Access, the Digital Divide, and Special Populations

Summary: We as educators have the opportunity to provide students with the tools and education that is needed to succeed post graduation. It is important to ensure that our educational setting helps to foster the beneficial use of technology in our students' lives. We not only need to provide access to technology, but we must ensure that all students are learning and using technology to the most beneficial means possible for them as individuals.

For example, within our organization we not only need to convince parents, students, and other teachers about the benefits of technology, but we also need to demonstrate to entire districts the importance of beneficial technology. Since districts hire us for our services it only makes sense that we are showing them how we plan to directly help their students close the digital divide! After all, most districts that we serve have SmartBoards and similar tools in their classrooms. It is imperative that we rise to and exceed the level of technology they are using to promote our services, assist students, and to show why they should hire our teachers.

Overview: The Digital Divide refers to the gap between those who use digital technology in beneficial ways and those who do not benefit from digital technology. This divide has helped to create a variety of problems, such as: gender inequities, individuals being exposed to information that they do not understand, individuals being isolated from important information, cyber crimes, individuals not understanding the value of technology due to witnessing its negative uses, individuals lacking necessary technological skills for jobs, and lack of cultural awareness. As we explore the digital divide it quickly becomes apparent how it impacts our students.

Below are two options we should consider to help our students bridge the digital divide. Before considering those options first we need to alter our mindset to recognize that access to technology alone will not bridge the digital divide. That access must be paired with how to use technology in a beneficial manner to have any impact according to http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/net/digdiv.html.

Option 1: Educate students, families, and teacher about the importance of using technology, specifically the Internet, to achieve beneficial skills and objectives. This could be achieved a variety of ways, but a simple solution would be to offer a few evening sessions that address the digital divide. Obviously, teachers could attend sessions or be briefed during in-service trainings.

• Pros: low cost to providing trainings, those who attend will understand the school’s purpose for using such tools, support from families who attend, everyone who attends will be on the same page regarding beneficial use of technology, and the PA State Standards for technology will be addressed

• Cons: staff willingness to present at and attend evening sessions, possible low attendance of families, difficult to differentiate instruction to meet varying technology capabilities of audience

Option 2: Provide classrooms with access to useful tools that allow beneficial access to the Internet, such as SmartBoards and laptops.

• Pros: helps meet the needs of special populations, provides students with a wide range of interactive knowledge, allows students to obtain skills needed post graduation, meets the PA State Standards for technology, motivates students to engage in content, teaches students how to use the Internet in positive ways

• Cons: costly, teachers need training on how to use tools, tools need updated frequently, student progress needs monitored, finding time

References:
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/net/digdiv.html
http://www.digitaldivide.org/dd/digitaldivide.html
http://www.digitaldivide.org/dd/digitaldivide.html

Closing for entire Policy Brief:

Now that we have explored Access, the Digital Divide, and Special Populations; Copyright; Accuracy and Validity of Information; and Privacy and Security the next step is to positively impact our students' educations. Only we can demonstrate to districts and students the importance of these issues. We must consider our options and then act swiftly, but sensibly if we hope to help our students prepare for the quickly changing world of technology that they will encounter upon graduation.