working with technology is difficult and frustrating. 3) The notion of “communicative competence” should be expanded to include the interactions that take place through oral and written communication with a computer. 4) “Data” is viewed as a degraded form of knowledge. We tend to accept or view Internet sources uncritically. 5) We take into account the context in order to examine the reality of day-to-day technology use. 6) Our ultimate goal was to create a person. We look at communication between humans and computers.
Digital divide refers to the gap between those who benefit from digital technology and those who don´t, and the divide is widening. 300 million people don’t have access to technology.
ReplyDeleteClosing the digital divide is not about giving poor people access to technology: new technologies such as voice recognition and icon touch screens provide a more sensory experience, so that people can benefit without becoming literate. Technology should aid development
How can the issue be alleviated? By providing social and economic opportunities. Intel, Microsoft, and many NGOs such as Inveneo , or One Laptop Per Child are addressing these aspects:
1- Access (the presence of ICTs)
2- Ability (capacity to efficiently use the technology)
3- Empowerment (using the technology for productive gain)
Very good points Ianina! :)
DeleteThat technology is a change agent in education cannot be ignored. But that we live in a society that is controlled by inequalities in culture and economy either. So, we have to be very careful with the digital divide that is all around us. What I mean by this is that we should not ignore the fact that the amount of people who cannot have access to computers is increasing. One of the most important consequences of the digital divide is the fact that it hinders children from learning key skills to success in today’s and future’s economy. Besides, as groups of students are heterogeneous and some students may have a solid computer background they will proceed more rapidly than those who do not know a thing about it, which will widen the divide.
ReplyDeleteI think the most effective way to bridge it is to create social and economic possibilities for those who cannot afford technology. By this I do not only mean to provide economical help or resources to some people, but also I mean empower people with appropriate educational and cognitive skills and tools to be aware of this problem and to promote technology for everyone.
Thanks Paloma! Can you think of concrete policies teachers and schools can adopt to help bridge the gap?
DeleteThe gap between those who can access technology and those who don't is given because of the cultural and economic inequalities that dominate societies. Private schools have more ready access to the technology itself. For schools in inner-city, rural and poor areas is difficult to generate enough money even to pay teachers' salaries or new textbooks. This does not only mean that in the future those who can't access technology will have a problem trying to obtain a good job, but also, that they will lack skills. Those who have computer backgrounds (be it because of schools or their homes), will proceed more quickly; they will have advantages. Computer skills and literacy, is part of the middle-class.
ReplyDeleteI think that the only way to bridge the gap is through social, politic and economic measures. We need help from the government and society. We need a change in people's way of thinking. We should be less egocentric and start thinking in those who can't build their future. If not only the government but ourselves start to help others, I think that everything would be different.
How exactly can we help others?
DeleteCan you please list two possible ways? Thanks Florencia!
Years ago, people thought that the use of ICT in education would be a liberation for the under-privileged. Since it would help bridge the gap between the poor and the rich as the former would have equal access to information and knowledge. As it is obvious, that didn’t happen. As a result, a digital device arose.
ReplyDeleteNowadays, even in developed countries there is an access divide between those who are able to afford the latest technology and low income families who aren’t. Some developing countries have no access to the internet at all, not to mention ICT in education.
It is true that it is getting wider and one of the worst consequences of this is that students are being left far behind.
Something that is worth mentioning is the fact that even when there is access to ICT, there's a divide in how it is used. For instance, families with a high standard of living have good usage, and therefore parents are able to guide their children. On the other hand, low-income families’ usage of ICT may not be positive. There are problems in using technology since sometimes there’s no parental guidance.
To conclude I would say that people not only need to have access to ICT but also need guidance in how to use it.
What can teachers do to help bridge the gap, Lucía?
DeleteThe new economy is sometimes seen as the herald for a truly borderless world, where everyone can profit from the blessings of the Internet regardless of his or her geographical location. However, since the Internet requires substantial prerequisites concerning technical infrastructure and human capital, some worry that the developing countries will be left behind. This contribution addresses the fear of a growing "technological apartheid" between the industrialized and the developing countries. In other words, the digital divide is the gap that exists between individuals advantaged by the Internet and those individuals relatively disadvantaged by it. Many people may believe that the key to closing the digital divide is investment in literacy and education. This is not true because new technologies can be used by people who are not necessarily literate.
ReplyDeleteSo, how can we overcome the digital divide?
Some global digital library developments can be used by users in the developing countries: free access to e-journal and e-books in many areas, digital reference service.
Access is very important.
An economic incentive is also needed – to buy laptops and have Internet access.
Last but not least, it has to be mentioned that technology should be used for productivity.
What does Apple say in this respect, Julieta? Can you explain this in your own words? Thanks!
DeleteTo say that the “digital divide” between rich and poor has diminished is to turn a blind eye to current affairs of the digital world. There is no doubt that a person can still learn multiple subjects and skills without the use of technology (as they did in the past!); however, the contemporary world seems to exclude those who do not make use of technological devices, whether it is a deliberate act or not. We cannot deny that today’s society revolves around technology in one way or another: most job ads require at least some basic knowledge and skills on computer programs, for example. As a result, it is only logical that schools give further importance to technology. If we take our country as example, we find that in recent years the government has taken a step forward in making people reach technologies with the introduction of the 'Conectar Igualdad' program. Many children and teachers were given netbooks, and a big network was created; we can consider this the first action towards the access of technology in the classroom. Nevertheless, we still fail in making the digital gap smaller as we teachers usually lack knowledge in how to use this given technology to the best of our ability. In the end, if teachers do not give special attention to this matter, it is likely that the “digital divide” will remain for many years more.
ReplyDeleteVery well put, Brenda! Plan Sarmiento is another example. Agustina will talk about that tomorrow. Thanks for your contribution!
DeleteDigital divide refers to the gap between those who benefit from technology and those who do not. Some people sustain that a way of closing this gap is by giving poor people access to technology. I truly believe that this is not enough to close it. We need to provide people with different types of technologies that will make their lifes easier even if they are not literate. This is an essential part in closing the gap, and some big companies such as INTEL are doing this by providing people with opportunities to access them.
ReplyDeleteThere are 3 essential things that need to be provided: access , ability and empowerment. We can help bridge the gap by not being scared of using technology, promoting the use of it among people (especially students), creating easy to access computer centres whenever and wherever possible and by educating people through free lessons provided by the goverment on the latest technology divices and apps, and how to use them.
Great ideas, Inés! Thanks!
DeleteThe digital divide creates a gap between those who can afford and therefore, use technology and those who do not have that possibility at hand and are deprived from it; the gap divides the rich and the poor. It is clear in our country that this division has been growing wider and wider along the years. In the field of education, this can be seen regarding the resources teachers have to bring ICT to the classroom allowing students to develop new skills and to keep up with this technology-dependent world in which we live in. This shows a contrast between private school which have different resources and public school that may not have as many and that are sometimes located in areas in which access to Internet and technological devices are considered a luxury. We can bridge the gap be providing more access to Internet at schools, libraries and other public places; developing students´ ability to use technology not only for the classroom but as a tool for the real world and finally, to use technology as an empowerment: showing learners that technology can be used to generate productive gain.
ReplyDeleteHow can we show students that technology can be used to generate productive gain?
DeleteAlthough technology is increasing and developing day by day, there is a gap between those who benefit from digital technology and those who don’t. This digital divide is widening as opposed to what people may think; there are three hundred million people who still haven’t had the opportunity to have access to technology, let alone to know how it works, what it can be used for or know how to use it.
ReplyDeleteHelping close the digital divide is not just giving poor people access to it or investing in literacy and education; new technologies in which people interact and feel motivated by the devices and the apps, such as voice recognition and icon touchscreens, provide a more sensory experience so that people can benefit without becoming literate.
We can help bridge the gap by providing access, ability and empowerment. It is with these three aspects working together that it is possible to alleviate the issue. The gap won’t disappear if people are only provided with the equipment and the Internet connection; people need to learn how to use technology efficiently and for productive gain.
Very good points, Liliana! Thanks!
DeleteThe digital divide might also create a huge gap regarding employment: the way I see it, people without internet access will have smaller job opportunities because, as technology advances, most proffesional jobs become more and more dependent on technology, such as accountancy, journalism, and even something as simple as buying has become digital. As a consequence, people without digital tools will never be able to develop new skills, they won't be able to work in the modern and will remain in a state of permanent poverty, as the technologically advanced side continues to grow, making the gap wider.
ReplyDeleteAs teachers, we sholud give our students access to technology, but the main point would be to focus on skills rather than material. Students first have to know that a computer is a tool, and we must teach them how to use it to solve their everyday tasks:
- How to use it to pay for something.
- How to use it to look for information.
- How to use it to make reservations.
- How to use it to register information.
This way, students learn to use computers in a more productive way.
Excellent points, Franco! Offering students the necessaey training and support is a must. Thanks!
DeleteDigital Divide makes reference to the widening gap between those people who receive the benefits of technology and those who don't. The ones who are lucky enough to have access to technology can't even think their lives without it. However, for 300 million people, this technological era has never started.
ReplyDeleteWhat can we do to break this Digital Divide? First of all, we should take into account that technology should aim at aiding development. Thus, providing poor people with technological access is not enough. We should think about the current reality but also aim at fulfilling long-term objectives by offering people social and economic opportunities so that they can succeed in a future.
There are many measures governments can implement in order to close this gap: creating public spaces where computers are available for anyone who needs them; implementing programs where children are taught how to handle and profit from technology, training teachers in the technological field so that they can take this new perspective into the classroom, among others.
However, the creation and application of such governmental policies might take a long time. Because of this, we can turn to schools and teachers to make a change. By implementing new technologies in the classroom and showing students how they work, their benefits and even making students interact with them, they are already heading towards breaking the Digital Divide.
Good points, Andrea! Thanks!
DeleteIn my humble opinion, considering the "digital divide" merely as a technological gap would be an assumption far too simplistic. The gap between "the rich" and "the poor" is also an "opportunity" gap, a "critical and subjective thinking evolution" gap... a "motivational" gap in the long run.
ReplyDeleteLet's think for a minute in the following potential scenario: resources (either economical or technological) are equal for every educational institution in our country. This fact simply wouldn't tackle further problematical concerns our teachers and students could have ("What is this piece of technology for?" “Will I be able to reach my full potential or to fulfill all my needs?" "If I'm interested in other ways of cultural growth, in what way is my teacher going to motivate me to pursue them?")
For me, it's not a question of greater state efforts to reach every single individual. We should maximize what teachers know about delivering a 21st Century class properly. Technology requires a strong human component attached to it.
Excellent points, Agustín! What concrete measures can teachers implement in the classroom?
DeleteNowadays, and in our technological world, a "digital divide" between rich and poor remains.
ReplyDeleteFor children in low-income families, poor access to technology can discourage them from learning tech skills, they will get bored in class and will get low-paid jobs in the future.
On the other hand, children in a well-off environment are provided with lots of modern and sophisticated devices.
Can we say that poor people don´t benefit from digital technology? I think that all young people benefit from digital technology, but not in the same rate. Whereas less educated people use the devices for entertainment and communication ( which is really important ), children from industrialized countries use them for educational purposes ( research, reading e-books, etc ) as well. The world seems to exclude people who don´t know how to use technological devices. We know about the importance of multimedia in business, education and jobs. What refers to education, it allows students to distance learning, to search for information, to be connected world wide.
In order to bridge the gap, I think that government should invest in technology providing free access to internet for everybody, it's expensive to pay for Web access every month. Therefore, teachers should promote their students to work in groups ( in internet-based project work, for example ). So, if one of them doesn´t own a computer or lacks connection to Internet, he or she can share tech resources with the group. I think that teachers ought to send their students ( through a class blog, or vía e mail ) all the information that they think it's important for them.
Making children aware of specific websites with crucial information they can find in the web, and that will help them to develop their knowledge of the world is a valuable gift that teachers should give to their students.
Great points, Andrea! Working in groups is always a wonderful option, as long as students are assigned specific roles and tasks.
DeleteDigital divide refers to the gap between those who benefit from digital technology and those who don´t. In the context of education, I believe that there is a large number of children and teachers who don't know how to take advantage of technology. On the one hand, many people (300 million) don't have access to technology. We can not think that the problem will be solve by provinding a computer to every child. We need public facilities with internet access, for example libraries and community centers where people can go and use computers and internet access for free. Also, there should be a program, or a free course, for people who lack training or confidence, so they would feel sure about themselves and technology. On the other hand, those who have access to technology don't always know how to use it properly. Some children (as well as adults) visit sites with false or incomplete information, thinking they are using a reliable source. Usually they don't go beyond that and check if what they are reading is true or not. In order to prevent that, we should teach our students about critical thinking and how to discriminate information, as well as encourage them to research many sources about the same topic. I consider it is a good idea to be in touch we our students online (through social media or group chats), to exchange information, activities and doubts; we can also create groups in class and online, where children can feel more confident about reaserch and enthusiastic to participate and compare ideas.
ReplyDeleteGood points, Bárbara! Thanks!
DeleteThe gap between people who have access to digital technology and the ones who don't is not something new. Differences among people are present everywhere, but even more, when they refer to economical issues.
ReplyDeleteNowadays, technology is a big part of our lives and teachers should take advantage of this and use it in the classroom. But how can we do it if millions of people still lack the possibility to make use of this technology? How can we do it if our students come from different realities?
First of all, I think that the government should be responsible for providing free access to internet for everybody. They should facilitate schools, libraries and public centers with resources so that people can use them for free.
Then, I think that there are still some teachers who are afraid of using technology. New things scares us and if we don't know how to manage them, we tend to stay where we are - in our 'comfort zone'. Let me tell you that we are losing the opportunity of making our classes meaningful by leaving technology aside. It's a great tool and we must give it a try!
To bridge the gap, I think that planning team works and projects are a good idea to teach students how to use technology properly. The majority uses technology for entertainment, so we can give students the tools they need in order to learn how to look for information, to investigate and to write. Also, in working with others, they can learn how to share and to be responsible.
I think that these activities should be planned to be done in the class. In doing so, all students including the ones who don't have a computer at home, will have the possibility to learn and work equally well.
To conclude, I would like to say that we shouldn't let this 'Digital Divide' thing scares us. Using technology in the classroom and make every student feel part of it regardless their possibilities is possible. We only have to try!
Belén.
Very good ideas, Belén! What can we do to help teachers who are afraid of technology (technophobes)?
DeleteAs teachers of the 21st Century we must be aware of the fact that education is affected by the digital divide. This means that there’s an inequality between students who have access to information and communication technologies and students who don’t.
ReplyDeleteThe digital divide can make students who don’t have access to computers or the internet feel left behind or uncomfortable when they have to work with them, they might feel that the students who have a computer background have advantage over them, and this can lead also to social divisions.
It is also important to mention that those people who can’t access technology now may have difficulties when the time to find a job comes, they will have not developed the skills and experience necessary.
I think that in order to provide equal opportunities, governments should offer some form of support: giving computers to all the students and teachers, allowing the schools to have access to the internet.
Teachers should foster the use of technology as a means of problem solving and productivity and they should not be afraid of using it but profit from it.
Melisa Bastino
It is clear that the digital divide has an impact on our classes. I believe that one of the most effectives -and farfetched- solutions to close it would imply the government providing safe and efficient internet connection for free at community centres, public libraries and schools. With programmes such as Conectar Igualdad or Plan Sarmiento, many students and teachers got an opportunity to access the IT world. But even when these conditions are given, a lot more should be done. First of all, teachers should be properly instructed on how to use technology effectively (using educational programmes and apps for instance) and then on how to apply those tools to their classes. If teachers feel confident enough to use technology in the classroom, they will be able to teach their student how to make good use of it.
ReplyDeleteEducating people on a conscientious use of the internet is key. Most of the children who have access to technology don’t know how to use it in a productive way. As I see it, making students aware of the power of using internet as a way to grow academically, professionally, and socially is the best way to empower them.
Agostina Nusdeo
Totally agree Agos! Conectar igualdad was not enough
DeleteWether we like it or not, the digital divide, enlarge the gap between those who have access to technology and those who don't. The main reason is related to the lack of opportunities and resources to profit from a good use of techonology. In my opinion, this lead to a bigger problem: Is Education a right or a privilege? I find it hard to answer; however, I think the State should implement policies in order to make our society more equitable. Otherwise, poor people will continue suffering the consequences just because they were born in a lower socio-economic condition.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that is important to bear in mind is the fact that, we teachers, should be aware of this changing world and foster the use of technology in our classes.
Marcela Borrás.
The Digital Divide, or the digital split, is a social issue referring to the differing amount of information between those who have access to the Internet (specially broadband access) and those who do not have access. It's us, as teachers, the ones holding entire responsibility for the technological abilities our students can get to develop. We should be able to provide them with the necessary tools to survive and, more efficiently, to thrive this modern technological world. We may not be able to supply them with the money that they need to buy a computer, but we must be able to use as much technology in the classroom as possible so that they get used to it and never become technophones... I always regret not having been exposed to enough technology when I was in high school....
ReplyDeleteWe are the ones who are in charge of motivating our students and fostering the use of technology... To achieve so, we need to teach them how to use it and what the advantages of using it are. The best way to doing this is by showing them that we are not scared of it, that we can solve many problems thanks to the implementation of technology, that we can save time and that we have undoubtedly profited from it Our students will eventually understand that they can certainly profit from it as well
There is no denying that technology has reached a great part of the world’s population. Yet, nowadays, three hundred million people do not have access to it. The fact that this figure is shocking to most of us shows how unaware we are of the digital divide. Closing this gap should become everyone’s concern since it affects our future as a global community. Lack of access to technologies in such a digital era hinders people’s future, since they will not stand the same chances of entering the job market or a course of studies as those who manipulate technological devices skillfully.
ReplyDeleteThis digital divide refers to the gap between those who benefit from technology and those who do not. Most people tend to think that this gap could be easily closed just by giving poor people access to technology and investing in literacy and education. Helping bridge the gap will take much more than that. For starters, people do not necessarily have to become literate to be able to use technology; there are plenty of technologies available which help make every-day tasks easier and do not require people to be literate in order to make use of them. In addition to this, the government may provide free classes to teach people how different apps or devices work, what they are used for and how to manipulate them. Moreover, if the governments do provide people with devices, as in the case of Conectar Igualdad Programme, they should also train people on how to use them productively in order to make the most of them.
Bridging the gap may come down to three main aspects: access, ability and empowerment. Access is essential as it implies the presence of ICTs and people’s access to it. Ability refers to the capacity to use technology efficiently; thus, people should be trained on how to use ICTs. Empowerment has to do with the gain people will get once they learn how to use technologies productively and skillfully. Governments should launch policies that ensure that these three aspects are covered and we, as members of a global community should stop turning a blind eye to this situation and get involved.
If you want to Buy Multimedia Language Lab Software and Hardware for your school, Visit Lainlab.com, the best multimedia language lab software development company offers Digital Language Lab Software Control for schools and make your classroom teaching experience that much better and more efficient.
ReplyDelete