The Digital Divide

1. The Digital Divide By: McKenzie Larson, Jenna Molle, Kelly Vaughan, Alyssa Koski Introduction Method Results Results cont’d • According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 91% of nursery school students through 12th grade students use computers and 59 percent use the Internet. Digital divide can be defined as the disparity between those that have access to the Internet and computers, and those that do not. Digital divide has had an impact on schools through separation of class status, school funding, and a technologically advanced society. In order to answer our research questions we collected, analyzed and found our answers by conducting a survey with a variety of questions. We used true/false, multiple choice and open ended questions. We mainly used open ended questions to give participants less restrictions on their opinions. We surveyed 28 Winona State college students. What do you use the internet/computer for? The results from our survey showed that the majority of students had a computer lab in their elementary school in a public setting and the majority of the school was white. This supports the idea that race affects the digital divide. One hundred percent of the participants had access to the internet/computer in their home and they used the computer for a variety of reasons. Many of the participants used the internet/computer for school work ranging from 3-48 hours per week. Computer technology is important to be taught in schools and it is important to have access at home according to one hundred percent of the participants. • The Digital Divide Survey • Did you have a computer lab in your elementary school? • Yes • No • Did you attend a public, private, home school? • Public • Private • Home School • What race was the majority of your elementary school? • White • Black/African American • American Indian/Alaskan Native • Asian • Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander • Hispanic/Latino • Do you have access to a computer/internet in your home/ • Yes • No • What do you use the internet/computer for? • Homework • E-mail/Communication • Entertainment • Research • Shopping • How many hours per week do you use the computer/internet for schoolwork? • 1-3 hours • 3-5 hours • 5-7 hours • 7-10 hours • 10 plus hours • On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most important, how important is computer technology in schools? • 1-3 • 3-5 • 5-7 • 7-10 • On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most important, how important is it to have computer/internet access at home? • 1-3 • 3-5 • 5-7 • 7-10 • Do you think computer technology should be taught more in the classrooms today? • Yes • No • If yes or no, why? • Technological Society • School/Education • Job/Career • Communication One of the largest impacts the digital divide has had affects on are the various social classes. Based on race, statistics show that over half of white students use the Internet, whereas less than half black and Hispanic student have that access. Household income, parent education, and one or two parent homes impact whether or not a student has regular access to a computer or Internet. Minimal computer access at home weakens a student’s chance of performing at their highest ability. Even though the number of students having access to the Internet is improving, there is still a digital gap. Often times the absence of technology in schools is the fault of the government. The funds are available, but are being distributed towards other educational programs and higher income schools. Some schools today are turning to the use of computers for everyday assignments. Students that do not have computers available to them are at somewhat of a disadvantage because they may not have a complete amount of information. It is important for students to learn how to operate a variety of programs on a computer that may become vital to them in their careers. Further job opportunities can arise if one possesses knowledge in certain computer applications. Technology will be highly beneficial to students in the real world. Separation of class status, school funding, and a technologically advanced society all have an effect on the digital divide. Students will be put at a disadvantage if they do not have regular access to technology sources. In order to research this we focused on how important is it to have technology in the classroom and what factors influence whether or not schools have technology. Conclusion From this data, we concluded that computer internet use is used mostly for entertainment followed by homework/research. Email/Communication is less likely used. Some schools today are turning to computer use for everyday assignments. Using the computer/internet on an every day basis strengthens a students chance on performing at their highest ability. Separation of class status, school funding, and a technologically advanced society all have an effect on the digital divide. Students will be put at a disadvantage if they do not have regular access to technology sources. They will miss out on an aspect of education they cannot experience with books and magazines alone. “Studies have shown that access and ability to use the Internet help improve people’s learning, job prospects and daily living (MSMNBC).” If the digital gap is not corrected it can reduce the level of success for a student. Based on the data we collected throughout this project, we concluded that many of the college students generally thought that technology was important in the classroom and at home. With this consensus, we can say that it is important that the gap for the digital divide should be closed. Should computer technology be taught more in the classroom today? And why? References Ellis, Rehema (2008, September 9). No Child Left Behind. Retrieved February 11, 2009, Website: http://dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/archive/ • 2008/09/09/1369745.aspx Feller, Ben Digital Divide Still Separates Students. (2006, September 5). The Associated Press. • Kennedy, Mike (1999, October 1). Bridging The Digital Divide. Retrieved February 9, 2009, from http://asumag.com/university_bridging_digital_divide/ From this data, we concluded that students thought that technology should be taught more in the classroom because of more advanced technology in the future. Without technology, students are less likely to understand their expectations in the workforce. It is important for students to learn how to operate a variety of programs on a computer that may become vital to them in their careers.