Running head: THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Ed Tech Issue - The Digital Divide

Donna Wheeler
Instructor Lisa Sill
January 26, 2015

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The Digital Divide

Technology is a living, breathing entity. According to Moores Law, technology doubles
every two years (as cited by Bowles, 2012) thus making technology a powerful learning tool in
and out of the classroom. As history has shown, those with the most powerful tools, usually
controls who is allowed to have power. Todays students are offered technology in their
classrooms as never before seen. Yet, when these students leave the classroom, some are not
afforded easy access to technology, leading to what is called the digital divide. While there is a
high cost to closing the digital divide, all should have equal access regardless of socioeconomic
standing or disability because it promotes literacy, access to jobs, and life-long learning.
The digital divide is the line that divides the have- and have-nots of technology (Koch,
2012). Todays technology includes more than just a home phone and home computer. It also
includes smartphones, iPads, laptops, netbooks, Ultrabooks, readers, printer/scanners, word
processing, spreadsheets, databases, multimedia applications and most of all, access to the
internet (Bowles, 2012). Access to the hardware, software and internet components of
technology cost consumers, myself included, hundreds if not thousands of dollars per year
(Russo N., & Morgus, R., 2014).
Two factors that contribute to the digital divide are a students socioeconomic status, and
whether or not they are disabled. A persons socioeconomic status is where a person stands in
society in regards to family income, occupation and education (Koch, 2012). If a student belongs
to a family whose socioeconomic standing is low and whose income is less than $30,000 per
year, they are the least likely to have internet access (Bowles, 2012, sec. 1.3). According to
Koch, students living in poverty are twice as likely to only have [internet access] at school
(Koch, 2013, p. 159). Having a disability also impacts whether or not a person uses the internet.

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According to a study in 2013, people without disabilities were 27% more likely to use the
internet than people with disabilities (Bowles, 2012). Both of these factors contribute to the
digital divide because if students have a low socioeconomic standing or are disabled they will
statistically have a lesser chance of experiencing and learning all that modern technology has to
offer than students who come from a higher socioeconomic standing or are not disabled.
Those with easy access to technology are afforded more information which will enhance
their overall literacy skills which will lead to a greater access to 21st century jobs. Today, literacy
means more than reading and writing, it means than a student is prepared for the multimedia
skills needed for today and for the future (Henderson, 2011). As stated earlier, technology
doubles every two years. In order to keep up with this rate of expansion, students must have easy
access to technology at school and at home or else they will have a hard time catching up in
tomorrow's technological job market (Kim & Bagaka, 2005). A large percentage of jobs today
require computer technology skills in order to seek, acquire, and perform the job (Fact Sheet:
Digital Literacy, 2011).
Both the teacher and the student have a responsibility in minimizing the digital divide.
Ultimately, what a student learns is up to them. With that being said, students need help from
their teachers and parents so they can realize that their education is in their own hands and they
need to be willing to do their part in continuously learning new technology. A good teacher will
be able to convey to the students the importance of being a life-long learner by setting an
example as being one themselves. Several other ways a teacher can help minimize the digital
divide is to have a positive attitude towards technology, be proficient in technology (Kim &
Bagaka, 2005), teach using the scaffolding method, and by encouraging the students who do not

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have easy access to technology, to go to their local library where they can use the public
computers.
Conclusion
The digital divide is an extremely important issue that needs to be taken seriously by the
entire global community in order to prevent a divided world of technology have- and have-nots
(Bowles, 2013). In an effort to prevent this, Google is making a genuine effort in making internet
accessible to everyone for free by using drones and launching satellites (Cannon, 2014). As
stated by Pappas (2008, p. 3), Technology initiates change at an exponential rate, and
information technologies are at the heart of the information literacy standards and as the world
continues to become more connected through technology, it is imperative that we as parents,
teachers and students, continue our efforts to close the digital divide. We can do this by
emphasizing the importance of digital literacy to our youngest students and by making it a
priority in our own lives so that we may all strive to become life-long learners regardless of the
cost, socioeconomic standing or disability. Are you doing your part in this endeavor?

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References
Bowles, M. D. (2013). Introduction to digital literacy. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education,
Inc.
Cannon, M. (2014, July 8). Zuckerburg: The internet should be free to everyone. Tech Times.
Retrieved from http://www.techtimes.com/articles/10007/20140708/zuckerberg-internetshould-be-free-for-everyone.htm
Fact sheet: Digital literacy. (2011, May 13). United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved
from http://www.commerce.gov/news/fact-sheets/2011/05/13/fact-sheet-digital-literacy
Henderson, R. (2012). Classroom pedagogies, digital literacies and the home-school digital
divide. International Journal of Pedagogies and Learning, 6(2), 152. Retrieved from
http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu
Kim, S., & Bagaka, J. (2005). The digital divide in students' usage of technology tools: A
multilevel analysis of the role of teacher practices and classroom characteristics. Cite
Journal, Volume 5, Issue 3/4 (2005). Retrieved from
http://www.citejournal.org/vol5/iss3/currentpractice/article1
Koch, J. (2012). Teach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning
Pappas, M. (2008). Standards for the 21st-century learner: Comparisons with NETS and state
standards. School Library Media Activities Monthly, 24(10), 19-26. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com

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Russo, N., Morgus, R., Morris, S., & Kehl, D. (2014). The cost of connectivity 2014. Open
Technology Institute, October 2014. Retrieved from http://www.newamerica.org/oti/thecost-of-connectivity-2014