Digital+Divide

//**~Digital Divide **//

Technology offers a great divide based on several factors such as gender, race, and socio economics. The digital divide refers to the access to technology and the effective use of technological resources. It is important to identify these factors and help break the bridges that have been built around specific issues. Teachers need to be aware that their opinions towards technology directly affected their students. The future of technology is the image of closing the digital divide and making technology more accessible to a larger group of people.

**//Two Podcasts about Digital Divide//**


 * //Gender: //**

*Girls tend to lose interest in Math, Science and Technology once they enter their adolescent years.
 * Boys tend to be more interested in the ins and outs of technology.
 * Computer Software programs tend to alter their games/activities to boys because boys are overall more interested and this in turn makes the digital gap wider for girls.
 * Girls are attracted to more social activities and games, whereas boys tend to lend towards more mechanical toys.
 * Boys are often encouraged to seek jobs in the science and math field, which makes them inclined to technology activities, whereas girls are more encouraged to nurturing jobs such as nurses and teachers.

Image Source: Retrieved on 20 May 2010 []

__Teacher Suggestion: __Teachers need to break through the boundary of encouraging male students towards jobs in the math and science field. Teacher’s views affect their students a great deal. Educators need to encourage everyone equally towards using computers and learning different things in technology. When at all possible teachers should show role models of both genders in regards to technology. Students need to see ideal role models, in order to have someone to look after and encourage them.


 * //Socio Economic: //**

*Students from a higher economic status, have more access to technology and the internet. There is a greater chance that those students are around people who have access to technology themselves and better understand it.
 * Students from a lower economic status, have less access to technology and it is more likely that their parents don’t have access to technology themselves and possibly don’t understand it.
 * For students from higher level economic status are more likely to have their own personal computer at home.
 * Lower Economic status students may feel discouraged to complete projects because they feel don’t have computer access at home.

media type="youtube" key="fCIB_vXUptY" height="385" width="480" Video Source - Retreived on 18 May 2010 []

__Teacher Suggestion: __ Teachers need to know personal information about their students and understand their students’ personal life. For the students that come from a lower economic status family, teachers may need to allow them a little extra time in class to complete computer assignments. Make sure that all students are aware of the resources that most towns have a public library. Possibly organizing a field trip to the public library will allow the students to become more familiar and comfortable with it and be more likely to use it. It is important for teachers to acknowledge the fact that not all students have computer access at home, understand that all students are different.

*Language barriers greatly affect the use of technology.
 * //Race: //**
 * More white students have greater access to forms of technology than minority students.
 * Mirrors socio-economic factors
 * Cost is reported to be the rest for lack of technology by minority families.
 * Minority families on average have access to dial up internet, whereas white families or majority families have access to high speed internet.

__Teacher Suggestion: __Teachers need to identify these barriers and overcome them. It is very important for students to feel at ease with technology. This is the job of the teachers, it doesn’t matter what race a person is, and anyone can achieve great things with technology. Once again students may need to have a little extra time while working on computer projects in the classroom, because they don’t have access outside of the classroom.


 * //Resource Equity: //**

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">*Resource Equity mirrors the factors of race and socio-economic. Without the proper access to technology, students will not have the same ability to use resources as someone who has steady internet access.
 * The quality and quantity of resources students use affects their education.
 * Affects their lives not only in school, but home and in their future professional life.

__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Teacher Suggestion: __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Teachers need to remember that students are all different; some may have more access to resources than others do. This is very important to remember when working on projects in and out of class. Students who may not have the same access as everyone else must not be looked down upon, however those students should be given a little extra time to go to the library or go on the computer to gather research.


 * //<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Teacher Bias: //**

<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">*Teachers attitudes directly affect the students.
 * Teachers who aren’t comfortable with technology should seek some extra assistance possibly from other teachers.
 * Stereotypes need to be erased from educator’s minds.
 * Teachers should present information in an unbiased form.
 * Teachers need to put their prior experiences aside, it is their job to teach students all sides of every aspect.

__<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Teacher Suggestion: __<span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Teachers need to be comfortable and at ease with technology when teaching it to their students. Teachers need time to “play” with technology. The more uncomfortable they are, the more uncomfortable their students will be. Teachers need to display qualities of a good role modeling when using technology. Most schools have a technology team to use for assistance. Teachers need to become familiar with these coworkers and lend on them for assistance.

Work Citied: American Library Association. (2007, Fall). //EQUITY OF ACCESS AND THE DIGITAL DIVIDE//. Retrieved May 16, 2010, from []

California Teachers Association Institute for Teaching. (2010, August 15). Unconscious Bias in the Classroom. In //Teacher Driven Change//. Retrieved May 17, 2010, from []

Digital Divide. (2006, October). //M///‌//Cyclopedia//. Retrieved May 17, 2010, from http://wiki.media-culture.org.au/‌index.php/‌Digital_Divide

University of California, & Fairlie, R. W. (2006, November 13). Ethnic and Racial Differences in Access to Technology and Possible Explanations. In //Is there a Digital Divide?// Retrieved May 17, 2010, from []