180 likes | 316 Views
Valerie Thompson Chief Executive e-Learning Foundation. The Digital Divide – Whose Problem is it?. The Digital Divide. An educational definition
E N D
Valerie ThompsonChief Executivee-Learning Foundation The Digital Divide – Whose Problem is it?
The Digital Divide An educational definition • The gap in learning opportunities and support between schoolchildren who have access to a working computer and the ability to go online at home and those that lack these resources • The impact of the gap increases further when a school develops a greater reliance on students being able to go online from home, but takes no action to ensure equity of home and out of school access
Why does it matter? • The stubborn link between social class and educational results • Recent developments in educational policy and strategy • What’s going on in the real world
Why does it matter? • The stubborn link between social class and educational results • Recent developments in educational policy and strategy • What’s going on in the real world
Education policies • Managed Learning Environments • Every Child Matters • Harnessing Technology • Personalised Learning • Extended Schools • Building Schools for the Future • The ICT Mark • Increased family participation and parental choice
Why does it matter? • The stubborn link between social class and educational results • Recent developments in educational policy and strategy • What’s going on in the real world
Why go online at home? • School VLE and website • Commercial learning sites (SAM, SuperClubs Plus, Gridclub) • BBC jam • Revision websites • Research resources (NASA, Science Museum, Wikipedia) • Individual e-portfolio • Communication opportunities (Skype, MSN)
Why does it matter? • The stubborn link between social class and educational results • Recent developments in educational policy and strategy • What’s going on in the real world
Today Household income is a major determinant of home access to a home computer and the Internet
Children of single parent families: • Represent 21% of all school children • Account for 48% of all school children without a home computer
Who can’t go online at home? • 1.4m school age children do not have a computer at home (1 in 6) • 2.5m school age children do not have the Internet at home (1 in 3)
What is the DfES doing about it? • Computers for Pupils £60m programme • Encouraging best practice through the ICT Mark • Supporting e-Learning Foundation with funding for providing advice to schools • Providing grant funds for e-learning programmes
What you can do about it • From desktops in ICT suites to a mix of mainly portable and some specialist desktops • Enlightened school policy on loaning school portables • Use your C4P funds to buy portables • Grow the pool of portables through fundraising, involving parents • The e-Learning Foundation has resources you can use
Some examples • St Angelas Ursuline Convent School, West Ham • St Saviour’s & St Olave’s School, Southwark • Berger School, Hackney • Hilton Primary School, Newcastle
Final Thoughts • The consequences of inaction • Put your toe in the water • Talk to us
Valerie Thompson e-Learning Foundation 297 Kingston Road Leatherhead Surrey KT22 7PL Tel: 01372 824373 e-mail: valerie@e-learningfoundation.com Web: www.e-learningfoundation.com “Now I can be like everyone else!”