The Digital Divide
Susan Brooks-Young
Educational Consultant
In 1990, when I was teaching 8th grade, I had an experience
that has remained with me to the present. I was working with
a group of students who were classified as mentally gifted. We were
discussing an upcoming project that included the use of computers.
I was surprised that the students were less than enthusiastic about
the technology piece of the assignment and asked them why. After
considerable hedging, one of them finally explained that the computers
in other classrooms could only be used by the kids who were having
academic problems (they had been purchased with federal Title I
funds). These children were afraid that somehow they had been relegated
to that group. This discussion caused me to look closely at who
was using technology at my school and how. I found many inequities
beyond restricted access to equipment based upon academic achievement.
I also learned about the importance of people1s perceptions about
technology use. Although the term digital divide hadn1t yet been
coined, I realize now that this is the same concept.
A decade later, everyone is talking about the digital divide. On
the surface it appears to be about hardware or the lack thereof,
but it is much more complicated than simply getting wired. The digital
divide involves not only who has computer equipment, but also who
is trained to use it, how it is used, and whether it is maintained
and upgraded.
Who Has Access? In the example given above, it was Title I students who had most frequent access to computer equipment. However, according to a 1999 Educational Testing Service report entitled Computers and Classrooms: The Status of Technology in U.S. Schools, this is not typically the case. Usually students who attend schools in high poverty areas have less access to all types of technology than do students in more affluent schools. This lack of access is also found in students1 homes. According to an April 17, 2000, press release from the White House Office of the Press Secretary, only 16 percent of families with incomes less than $15,000, and only 14 percent of households where parents were not educated beyond high school, own computers. African Americans, Hispanics, and people with disabilities are also less likely to have access to computers and the Internet.
Hardware and Infrastructure The concept of universal access has been around for a long time. Originally it meant that all Americans were entitled to affordable telephone service. Today the definition has been broadened to include access to information services. But how do we go about making these services available? The most highly publicized solutions include increasing technology access in schools, public libraries, and community centers. Targeting agencies readily available to the general public makes sense. The E-rate program and funding for Community Technology Centers to be located in low-income urban and rural areas are designed to help address the problem of the high cost of connectivity. But the initial provision of up-to-date equipment and infrastructure is only a piece of the puzzle.
Technology Use in Classrooms As researcher Saul Rockman and professor Larry Cuban point out, just having equipment available does not guarantee that the technology will be used well. Dire predictions about the economic and social impact of poor technology access have created a sense of urgency about acquiring hardware, but we have forgotten to consider specifically why we want it and how it can be used to improve people1s lives. Once again, we have put the cart before the horse. We should have planned for use first, then tailored purchases to support the plan. Generally this is not what has happened, so now we look at what we have acquired and try to figure out why we have it and how we1ll use it.
Total Cost of Ownership The issue of ongoing costs must also be addressed. Funding for initial expenditures is wonderful, but technology changes rapidly. In three years or less, the one-half-million-dollar network that was installed at the local school will be obsolete. Where will funding come from to upgrade it? Schools and other public agencies have not traditionally been in a position to assume a financial liability of this magnitude. In addition to the cost of hardware and software, there is also the need to deal with human issues. These concerns include the cost of trained technicians to maintain sophisticated networks, preparing teachers and students to use technology in beneficial ways, finding appropriate methods to assess effective technology use, and then making certain that students can apply what they have learned in school to their daily lives.
Conclusion The digital divide is more than a political campaign issue. In order to effectively address the problem of universal access, it must be recognized as an ongoing societal concern that will require our attention long after the November election is past. We must also realize that equipment is only one facet of this complex problem. Educators and public agency personnel must clearly see the importance of technology and then determine how to use it effectively. Students and their families must understand how information technology can benefit them personally. And we must all realize that that the responsibility for universal access does not rest with a single public agency or system. A paradigm shift of this magnitude is possible, if we all demand it.
This article originally appeared in Today's Schools September 2000.
Resources
Peck, Craig, Larry Cuban, and Heather Kirkpatrick. Schools Are Ill-Suited to Close the Digital Divide. Los Angeles Times Morning Edition (14 May 2000): M1.
Revenaugh, Mickey. Beyond the Digital Divide: Pathways to Equity.Technology And Learning (May 2000): 38-50.
Rosenthal, Ilene. 3The Clinton-Gore Digital Divide Proposal. Technology and Learning (May 2000): 10.
Computers and Classrooms: The Status of Technology in U.S. Schools.Educational Testing Service (1999).
Digital Divide. U.S Department of Education, Office of Educational Technology (2000).
Falling Through the Net. U.S. Department of Commerce, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (1999). http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/fttn99/
Susan Brooks-Young, a teacher and administrator for 23 years, is an educational consultant, freelance writer, and adjunct faculty member at the University of Phoenix. She invites your comments and flames at sjbrooks@aol.com.
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