The Digital Divide
Bonnie Bracey Sutton
How do we raise public awareness of the digital divide problem?
The broadband dilemma? It is a real problem !!
The global situation?
There are have and have-nots in global, national and local situations.
What solutions are there? What are the problems?
Dr. Paul Resta and others eloquently expressed these ideas in our Digital Equity Symposium in San Antonio at the NECC Conference. Dr. Resta spoke of the knowledge divide, the digital divide, the language divide and the technical divide. But our concerns are not being addressed by the candidates for President. Dr Resta also spoke at our SITE Conference on these divides.
Most of us are still waiting to hear from the candidates about technology use in the United States in homes, schools and communities.
When will they address the broadband trouble?
Facing National and International Challenges: Bridging the Gap
“To narrow the digital divide, we need to identify resources and strategies that break down barriers. By using new digital strategies and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) systems such as ubiquitous tools, we can work toward developing an operational definition of digital equity” says Dr. Joyce Pittman.
We believe that sharing stories and engaging in a global dialogue can improve the economic, political and social quality of life for individuals, communities and countries around the world. Because of digital opportunities, we believe people everywhere can benefit from what we call digital equity.
Does the Digital Divide Still Exist?
Three K-12 leadership groups warned that the nation’s schools would not be able to prepare students for the challenges of the 21st century without using technology broadly and intensively — just as competitive U.S. industries have been doing for years. I have a special interest in this initiative, as I was involved in the 21st Century initiative when it was started years ago.
In a new report, “Maximizing the Impact: The Pivotal Role of Technology in a 21st Century Education System,” the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills urged renewed emphasis on technology in education.
The report urges federal, state and local policymakers and other stakeholders to take action on three fronts:
1. Use technology comprehensively to develop proficiency in 21st century skills. Knowledge of core content is necessary, but no longer sufficient, for success in a competitive world. Even if all students mastered core academic subjects, they still would be woefully under-prepared to succeed in postsecondary institutions and workplaces, which increasingly value people who can use their knowledge to communicate, collaborate, analyze, create, innovate, and solve problems, as specified in ISTE’s recently refreshed National Educational Standards for Students. Used comprehensively, technology helps students develop 21st century skills.
2. Use technology comprehensively to support innovative teaching and learning. To keep pace with a changing world, schools need to offer more rigorous, relevant and engaging opportunities for students to learn — and to apply their knowledge and skills in meaningful ways. Used comprehensively, technology supports new, research-based approaches and promising practices in teaching and learning.
3. Use technology comprehensively to create robust education support systems. To be effective in schools and classrooms, teachers and administrators need training, tools and proficiency in 21st century skills themselves. Used comprehensively, technology transforms standards and assessments, curriculum and instruction, professional development, learning environments, and administration.
Together, SETDA, ISTE and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills represent dozens of leading U.S. companies and organizations, six leadership states, education technology directors in all 50 states, 85,000 education technology professionals and 3.2 million educators throughout the country.
The full report, “Maximizing the Impact,” is available at http://www.setda.org/web/guest/maximizingimpactreport .
Do Teachers have a Voice in the Discussion?
Is there room for classroom voices that speak the truth?
The digital divide still exists and it is widening.
Voices from the real classrooms, need to be heard. But is anyone listening?
While people are talking about one laptop per child initiative and the film 2 Million Minutes, others are asking, “ What about me in my classroom in the US?:
The movie, “Two Million Minutes casts a bright spotlight on a crisis in this country.” says Bill Gates. Some across the digital divide in the US, see a bigger and a quieter crisis that does not involve all social classes.
Broadening education for all in the United States is a problem. Many complain of never really having professional development to learn to use the resources that technology can bring. Many teachers think of technology in tiny terms, ie using Powerpoint and some search engines. Funding has become scarce. Serious games are not even considered nor much investment in teaching the skills of programming. There may be digital natives and digital immigrants but there are also those who are digitally deficit in major ways.
Many students might as well be invisible, as little attention is paid to them or their educational needs for this era of emerging technologies.. The people who have a problem with literacy, there are solutions, but the push is for newer and emerging technologies which some think are 2.0 applications. Will there be a kind of WSIS on literacy and programs to effect literacy? Numeracy?
Using technology in the same old ways that we started out at the beginning of the technology revolution is not acceptable.
Here is a new thought about emerging use of technology.
Robert M. Panoff (President and Executive Director, Shodor, Durham, N.C.)explains in this set of examples.
“Computational science continues to advance the accurate
description and prediction of the dynamics of the world around us. Moving “beyond PowerPointless-ness,” we have the opportunity to help students see that computing really matters. Computing “matters” because quantitative reasoning, computational thinking, and multiscale modeling are the intellectual “heart and soul” of 21st Century science and therefore are the essential skills of the 21st Century workforce. “
He says that” Computing “matters” because it moves students others have identified as “at risk” to students self-identified as “capable, motivated, and employable.”
” Computing “matters” because we can demonstrate the power
of interactive computing to help students and teachers reach a deeper understanding and application of math and science.”
Computing “matters” because computational tools integrated with curriculum become both the content of education and the most effective method.
“ A world-class education requires world-class resources, and all math and science teachers should be able to bring interactive modeling environments to their own teaching practice. “
Every teacher and faculty member should be highly qualified in the use of interactive models and simulations in math and science; every student should be able to explore the dynamics of the world through interactive models and simulations; and all interactive learning objects should be validated, verified and accredited by linking to state and national standards.
Right now, however, “education is the least technology-intensive of any major industry in America,” said Don Knezek, CEO of ISTE. “In the digital age, how can we expect schools to improve student achievement — the most important outcome of education — without taking full advantage of technology to support students, teachers and administrators? No other leading industry would try to position itself for success today without using technology comprehensively and purposefully to achieve its goals.”
Those who are out of work, in poor health, live in social housing, live alone, or have a low level of qualification are being set at a further disadvantage by digital exclusion.
A full 75% of people counted as socially excluded are also digitally excluded. That means they’re missing out on the opportunities, choices, savings and services computers and the Internet provide, and that other people consider a normal and integral part of their everyday lives.
In my teacher workshops this year, I have helped many teachers to extend their reach, to explore, examine, get involved and connected to e-learning, or workshop information and if necessary, grant information.
The digital divide is very real and growing.
Bonnie Bracey Sutton