Digital Divide

[Lori Holcomb]

To get the discussion on the digital divide going, I first want you to play the Digital Divide Trivia game. After you complete the trivia, I want you to share your thoughts, opinions, and questions.

[Jennifer Cable]

I played the Digital Divide game and found some very interesting answers. I was amazed that Iceland had the highest Internet users for a country with 84% of the households having a computer. I was not surprised that Asia has the highest Internet users for a region. After reading “The World Is Flat” that was an easy answer. But I did find it interesting that the Netherlands and Demark are second and third in households with Internet access. I would have thought that Asia would be second for households with Internet access. I would also be interested to know what percentage of households in the Netherlands and Demark have a computer. I am also not surprised that the US was ranked 6th in Internet users in the world even with over 61% of the households having a computer. I agree that cost of the Internet and no computer are the many reason many people don’t have Internet access at home. For many people, quality Internet access is still unavailable in the US. Dial-up Internet access is so slow many people just choose not to have it because it is not worth the money. With other countries have more households with computers and Internet access, it is not surprising that only 1/3 of the websites online are written in English. I would have thought, though, that more would have been in English. I am also surprised that men and women are equal users of the Internet. I am very happy to see this. Initially, I would have thought that men would have a higher percentage of Internet usage. I guess this figure is equal because the percentage of men and women in the workforce is about equal. I do understand why educational levels and household incomes are predictors of technology usage. People have to have money to purchase a computer and Internet access and also the knowledge to be able to use the equipment. Education helps one earn more money and while getting the education, you are typically exposed to technology. This is why they go hand in hand. Working in the school setting, none of the answers about technology and computers in the school surprised me. Internet access is easy to gain for schools. The problem is having the funds to purchase the needed computers. The other problems schools are having with technology are that they are not teaching their teachers how to use it. Technology requires training and the 19% providing professional development is the reason teachers are not using new technology. I was pleased to see that 45% of special needs students use technology. This is a great tool to help to reach and teach many of these students. Since these numbers are several years old, it would be interesting to see where we currently are in the world and in our schools. We must do a better job if we are going to be able to compete with the rest of the world. Just a few of my thoughts.

[Laura English Lewis]

I also played the “Digital Divide Trivia” game, and was very surprised at many of the answers. However, trying to answer the last questions of “Does the Digital Divide still exist?” became most interesting and important to me.

I define the Digital Divide as the gap between individuals and communities that have, and do not have, access to the information technologies that are transforming our lives.

Am I to believe that the growth of the Internet continues to increase across income, education, age, race, ethnicity, and gender lines through the effectiveness of federally funded programs? Programs that are to provide schools, libraries, and Community Technology Centers with technology in innovative ways to solve social problems and improve community access to modern telecommunications, a major resource that is suppose to eliminate the Digital Divide.

I will say that I do think that some progress has been made, but I also think that considerable work remains to be done to bridge the Digital Divide for our youth in the lowest household category to have access. There should be no community where Digital Divide exists for Hispanics, African Americans, and Whites because of the household income.

We should not still be reading reports where there is a high percentage of any ethnic and racial divides when it comes to some students having the ability to access the Internet while others students do not have the same abilities. Being disconnected in the Information Age means being disconnected from the economy, not having the correct tools to assist students with learning the required 21st Century Skills and most important students being disconnected from preparing themselves to work and live in our global society.

I am not saying that I believe that technology is a quick fix solution to poverty. However, I am saying that underserved individuals and communities can have access education and tools to improve the quality of their lives appear to be a critical piece of continuing to overcome the ‘Digital Divide.

– Laura

[Kay Pitchford]

I played the game and found some interesting answers as well. Iceland? Really? However, I think we are making strides to make sure our students have access to the internet and other technologies, but it is still expensive to connect from home. In order to have more students connected, the prices should go down, or there should be free internet providers (remember the original NetZero?). Parents struggle enough to keep the necessary utilities on, so the internet or compurters seem like luxury items, although they can help their children excel in school.

[Kaitlin]

I remember NetZero, we had it at my house. I remember how mad I was because all of my friends had America Online but my parents said it was too exspensive. NetZero was slower and didn't have as many features as AOL. I dealt with it and then a few years later we eventually got it.

[Kyleen Burgess]

Well I was not surprised that Asia had the highest number of internet users...every time you see footage from major cities in Asia everyone is walking around with cell phone and computers. With the amount of technology that is available there I really wasn't surprised. I was surprised that Netherlands and Denmark are second in third in households with internet access, does the government special programs there to get internet to its citizens?As far as Iceland goes, I did do some research and found that they have two cables on the east and west that span across the ocean that assist with their internet and phone connections allowing them backups if one service or cable goes down they can use the other cable and never have a disruption in service, but I did not come across any information about if the government helps with internet or computer purchases. Although you must remember Iceland is a small country.
Does the digital divide still exist? Well yes! Here in the county I work in and the one I live in those that are our in rural parts of the county do not have access to high speed internet, though they may possibly be able to get dial up through several companies but the price they have to pay for even dial up makes it not even worth the hassle. I think there is an even bigger divide with the education on how to use the computers may keep some in rural areas away from using computers. There's not alot to offer those in rural areas classes on computers unless they live near a community college or such or their child has time to teach them about computers.

[Kaitlin]

I found the digital divide game to be very interesting. I figured that Asia be up there, Iceland was a bit of a surprise but I was couldn’t believe that US was 6th, I thought we would at least be in the top 3. It goes to show that the United States is not as advanced in technology as we used to be. The fact that so many people don’t have the internet at home because their computers are outdated shows you how fast technology is advancing. A question that shocked me was that only 9% of schools offer technology development to its teachers. With technology growing you would think the percentage would be higher. As teachers we should be using the most up to date technology to give exposure to students. However, if we are not trained this is not possible. I found it interesting that only 61.8% of households in the US have a computer. I am in 2008 that percentage has increased a lot. I was happy that men and women were equal users of the internet, I was also happy because I got that question right! I liked the game, it was a fun way to learn facts about the internet, and it really made me think.

[Veronica Lewis]

I actually had seen the information in regards to the digital divide in a staff development meeting a few months age. The topic was diversity and some of the information related to technology and teacher expectations. Sometimes assignments are made and what we feel is the norm in our minds, seems very impossible for some students. The facts about Iceland was the most surprising to me also. Some of the facts are so true in regards to internet access and even technology available in some schools. Today's society is so computer driven that it seems impossible that technology is not integrated in all aspects of education.

[Loretta Batchelor]

WOW! What interesting facts! I do believe that the internet is used more on a daily basis in classrooms than this expressed. We now have ibook mobile labs in almost every classroom, access to a computer lab on a regular basis and now high school students are even taking online classes through North Carolina Virtual Public High School. I do see how the "divide" exists between countries. Asia seems to be farther ahead in technology and the internet than the US. I do see that my students know more than most of their parents about technology and the uses in the home and at school. Today's young people in the US definitely know the social outlets the internet allows and are using it to benefit them (educationally etc) but they are also put them in danger. They don't seem to realize the reality of the internet. They don't seem to view the dangers of giving personal information via email and profiles. Education has got to continue to stress the safety issues of the internet and other technology. So now I ponder the questions once again....Is the World Flat?.......

[Staci Lyon]

I've actually seen this before. We viewed it and talk about it in one of my classes last year. We were all surprised by Iceland. I guess some of us just don't think about other countries like Iceland having such technology. I was more surprised by the lower number in the US, but not in schools. Schools continue to play an important role (no surprise) in increasing the use of technology in the US. But at the same time only 19% of the US schools offered technology professional development to its teachers! How logical is that...100% of the schools have the technology available, but it doesn't seem that important to offer technology professional development to teachers.

I think there is still a digital divide in a way. There is a divide between the races, the have and the have nots, and even a divide between the teachers and students. However, with that I think the schools play the most important role in narrowing this divide. In schools, all races, all the haves and have nots, students and teachers have the opportunity to learn new technologies. Even if students don't have a computer at home, they can use them at school.

[Jennifer Tingen]

I enjoyed the Digital Divide game and was surprised at a few of the answers. I did not realize that men and women used the Internet equally. The fact about Asia having the highest percentage of Internet usage in the world did not surprise me. I recall a story in The World is Flat about Friedman being in a subway in Asia and noting that a fellow passenger was using the Internet, while Friedman was concerned with the bars available on his cell phone. It’s interesting that Iceland, Denmark, and the Netherlands have such high percentages of households with Internet access. I thought that having 1/3 of all web sites in English is pretty impressive (for fans of the language like myself) considering that most of the world’s population does not speak English. According to vistawide.com, speakers of Mandarin Chinese, Hindi, and Spanish outnumber English speakers by the millions.
The Digital Divide certainly does still exist. This is especially true for those students who may be the first member of their family to attend college. It is fortunate that North Carolina is making 21st century technology available in K-12 schools because that may be the only exposure many students receive to much- needed Internet and technological skills. I witness one effect of the Digital Divide each time I visit my local public library. The section designated for Internet use (consisting of about 14 computers) has a continual stream of patrons. Fortunately, this library will lengthen the usage time so long as no one is waiting to use a computer. Patrons start off with 30 minutes, and then 15 is added if no one needs the computer. After this time is up, an additional 15 minutes is offered based on availability. I feel very fortunate and blessed to live in a state and country that is taking steps to overcome the Digital Divide.

[Rhonda W]

I also did this activity in an earlier class. I can't remember what I found surprising and what I did not. I would like to see some of this information updated. It doesn't seem current -- if it is, that is even more alarming!

At any rate, I definitely believe there is still a digital divide. Rather than being divided by race, I believe our current divide is an economic one. Students who attend schools in low wealth districts do not have access to the same level of services as do students in areas with more resources. A lot of those students are minorities, but it is not that fact that creates the divide but instead the economics behind race. In North Carolina the problem is so severe that we are under a court order to try and correct it.

The digital divide is also about gender. According to the Trivia Game, men and women use the Internet about the same amount, but I would bet the purposes for which they use it are quite different. The enrollment data for secondary CTE shows that pattern. Enrollment in Computer Applications I, which is an introductory computer course, is divided fairly evenly between males and females. But the higher level Information Technology courses (such as computer programming and computer engineering) are heavily male -- 78.7% in 2006-2007. The enrollment in Technology Education, which is where a lot of the heavy science and technology classes in CTE are housed, is overwhelmingly male -- 83.7% in 2006-2007. (The 2007-2008 data isn't available yet -- don't let me get started on that whine!)

To me these numbers show that the digital divide is about more than access. To fix the problem will require a closer look at the reason behind the numbers before we can truly make an impact.

[Deanna Peck]

I was shocked that I missed eight questions. I thought more men than women used the internet (at least in my home). The World is Flat was a great source but I don’t remember Netherlands, Demark, or Iceland being mention. Overall, to teach students the 21st century skills we need to understand what tools they have outside the classroom and allow time to use technology when if all possible in school. To be globally competitive we need to increase the internet usage (for educational reasons), encourage the disabled and minority groups to interact more with technology, and find ways to support technology in our students home.