-Digital inequality is fast becoming a growing problem both within the U.S. and globally.

-Today, we not only have unequal access to technology but also a dichotomy in how we apply and use technology.

-Because Harbor College is so diverse ethnically, and socioeconomically, the problem seems very evident.

-In 1994 11% of American households had internet access.

-In 2013, over 75% of households reported internet use.

-The term "digital divide" certainly applied in the mid 90's as their was a blatantly obvious divide between those who had and those who did not have internet access.

-As the internet matured, access increased in the US. There are still those who lack access but in terms of raw numbers, it has increased dramatically.

-There is still a divide today especially globally in terms of developed vs. developing nations.

-Some areas of the world, such as Africa, have very low internet penetration rates versus the rest of the world.

-The divide is still evident throughout the world

-Although the rate of penetration has increased and continues to grow robustly.

-A divide still exists in some respects: rural communities, those living in extreme poverty, etc. Internet access has become more readily available than it was 15 years ago.

-"Digital Inequality," or the idea that while many Americans have internet access, their ability to use it, infrastructure, comfort-level, expertise level, and other factors play a role in how much someone can leverage from all this information and technology available seems to be a more appropriate description.

-There are three significant issues in terms of digital inequality that is currently affecting the Harbor College community. This is based on my own observations being here for over 5 years along with interviews conducted with 5 other colleagues who range from recent hires to those who have taught here over 30 years.

-Broadband availability and speed variations

-Technology usage (how students use technology available to them)

-Technical support levels available for students and staff

-Harbor College is home to a diverse socioeconomic array of students.

-The typical student however, comes from working class, lower middle to lower income categories. A large portion of students work at least 15-20 hours a week or more.

-A good number come from single family households as well.

-Economics play a large role in the students ability to procure any internet access at all.

-For some students, there is no internet access at home or work with the exception of internet access at the school computer labs (which is not always available).

-Too many students and not enough computers; good old supply and demand principles here.

-A good portion of students have internet access only through their mobile phones.

-Students often cite slow speeds, unreliable wireless connectivity, and lack of wireless networks available.

-Our campus offers strong, reliable, and fast wifi connectivity.

-It is not conducive for students to constantly be at school just for a wifi connection.

-Those who can connect often connect with their phones, which is not always conducive for academic preparation and work. Laptops are not as readily available for a large number of students.

-When on campus and when able to connect to the internet, students do find connections fast and easy to use.

-Those who CAN take advantage of this find it very useful (Can being the optimum word).

-When internet access is available students use it for various reasons.

-Not all students take advantage of internet access to accomplish their academic goals and objectives or seek to better themselves personally/professionally or learn new skills.

-Social media usage is very popular (generally not for academic or classroom related purposes but for social).

-There are a few classrooms that use social media in the curriculum, but it seems to be the exception rather than the norm.

-Although there are bans in the library on game play, students generally can do as they wish on their own devices.

-There is no evidence to suggest how much time certain students use for gaming but it certainly does exist.

-Several colleagues complain of catching students playing games on their laptops and mobile devices during class.

-Of course their is technology usage for academic purposes.

-Research, training students, turnitin.com, virtual tours, multimedia are just some of a few things instructors do in their classrooms with students.

-Sadly, with the availability of resources on campus not all instructors are taking advantage of this wasting an opportunity to immerse students with technology beyond social functions that students normally engage in.

-Technology is no good without proper training on usage and implementation.

-A professional development center exists on our campus, but it is for staff only.

-Their is a help desk for online students. However, funding issues curtail its effectiveness.

-Their is almost nothing in terms of student support and technical skill acquisition.

-Perhaps a student can ask their instructor. But many instructors generally ask students for tech advise. Interesting concept and telling of what state our campus is in from a technology standpoint.

-Students have nowhere to go for training and are generally uninformed of technology developments on campus.

-Little wifi tech support. If a student is stuck there is really nowhere to go for support.

-An example of lack of communication and coordination: We are a Microsoft 360 school. The district pays a hefty sum and that means students get a free email account, free drive storage, and free use of the entire Microsoft Office suite. The majority of the students do not know this exists. Many still complain, for example, that they do not have adequate word processing software.

-In the state of our global technological climate and exponential growth of technology, it's a travesty that issues such as technical support and internet availability should be a problem.

-We need viable solutions.

-It starts with a strong, streamlined organizational structure which we currently lack.

-Some colleges in our district have an office of Instructional Technology run by a Dean with a support staff.

-Currently there is no such structure in place at Harbor College. Their is a Distance Education Coordinator (handles online classes) and an Information Technology Director (mainly campus infrastructure).

-There is a training center for staff but funding issues cause it to be less than relevant.

-No coordinated Instructional Technology or Student Technology efforts.

-The culture must begin at the top with clear goals and objectives.

-There must be leadership in terms of stakeholders who are qualified and understand the intricacies of both Instructional and Informational Technology.

-We must also procure support from the administration and they must show their leadership in moving the campus forward.

-While the campus possesses several labs and over 200 workstations, only a small fraction is fully available at any given time. Most of the labs are specialty labs for specific courses only.

-More workstations spread out throughout various parts of campus.

-We must continue with infrastructure updates and upgrades as well.

-Infrastructure is useless without support.

-We need a stand-alone, full fledged technology resource center for BOTH students and staff.

-It should be staffed with qualified personnel.

-This goes hand-in-hand with a tech support center. The Center would also host and conduct workshops throughout the school year to offer hands-on training as well as personalized training for the entire campus.

-One of the glaring inequalities on technology use is varying skill levels.

-Dedicated training and a training apparatus would go a long way to increasing user skills and improve on existing skills.

-If students see and use technology more often (beyond social use) they become more accustomed to it.

-This would be an easy and cheap way to increase end-user skills.

-It would require training for instructors and time investment to create this integration.

-It seems like a win-win situation all around, however.

-We must address this divide/inequality; sooner than later.

-It is real and it is reality happening right now.

-It's happening here, all across America, and globally.

-The evidence suggests a gap in terms of computer usage, technical skills, infrastructure, availability, etc.

-This inequality in digital application and usage seems to be at odds with what the internet revolution is all about.

-The internet and its power could easily be within the palms of ALL our hands and it should be particularly in the realm of academia.

-It should be standard availability for our students in terms of access, training, development, and growth.

-Inactivity, or not tackling this head on, would indeed bring us full circle.

-The internet in its infant stage was a Marxist state of the haves and have nots.

-We have come a long way and perhaps we thought that as technology got better and more available, that accessibility would as well.

-Nearly 30 years since the internet first arrived, we could be just going around this perpetual cycle.

-The irony could be quite stark: while internet access is readily available more than ever in its history, we wonder if its full force and power is truly available for everyone.

-Quote from John Naisbitt.

-The power of information online can and should be available for everyone. But that is not necessarily reality today at Harbor College.

-We need another revolution to spark this former revolution.

References:

Web 2.0 and Emerging Learning Technologies/Digital Divide. (n.d.). In Web 2.0 and Emerging Learning Technologies/Digital Divide - Wikibooks, open books for an open world. Retrieved February 15, 2015, from http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Web_2.0_and_Emerging_Learning_Technologies/Dig...

International Telecommunications Union. (2014, April). The World in 2014: ICT Facts and Figures. In The World in 2014: ICT Facts and Figures.