The Digital Divide does not just have an impact on business or the economics of the world. The Digital Divide has a huge impact on the education of students of all ages all over the world. Whether that impact be that a classroom in a third world country does not even have the money to give each child a textbook, let alone a computer. Or whether that impact be that a student after entering college is completely lost because everything is online and they have never had the opportunity to work with a computer before. The Digital Divide can be very detrimental to students self esteem and efficacy and is a problem that desperately needs to be fixed. In schools, the Digital Divide is beginning to separate white students from minority students. In an article titled, “Digital divide still separates white and minority students” written by Ben Feller of the Associate Press, it talks about what specific things the Digital Divide is separating in schools just in America. In the article, it talks about how more white children are using the Internet than Hispanic and black students. This just proves that going online is not a way of life for everyone. In the article it also states, “ Two of every three white students-67%- use the Internet, but less than half of black and hispanics do, according to federal data released Tuesday. For Hispanics the figure is 44%; for blacks, it’s 47%” ( Fuller). As if certain schools do not already have things dividing different races, the Digital Divide is something that should not be added to the equation, but unfortunately is.
When most people think of the Digital Divide in terms of education some may only think of elementary aged students. However in a recent study the Digital Divide becomes the biggest problem for college aged students. In an article titled, “Digital divide changing but not for students torn by it” written by Joanna Goode, she talks about the problems that some college students face when coming to college. As if college students did not have enough to worry about, they are facing something that not many other college students are dealing with, leaving them feeling very isolated and alone. For example in the article it states, “When students enter college, they either have it or they don't. And which side of the digital divide they fall on may well shape their identities and what route they take into careers, suggests a new study”(Goode). The University conducted a research project in which they asked 500 undergraduate students how the skills that they brought from their high schools impacted their early college coursework. The article states their findings, for example, "I found that high-school opportunities around technology really shape students' abilities to engage fully in university academic life. Insufficient preparation really gives students a sense of not belonging and a deficit in their own perspectives as academic beings.” (Goode).
After reading these too articles on how the Digital Divide impacts education, I would definitely have to agree with their research and findings. Looking back on my educational experience I have noticed the progression at which technology was used in my schooling. Technology was never used in the classroom until about third grade. In third grade we began to go to computer class in which we were taught how to type quick and efficiently. I also grew up playing educational games such as the “Oregon Trail” and “Math Blaster”. Once in middle school we took a required computer class in which we learned how to use Microsoft Powerpoint. Middle school is when my teachers started to post grades online as well as homework on the classroom website. There was never really an issue of, “Well what if I do not have a computer at home?”. The reason why I never heard of this being an issue is because I grew up in a pretty affluent area and I think it was just expected that every student had access to a computer at home. The use of technology in my schooling only increased when I went into high school. The only way that we could access our grades was through the internet and most teachers used powerpoint for their lectures. We were expected to use Powerpoint for various school projects, however I never had a teacher ask if any body had never worked with Powerpoint before because they just assumed we had. When entering college, I knew that a lot of it would revolve around technology. Because I had the opportunity of using technology throughout my primary schooling, I was extremely prepared for college. However after taking a step back and truly looking at how much school work is centered around technology, a student who has not background in using technology would be completely lost.
Overview | A Closer Look | Current Practices | Educational Impact | Solutions | Bibliography |
