Bridging the Digital Divide

(The pacific northwest is home to many lakes and rivers. This bridge is the Hawthorne Bridge that crosses the Willamete River into downtown Portland, OR. )

An old Chinese proverb says "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

What if that man doesn't live near any rivers, lakes, or the ocean? Could he still feed himself for a lifetime even with the best skills?

With this in mind, we can see a basic formula for success: Skill + Access = Success.

I recently visited the Vancouver Public Library with my kids. On one side of the room I noticed a few small rows of computers. All of the computers were in use with a line of people waiting for their turn. As I got closer, I curiously looked to see what the computers were being used for. I saw a few who appeared to be doing research, another was shopping online, and a teenage boy checking Facebook.

I spend a lot of time doing similar things, but I usually do them in the comforts of my own home or even on my smart phone. I realized that it has been over 15 years since I last used a public computer lab. I sometimes forget what a privilege it is to have almost instant access to the internet. I began to wonder: How would my life be different if I didn't have easy access to the internet? How are the lives of the students I teach different from others based on their access to the tools provided on the internet?

The digital divide is the gap that exists between those who have access to technology and the internet and those who do not.

Clearly, those who have access can experience a much wider range of learning possibilities. They also gain practice using the tools required of many in the modern workforce.

Some see the success formula as an inequality: skills + no access
Education is rapidly becoming more digital. Are we leaving the students without access behind?

Research shows that part of the the digital inequality can be linked to an inequality between races. The chart shows the results of research completed in 2003 by the US Department of Education. The bar graph shows the percent of each group that have access to the internet at home based on their race. As you can see from this graph, Caucasian and Asian households have more access than Hispanics and Blacks. These two minority groups are both 20% or more below the national average of 68% in access at home.

The Vancouver School District, where I work, is made up of students from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds with roughly 25% of the 23,000 students that are either Black or Hispanic.

I teach at Skyview High School in the Vancouver School District. Using the figures from the 2003 research, I would estimate that there are 162 students without access in these three minority groups at the school. I would also estimate another 330 white students to be without access.

In a school that is 75% white, there is already a tendency for minorities to feel excluded. Lack of access to technology further separates theses 162 into a subgroup within a subgroup.

Another major issues I face with the digital divide is access to online textbooks. Three years ago our school district adopted a new series of math books which came with an online copy of the book. To save on cost, only 30 physical copies were provided to each teacher to use in class. I was an expectation that students would access it online.

I found about 25% of my students could not access the text at home due to a lack of internet or an outdated computer. Even students with internet at home had to wait in line similar to the public library while siblings to finished assignments. This left me with less than 50% of my students that accessed the text to complete their homework each night.

That unfavorable ratio led me to print hundreds of worksheets throughout the year to assure that all could do the assignment.

There are many online tools that we use in class to further understanding. While many students are tied to their smartphones many do not have a device to bring to school.

Students have access to videos created by the publisher with specific details on how to solve problems. I provide students with access to our class notes and class calendar which is on our class website.

Some students are making their smartphone smarter by using powerful online graphing calculators. Those without rely on the class set of calculators and have no calculator for use at homework.

Occasionally we have classroom activities where students use their phones as responders. I frequently have them form groups to work around access, but it makes it difficult for me to effectively assess them individually.

These tools would engage learners if they could simply access them.

So what must be done to bridge the gap of the digital divide in Vancouver? We need to improve access for all students in their homes.

The AECT professional code of ethics "each individual the opportunity to participate in any appropriate program. " May I suggest three areas of focus that help improve access in the homes:

1) Provide devices for a 1:1 learning environment.
2) Promote awareness of programs to provide affordable broadband internet.
3) Educate the community on the uses of modern technology.

The Vancouver School District already has invested in an initiative to place an iPad into the hands of every student. This would solve most problems of access for students while in school and alleviate the need to wait for a sibling at home to do school work.

The effect of these new devices would be minimal if they couldn't use them at home (remember the fisherman). The Department of Education is aggressive working to make broadband affordable. In our area families in need can sign up for basic internet service for only $10/month with the local service provider. This service is not widely known and should be publicized better to the parents.

The socioeconomic divide in some ways comes stems from the culture of the ethnic groups. The school district should be involved with the community in planning and promoting events that would educate minority students and their families on using online tools. They specifically should target the Hispanic and African American populations which have lower overall rates of internet access. As parents see the importance of the internet in their home, they are more likely to make it a priority.

What would our students be missing without access to the internet in their homes?

Access would improve the ability of students to complete their work and interact in class. More importantly, access to technology has been linked to raising the economic status of low-income households.

Certainly students can learn without the new gadgets and fancy whizzbangs. I did and I would like to think that things turned out alright. The difference is in preparing them for the world they live in which is vastly different than the one I grew up in.

Dr. Webb, superintendent of Vancouver Public Schools, said “Our one-to-one initiative is not about the gadgets. It’s about equipping our students with the knowledge, skills, and habits to ensure that they are future-ready.”

Similarly the National Education Technology Plan states: "The challenge for our education system is to leverage technology to create relevant learning experiences that mirror students’ daily lives and the reality of their futures."