This presentation is about the digital divide and digital inequality. There is a gap in both and we need to address both to close that gap.

The definition of digital divide and digital inequality go hand and hand with each other. Both happen all over the world even within developed countries. It is amazing to see how close they interact with each other.

With the low amount of online users and amount of households that have internet and are online, we need to find ways to make sure the gaps are being being closed. Just like we need to close the gaps in education with children we need to close the gaps with people as well. We need to find a less expensive way to make sure developing countries can have and afford broadband to help with the world wide use and development of all technological uses.

Sweden is the country with the most internet users per 100 people. As you can see with the numbers the gap is huge between the top three countries and the rest of the world. This includes Russia, China, and Germany. It is amazing to see the numbers because in todays age people would have thought that all the people in all countries would be high but instead it is very low.

There are many issues in the school setting. The first issue with the digital divide is that we only have 47% of our students who have internet at home. This is a problem because as a school we are trying to go paperless and if we assign them an assignment online they can not do it at home and need time in class to do the work.

The second problem is that at in our school district particularly in the elementary the students are not allowed to take the IPAD home with them. Even to do an assignment such as making an Imovie or a keynote.

The third problem is that even though 47% of the students don't have internet at home, 78% of the students have access to smart phones. This speaks to the digital inequality because even though they have smart phones the way the internet is being used is not equal to how a student with internet at home uses the internet.

As we look at these three issues in my school there are some things that we can do to help close the gap in my school system. All parents want the best for their child and we as a school may be able to help where the parents don't think we can.

The first thing we as a school can do is go and talk to the internet provider to see if there is a way they may be able to help reduce the price for internet at home. If we talk to the provider and ask for a low rate and tell them why it is important they may give a group rate. If they are unable to do that then maybe we can look into maybe helping the parents out by giving them a loan to help pay for the internet.

The second issue is a little easier to do. In our school district our middle school and high school students can take there device home. In the elementary school the students do not have that choice. Our middle school and high school parents have to sign a wavier saying that they agree to taking responsibility and will pay if the Ipad is damaged. If we sit down with our parents at the elementary especially in the fourth through sixth grades and have them do the same thing but only send the Ipad home if there is an assignment that would allow the students to do the assignment but take away the constant travel of the Ipad lessening the likelihood of damage. This can only be done if we get all sides to agree meaning the administration and the parents. That way the parents know that if they see the Ipad there is an assignment to do and the administration letting the kids know that they are trusted and valued. If we let them take these home to do an online assignment then we as teachers can spend more time teaching and less time having them do work in the class.

The third issue is a little harder. In my school district we are 68% free and reduced lunch. We are a low socioeconomic community which means that funds are tight and most families live paycheck to paycheck with very little extra. I think we could work with a company to find affordable computers for home use and student learning. I know there are many websites that I would love for my kids to go to at night even for 15 minutes for extra learning and understanding. Having smartphone doesn't take the place of having a computer at home to get on some of these websites. Ideally I was hoping that 100% of my kids had internet and computers at home but realistically I knew that wasn't going to happen. However doing some leg work to help parents find an affordable program to get them to have a computer at home is the least we can do.

So after doing this presentation I learned the difference between digital dived and Equality. I didn't realize how bad the gap was between countries and how many people don't have any access to the internet. I was shocked to see that we as a country are behind two other countries as far as number of people per 100 who have internet. The biggest eye opener was how many of my own students don't or can't use the internet outside of the school setting. As I work more in this field I need to keep in mind that not all students have the capabilities to use it at home.

As a school district we need to look at these issues and find a solution if we expect to go paperless. This is a good idea only if all people have access to the internet and are able to use it as is deemed correct. The digital divide is real and we as teachers need to make sure we include all students in the digital era.