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| This is a six-month trend produced by BlogPulse, illustrating the number of blog posts that mention digital divide. |
New edublogger, Julie Franken, wrote in a July 1 post about a 1999 article entitled “Debate Rages Over ‘Digital Divide’. She writes…
Julie: Debate Rages Over ‘Digital Divide’:
Knowing that this article was published in 1999 made me wonder how different the “digital divide” is today. I was not surprised to read that in 1998 there was a fourteen percent difference between the “average” nation’s classroom and low income communities and minority neighborhoods in regards to having Internet access. I think that it has improved since then, but know there is still a gap.
I did a quick Google search and surmise that Julie is talking about a March 1, 1999 article in Education World, written by Glori Chaika and Gary Hopkins. The opening tag line reads…
Are your students “haves” or “have-nots”? Are they technology savvy? Or are they being left behind because your school hasn’t kept pace with technology? Explore the “digital divide” in this special Education World story!
What caught my attention was Julie’s opening question, “..how different (is) the “digital divide” ..today?” I think that this is an important question and there are important distinctions. In 1999, it was a matter of the technology “haves” and “have nots” — who could lay their hands on computers and plug into the Internet and develop skills in using digital content, and who could not. Today, the bars are certainly higher, with most schools possessing computers and access to the Internet, increasing opportunities for students to use technology. However, the upper bar, has also risen with many schools providing for full-time access to laptops for their learners.
But, this is not the gap that worries me the most, because many schools, although they offer 1:1 access to their students, are still preventing learners from developing the skills which will almost certainly be an essential part of how work is done and leisure is pursued in the future — the social aspects.
It is an application of computers and the Internet that has been pioneered by our children, those with unfettered (unfiltered) access at home. Social networks, networked collaborative video games, and even IM have enabled some of our children to develop networking skills that will likely carry along into their adult and work lives. They are part of a community, and there is power in that community. Children without personal and unfiltered access to contemporary technology are alone — and there is no power in that.
Now I am not saying that we should completely unblock all of our networks. I use to think that, but when my son turned 13, I changed my mind. There is danger out there that we need to protect them from. However, it is critical that we come to understand this net-based social networking practice, and to integrate it into the teaching and learning process, to make sure that these skills support our childrens future. If we do not support them now… well you know the rest. It’s our future too.
I love what you say. We should be cautious of the great divide. I see it in my school and I’m in a school of haves. It’s there simply because there are teachers who use technology and teachers who don’t. When I get students in 5th grade, it amazes me how vast the span is between those who know and those who don’t. I have experts who use tech all the time, coming from teachers who encouraged it, and students who don’t even know how to save a file or copy a URL.
You say “Now I am not saying that we should completely unblock all of our networks.” I have a 12 year old daughter. I blocked her myspace to all but friends. But nothing else on her computer is blocked. We need to teach our students safety issues early…very early…so it’s part of their understanding…what info to give out and so on. We can’t block things in school and then send them home to an open network. Part of our teaching of technology should be teaching safety.
I am a member of the Communications Workers of America, and we have a project called Speed Matters that includes a section on the digital divde. Check out our site at http://www.speedmaters.org
Even in 2007 there are digital gaps, not so much in schools, but in communities where broadband access doesn’t exist or is very limited. Then there are schools where the answer is to eliminate most 2.0 web resouces because it’s easier than going to the trouble and expense of doing anything different, but we are protecting children! (An argument that I find very difficult to accept.)
Hi David and others,
I’m incensed by this topic, and surprised it’s not more of an issue Federally than it is. I posted a different angle here, please check it out…
http://www.edutopia.org/digital-divide-within
I am really worried about the students that have no access to a computer or internet connection. When I began blogging with some of my 5th graders, almost all of them only had access to computers in school… and this was only limited access. None of them new what a blog even consisted of. I am concentrating on this group.
In his EduTopia article, Chris seems to point to a different digital divide, one involving teachers and school/classroom policies for using technology.
I agree, and suspect that most teachers are not really qualified to teach the social networking skills that are so much of the tech-savvy youngsters regular practices.
Perhaps we should look at some kind of construct where the tech savvy kids teach the tech deprived learners.
Yes, Chris’ article is exactly what I meant, although he said it oh so much more eloquently. I see this in my school over and over. Students who leave my classroom know how to do things their peers from other classes never heard of – like blogging. I do teach classes to my colleagues but not all attend and not all attendees feel…confident? enough to use technology. There is no district policy or even school policy regarding technology use.
I think the most important thing, and David you have mentioned it many times, is that we need to equip our students to be able to function in their society, we need to teach them how to be safe. Teachers who are not teaching their students how to navigate this world of technology are releasing them to a world they are unprepared for. I’m currently reading ‘The Flickering Mind’ and I’m afraid I agree with a lot of what Todd Oppenheimer says. Technology is not bringing the change in schools that we crave for, but it never will, neither did the pen, or the slate before that. People make the difference. Students don’t care what you know if they don’t know that you care – we should care enough to keep them safe in the technological world they are facing so they can derive all the great benefits technology can bring.
This digital divide is an issue schools definitely need to address; not just from a perspective of teaching students and utilizing technology in the classroom, but from the perspective of teaching teachers how to teach it and use it in the classroom. When you have students who know more about mp3s, iPods, youtube, texting, and every other form of technology then a teacher, something is wrong. Teachers should definitely learn how to leverage such technology even in everyday lessons.
I certainly have no solution to it all – have heard everything from using the same free lunch/reduced lunch status to make technology available inside the home. i can’t imagine that would work, but… The flip side is, it honestly scares me, more than ever, that kids will leave high school – even perhaps with equal test scores, GPAs, etc. and not *really* be on an even playing field. That’s terrifying.
As a person from the Echo Boom Generation, I think open access social networks, like MySpace, Facebook, and AIM, are wonderful tools. Many of my friends have accounts in all three of these major networks, and while I limit myself to only one, I think each offers its users a unique way to connect with other people. In my opinion, the primary connection for Facebook users seems to be an educational affiliation. When the network first became popular, only select college students could access the program, but now, more and more high schools are gaining access to the network. AIM seems to be a network driven by local connections. Generally, friends or coworkers exchange AIM contact information. MySpace seems to be the most open network. Connections through MySpace seem to be more often tangential than direct. Perhaps, the incredible openness of MySpace enticed criminals to abuse the system and take advantage of younger adults. But, to remain on topic, I think each of these networks do provide a type of social network; however, I think some of these networks can be dangerous.
Without privacy settings and careful consideration, users (especially younger ones) can find themselves “friends†of criminals, perverts, and other dangerous people. I think Lisa restricting her daughter’s MySpace page was a good idea; in fact, I would encourage all parents to monitor their adolescents’ social networks. The most common concern I see arise again and again in the younger generations’ accounts is misleading information. Some kids just want to be funny and claim they are 99 years old, but some 12 and 13-year-olds deliberately claim to be 18. This is frightening. If young adults are presenting themselves as 18, then they are opening themselves to a new world – a world most young adults cannot understand and most parents do not want their kids.
Another concern I have about these social networks is that they can cause users to become obsessed in a virtual world. Foremost, I have seen many college students lose hours to checking their status (and their friends’ through “news feedâ€) on Facebook, chatting with friends on various instant messaging services, and viewing random MySpace pages. If people overly invest themselves into these virtual worlds, they may lose touch with the necessary behaviors required in face-to-face interactions. I do not deny that each of these networks is capable of providing a community, but how powerful is a community of strangers connected by a shred of similarity? Of course, I do not challenge the force of a community of strangers brought together for a common cause, but people with similar interests in movies, music, locations, and comical groups generally construct the pieces of these networks.
We must urge the younger generation that the virtual world is a means to a greater end. It is a tool that when wielded with care and direction can provide a pathway to create positive change.
I am very happy that this post generated so much conversation — at least by my standards. The point in my post seems to have been missed by most, however. It’s one of my problems, that I can be too subtle 😉
The point is not that many of our children know technology better than their teachers. The point is that they know each other better. It’s not just the machine and the applications. It’s the fact that they are using them to build and connect to communities, and work them, and enjoy what communities can accomplish — as opposed to what individuals can accomplish.
I agree with Kevin, that it isn’t all roses, and that we must help students/children to develop safe practices. But that’s just a tiny part of it. We need to teach them how to build, maintain, and enjoy social networks — and it should be not only what we teach, but how we teach.
“We need to teach them how to build, maintain, and enjoy social networks”…David, we’ve known this for years– Like my mamma always said, “it ain’t what you know, it’s WHO you know.” only now it’s infinitely more important than it was way back when.
I have the honor of working with a variety of schools around the country and I can say that when we push the envelope on these types of things access is everything. There are all kinds of issues around what and how we best provide access but ultimately none of that matters to the kid walking home to just cable TV. It seems that there are many layers here that can be addressed but the answer is simple. Create access or don’t. The poor will again suffer form an unequal playing field if we don’t. In the recent court decission that stated that race can no longer be used in desegregation plans. I’m wondering if we can’t work in access a new factor to consider for desegregation plans… Kids are open to almost anything, regardless of skill. They always have been. Walls take a long time to build. The toys & tools are just much cooler today. However, when the doors are closed on PS America many kids loose their access, which means in some cases the learning stops. Even in schools that have laptops for all the students many don’t get to take them home even though they are the ones with the least amount of access… True story- my son walks into my office a week ago and says that he is now breeding and selling (insert Pokémon name here) for a kid in the Netherlands, Japan and Australia. To my surprise he turned around and left. I caught up to him in his room where he showed me that the new opera browser for his Nintendo DS enables him to work with kids all over the world to trade and sell Pokémon. (freak Out Moment) “Are you emailing”, “Do they have your phone number”, “how did they find you”‘??? He is 9. He explained that the software enables you to find other kids that are into similar things and that it’s just easier to get things done this way. Today he and his friends are now scheming how to improve their breeding business into something much more profitable…sigh. This just points to the idea that we don’t know what the tools will be, I’m done chasing that tale. We just know that we need to get out of the way more often and watch from the side.
Floyd wrote:
I think this is exactly the point- we do not know what tools our students will need to use to be successful in the world of work. I agree that we need to get out of the the way and watch more often, but watching is the key to all that is being said here. As teachers we learn by watching and then being motivated enough to learn and then apply what we see as we watch. We watch and then we get creative to apply the tools we are watching students used to our curriculum and goals – resulting in motivation and engagement as well as a model for using whatever tools you have to find a way to do what you need to do.
Of course we will offer guidance on safety and extended use as we do these things. That is our responsibility.
It seems it is time for us to get past the students knowing the tools better than we do before we do and embrace the idea that just maybe if we ask the right questions as we use these tools with our students we will be able to create a learning environment that truly meets student needs as we become their partners in learning.
Part of my response to this article on my own blog (below). Doug’s right in that kids already know how to use these technologies, but they’re using them as online diaries rather than in a critical, analytical sense. There’s nothing wrong with that, we just also need to teach them more analytical/critical so they can choose their “mode” based on the task.
From my blog:
Unfortunately, in their eagerness to avoid parental confrontations, many district have gone overboard by blocking access to many Web 2.0 technologies, such as blogs, wikis, Flickr, YouTube and, most infamously, MySpace.
Yet the Advisory Panel to the Congressional Internet Caucus recently held a forum on Online Youth Victimization that debunked many commonly held beliefs regarding students’ online presence and stranger danger. Basically, research shows most kids are pretty smart about online behavior. In Totally Wired, Anastasia Goodstein reports that only 150 of the 800,000 kids reported missing each year are taken by strangers. This isn’t to say we don’t need to teach students to be careful, but to suggest that completely banning the technologies is an over-reaction.
These tools are only going to grow increasingly ubiquitous, with modifications for use in business and education. By banning their use in schools, districts limit their students’ ability to collaborate, develop analytical skills, and learn to use these tools in meaningful ways rather than as an extension of their social calendar. Students unfamiliar with their intelligent use will suffer very real disadvantages as they enter the college and job markets.
While I find that worrisome, the lack of motivation to incorporate the technologies into daily practice bothers me even more. I’m in a top-ranked library school, yet the one technology course students are required to take starts with “this is a mouse.” The students’ final project does include creating a basic web page, but there is almost no discussion/use of the read/write web. Nor are these tools integrated into the classes themselves. We spend a lot of time creating posters, class discussions through BlackBoard, and (very deadly) Power Point presentations, yet little on anything else. Our use of these technologies just transfers paper and pencil onto the internet.
More significantly, when I tried to get my group to collaborate through Google Docs and a wiki, I met with considerable passive resistance. (Basically, my groups ignored the opportunity and just posted individual responses, which another group member later combined by hand.) This disappointed me no end, but was understandable, I suppose, as my classmates were unfamiliar with the process, and didn’t want to add that learning curve to the already extensive project workload. However, if we don’t learn these skills in college, of all places, will there be time/opportunity on the job, when we’re multi-tasked into near-exhaustion?
The bigger problem is that we, this graduating class of cutting-edge librarians, are the ones schools trust to train faculty and students, yet we’re not using the tools on a daily basis ourselves. How are we supposed to encourage others to do so? In order to be technology leaders, we must be technology users. How can we teach faculty to integrate blogging and wikis, give them ideas for their use, if we’ve never used them ourselves? Where’s the credibility? To stand in front of a group and say, “Well, Will Richardson’s book says they’re very effective,” lacks motivational oomph. And if teachers won’t use the technology, students won’t be able to.
The digital divide is as real today as it ever was. However, accessibility is not the issue now, it is more the inequity of guided experiences that sets students apart. From district to district, school to school, and even classroom to classroom, students are getting very different levels of technology integration and instruction. The teacher technology integration competency and comfort levels are so varied that there is no real way to level the playing field for students. Training and support for teachers will do a lot to close the gap but we are a long way from equality of experiences.
The point is that they know each other better. It?s not just the machine and the applications. It?s the fact that they are using them to build and connect to communities, and work them, and enjoy what communities can accomplish as opposed to what individuals can accomplish.
David?s description of how today?s students use technologies shows how very wide the digital divide is between students and their teachers. Most teachers over thirty have no idea that such technology uses exist and many are not interested in learning. Even the younger teachers who are more familiar with social networking don?t see how it fits into the typical school. Administrators are extremely cautious about the ?social? part, which many parents read as dangerous and the IT people want to restrict usage to avoid technical problems. Yes, the digital divide in most schools is vast, and not easily overcome.
I agree with Kevin, that Myspace has the most open network. I also believe there is a good communication forum on Myspace including a blog area as well as a bulletin board and message area. However, I do not believe steps are being taken to make it a safe network unless a person’s page is locked. Some parents don’t even know HOW to check what sites her child had visited, let alone if the site was appropriate or safe.
I agree that it is important that students learn communication and networking skills through blogging and podcasting but there needs to be more said about the way we go about teaching this at school. If we plan on closing the digital divide, we need to train teachers how to use the technology including the latest in communication skills. We also need to inform parents how to identify safe sites and how to monitor the internet activity at home.
Although we have a filter and firewall at my school, there are still some sites that slip through the cracks. Students need to be aware that there are unsafe sites but they also need to learn how to use what the technology that is available in a safe manner.
“But, this is not the gap that worries me the most, because many schools, although they offer 1:1 access to their students, are still preventing learners from developing the skills which will almost certainly be an essential part of how work is done and leisure is pursued in the future — the social aspects.”
The second 2007 National Education Technology Standard addresses this student need.
“Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.”
When iMacs were placed in our computer lab and ichatting was introduced, the kids were hooked. They love to intermingle with each other. As an elementary computer/technology teacher, I teach a unit on Internet safety, but I have to admit the thought of the students getting “out there” and socially networking with others is a bit frightening from the perspective of liability. I will say that the students seem to be concerned with being safe. They learn not to use their real names and not to give personal information. They learn how to recognize and to stay away from unsafe Internet environments. I agree that this is a very important part of our curriculum. It is vital that students and parents understand and follow computer user policies that include safety measures for networking.
It is my own children that have taught me the power of social networking. We keep in touch with Facebook. I have become “friends” with many of their friends so that I am much more aware of their adult lives than my mother is with mine. We share websites, photos, news stories, gift ideas, blogs etc. The child who does not have this access does not have the opportunity to develop the social skills necessary for participation in this present fast paced world. The education system needs to trust teachers to develop safe ways to network and give ALL students some of the same communication opportunities.
David wrote:
Children without personal and unfiltered access to contemporary technology are alone — and there is no power in that.
I think this statement describes what caused Digital Divide amongst students these days. Unlike most of teachers, students these days were born and grew up with computers at home and feel much more familiar with technology. Yet, They weren’t taught how to use the technology systematically, but pretty much self-taught by playing games or working on the Myspace and etc. Like teaching and learning any other important skills, parents and teachers need to teach our students how to utilize the technology safely and effectively. Technology is essential for students to learn all other subjects, and therefore it should be taught as one of the main course of studies, not just as a side dish!
I was on vacation this week and was unable to access my computer even though I brought it with me and scheduled time to use the internet while out and about. I’m taking a course on technology use and incorporation into the classroom and this article was assigned. I’ve been discussing this very topic all week despite being on vacation not knowing what the article was about or that I’d be required to post a comment and discuss the article. My family asks after my career in education whenever we get together mostly out of curiosity. I was asked about my use of technology in the classroom not directly but it did come up. I mentioned that a good majority of my students were familiar with the basics in regards to technology but most of these only use technology that someone taught them to use and do not experiment with the software. Then about 25% are what this article describes as the ‘have nots’ and this is true among my honor students! I have students who do not have computer access at home, others who are allowed on the computer with time limits, and the others who share the computer with large families, and those who are limited to exploring that which they already know. I mentioned to my family how frustrating it is to see such a poor level of comfort on the internet with my schools top students.
As I scrolled through the comments I caught one that mentioned most of the posts missed the point of the article that our youth are developing and creating network contacts that may last them a lifetime. So I considered the article again… We have a responsibility as educators to give our students the experience on the internet that will permit them to establish themselves as professionals, network professionally & personally, and more importantly be confident enough to learn new technology and use it with confidence.
Personally, I tremble when I think of the technology that will come and the technology that is already here and am in awe of all that I have to learn and eventually teach my students. Imagine how much a high school graduate will tremble if they emerge from his or her education as a ‘have not’ in an age where virtually all our life can be managed and enhanced via the internet.
As companies scramble to make a durable and usable $100 computer, a computer will soon be cheaper than a tank of gas. School districts will soon learn that digital media is more durable and cheaper than print media. I don’t believe the divide is so much the issue as how we teach or students to interact with this world through the computer. Most students use the mentioned sites as public “scrapbooks”. But the skills needed to do this sort of computing are similar to the ones needed to higher levels of collaboration. I think the issue of students using the technology safely and effectively is of much more importance.
I have also been assigned to respond to this article–and thought there were many more recent ones we could answer. After dragging my feet–lo, and behold, you have posted a sequel, R U Reading Across a Generation Gap:)
I see 2 gaps–one between the haves and the have-nots. But in another comment, James predicts we will have affordable computers soon.
The other gap does seem generational. My father lived from 1925-2006, and we reflected on all the changes that had taken place during his lifetime, from travel to cooking to writing letters. And he was not opposed to change, but had trouble simply keeping up with all the new-fangled ideas and resources. I understand, as I struggle to figure out how to send legible text messages and how to incorporate the computer in the classroom as something other than a skill drill machine or a word processor.
Possibly students are one of my best resources, and they may easily become the teacher as they work with me and their parents to show us the latest electronic “workbooks”.
That international Pokemon trading has all sorts of wheel turning in this older-generation brain!
In 2009, I think there is still a digital divide. The divide between the have and have-nots is still there but is not as noticeable. It is not as noticeable because students have access to some computers and Internet during the day but it may not be adequate access (not enough time or computers) or of the same quality (model classroom) as other students. As noted in the Opening Bell, June 11, 2009 a school in New York will be moving to put “Smart Tables” in classrooms since they have “Smart Boards” in many of the classrooms at this time.
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The other divide is between those that have the technology knowledge and those who do not. I sent home a short questionnaire a few years ago so I would know a little about the technology background of my students. One student had older siblings and had been taught by them to email their father who was overseas. I had others who could only move the mouse. Even though these were Kindergarten children, there was already a noticeable difference in their experiences with technology. Teachers also have a wide variety of knowledge in technology. One class in the same grade level may be using digital cameras and filling in a web on the computer while the other class does not. So, I think the digital divide still exists between the have and have-nots with physical materials and knowledge or use of the materials.
B, I agree with you whole-heartedly. I think that one reason that we do not notice it so much is that WE are all more focused on the digital realm, and so, do not notice who’s missing. Maybe that’s just me. But I agree that the answer to the digital divide goes much more deeply than what students have a chance to do in the classroom. Digital and networked communication and work are more of a lifestyle than just a learning method.
I just read David Warlick’s blog “Third World America” and it caught my attention. I heard my cousins talking one day about one of them still having dial up at home because that is all that is offered. It occurred to me that rural America has not caught up with the urban America in the digital resources. Up until then, I thought all parts of America had access to some form of high speed Internet service. David Warlick mentions this Internet problem in a town he is in for a conference with teachers. This is another form of the digital divide with the have and have-nots.
Some schools systems have a faster Internet service but all teachers do not have the same technology available. Some do not have the skills to use the new technology (they do not take technology classes which are offered)or teachers have some skills to use technology but the funding is not available to fund the same technology for the older schools in the system. So I think, there is still a digital divide in materials,equipment and in teaching technology.
Sadly, with all of us in agreement that there is a divide in teacher knowledge of technology, what content should be blocked on the internet, student expertise, lack of equipment, etc – it’s not making a difference. I would love to get everyone at my school on board with even just online researching with the students, let alone all the other wonderfully powerful tools we have at our fingertips. We have approx. 1 computer for every 5 students in our K-3 school, and a computer lab. Still, I don’t see the output of knowledge that can take place. Where does one start??
The monumental amount of resources available at my fingertips can often be overwhelming. I agree with you that it is necessary to provide our students with access to as many technology resources available. I see that I have grown and the more that I grow the more I expect from my students. However, the resource chain lengthens at a rapid pace. Teachers tend to find themselves in a “rut” depending on comfortable ways. I think if there are requirements of educators regarding specific age/curriculum appropriate skills to be taught and used in the classroom there may be more confidence. I have often faced a time constraint in the classroom by trying to infiltrate technology use into the daily curriculum.
The best way to possibly incorporate the social interaction of sites such as FaceBook and MySpace without encountering cyber-idiots with whom you do not want your students to interact would be to create a closed network where membership is by invitation only and the teacher can oversee/monitor all usage and postings. Unfortunately, I don’t have the technological know-how to do that!