Digital Divide
by Ian Eddington
Boise State University
EdTech 501
Fall 2015

The digital divide refers to gaps in access to ICT, and the internet, between groups of people. The data is disaggregated like a census; identifying groups by country, age, gender, income, and race. The largest gaps, over time, have been by country and household income.

From Web 2.0 and Emerging Learning Technologies/Digital Divide, "the definition of the digital divide seems to emphasize the binary description of availability of computers and the Internet in households. Warschauer (2003) suggests that this binary definition fails to do justice to the complex reality of various people’s differing access to technology. Warschauer uses the example of an American who surfs the Internet on a computer at a local library once a month as a “have not” whereas someone in the developing country with the same profile might be considered as a “have.” This example is a good illustration of the lack of consideration of the context in which technology is used when discussing the definition of the digital divide."
Web 2.0 and Emerging Learning Technologies/Digital Divide. (2009, July 29). Wikibooks, The Free Textbook Project. Retrieved 09:55, September 30, 2015 from https://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?title=Web_2.0_and_Emerging_Learning_Te....

The US Department of Education has, under the Obama administration, published an aggressive plan to shift education from the past into the future. Today's school model is the same model developed in 1893. College and career focused school systems are operating like industrial factories. To steer education into the future, the US department of ED has chosen five technology powered strategies for readying today's students for tomorrow's job market.


Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology - Executive Summary. (2010, November 1). Retrieved September 25, 2015, from http://www.ed.gov/sites/default/files/netp2010-execsumm.pdf

The Department of Defense Education Actives (DoDEA) is a U.S. public school system that spans the globe. There are schools in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. In these varied regions of the world, the digital divide impacts the education experience of all stakeholders.

99% of students attending my school own a mobile device. Not all students have a mobile broadband connection. Of the 99% of students with mobile devices, only 72% of the devices are connected to a cellular network. Smartphones and tablets can be educational, and motivational tools, so many teachers plan integration into lessons when possible. However without 100% saturation the challenge becomes engaging students with access to a personal, mobile device.

Avoid a digital divide in your own classroom. Mandating that multiple people must work from a single device could ease the discomfort of students with out the newest smartphone, or unlimited 4G coverage.
When possible, have laptops available for students as an alternative to using a personal device. Some students may choose this option because the screen is larger, or their battery is dead.
Students without mobile broadband can often connect a device via a WiFi connection. Moving the class to a hotspot location will close the digital gap for many.
You may wonder why students do not simply connect to the school WiFi. Well...

DoDEA schools are on U.S. military bases. All of the schools bandwidth is shared with the Department of Defense(DoD). DoD firewalls and filters limit the school's connectivity. All WiFi networks are protected and are not accessible on personal devices. Students must access the internet from a school machine, or through a personal mobile connection.

If the use of personal devices is an option, then a short walk to a local hotspot gives the class the freedom the students are used to at home.
When a digital resource (website, applet, or streaming source) is blocked by the DoD a DoDEA teacher is forced to abandon their technology, or find another -approved- source.

Today's student was raised in the digital age. Many of my students were also born after September 11, 2001. Growing up under the World Wide Web, and the Patriot Act, has redefined privacy for this generation. Privacy means something entirely different to a young adult then it does to their parents, or grandparents. The idea of a government having unrestricted access to a person's digital footprint does not upset today's youth. An online act that you or I would consider a violation of our privacy is all these children have ever known (Abril, 2012).
Digital literacy needs to be taught in a fashion similar to citizenship a generation ago.

Abril, P. (2012). Blurred Boundaries: Social Media Privacy and the Twenty-First-Century Employee. American Business Law Journal, 49(1).

Teaching students responsible internet usage practices is as important as how to write a resume, or a college application essay. In order to truly be College and Career Ready, students need a marketable online presence.