Digital Divide

The digital divide is the gap between people who have access to information and digital technology and those who have no or limited access to the same technology. Many think that if we provide information and technology to those who currently don't have it, that we can improve their quality of life. According to Edutopia, people in the U.S. are trying to close the digital divide in schools by using federally funded programs like E-Rate or the Technology Opportunities Program, which provide discounts to schools and libraries. Blackweb 2.0 says that in Africa, where less than 10 percent of the population has access to the internet, 14 fiberoptic cables are being laid in the ocean to connect Africa to the European and Asian data centers. They hope that by providing information to the continent, they will spark economic growth which they say go hand in hand. I think that the digital divide will show up in my classes because I know that not every student in my classroom will have access to the internet at home, and maybe not have a computer either. Depending on where I end up teaching, most of the class may or may not have access to technology outside of school. I will address this by giving students assignments that don't always require computer use, or when I do have assignments that require use I will make sure to give them plenty of school work time to complete it. I plan on using technology in my classroom because I think that it is a great way to help students learn effectively, but I will not use technology just to use it.