Educational Equity and the Digital Divide

Educational Equity and the Digital Divide
Albilda Hernandez
Fordham University
CTGE – 6265
Dr. Kathleen P. King

Educational Equity and the Digital Divide.

In this day and age, when technology is increasingly becoming a permanent fixture in our daily lives, society seeks to incorporate the digital age into our education system in an attempt to bring educational and societal equity between the haves and the have-nots, between the rich and the poor, men and women, those of all ethnic origins, the young and the old, digital natives and digital immigrants, teachers and students. In the midst of integrating technology, we as a society must face the issue of the digital divide and how it affects education and society. There are many questions that come up in how to deal with technology and how we use it to bridge this gap. Can technology bring equity or will it just make the digital divide bigger? Even after technological equity is established, will it really improve education and provide educational and societal equity?

When discussing issues of equity we first must come to terms with what is meant by equity. According to Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary, the word equity means “justice according to natural law or right; specifically: freedom from bias or favoritism.” For something to be equitable is to be fair and equal with all concerned (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2008). Educational equity means fair and equal education opportunities regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, level of technological knowledge, disability and age.
It is not enough to provide access to technology through funding and connectivity to bridge the digital divide. Funding spent unwisely will not help. If millions of available dollars are spent inappropriately and unwisely, it will not bring any solutions. “Decisions on purchase of technologies should be integrated within a plan developed with adequate consideration of educational, technological, and societal trends” (Mason & Dodds, 2005). It is not enough to donate computers and to be connected. Having access to technology in an old school building that is 100 years old means having to spend millions in local funds to upgrade electrical systems that previously could not support computers, printers, and other peripherals (Park, E., Sinha, H., & Chong, J., 2007).

In order to have any chance at educational equity and narrow the gap in the digital divide, there must be equal access to technology, equal instruction and training for students/teachers/support staff, equal quantities of resources/materials, equal attitudes towards participants, (meaning no prejudices), and equal opportunities for interaction with technology. Students with disabilities must be accommodated as well as those for who English is a second language. This may be done by including assistive technologies such as software that has voice command in place of using a keyboard (such as Dragon Dictate Naturally Speaking) and translation software. Schools must have someone on staff that is specialized in technology to be able to train the staff and teachers how to use such technologies, maintain equipment and stay informed and up-to-date on technological advances that can facilitate learning for special populations (Mason & Dodds, 2005). If computers and the Internet are distributed equally and used well, then they can become important tools that can be used to increase learning among students who have been marginalized and provide greater access to information and education. However, unequal access in either home or school or both can widen the digital divide and cause greater educational and social inequity (Warschauer, Knobel & Stone, 2004).

Unfortunately, not every student has the same access to technology. (Mason & Dodds, 2005). The digital divide is much more prominent among minority students, particularly Black, Latino, Native Americans and the poor, versus Whites and Asians. “While two-thirds of white children have gone online, just 45% of black children and 37% of Hispanic youth have” as of 2005 (Mason & Dodds, 2005). Studies done by the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration have also called attention to how computer and Internet access is distributed unequally by race, income, and education. Over the years these gaps seem to be decreasing as a higher percentage of Americans purchase home computers or obtain access through other sources such as schools, libraries, internet cafes, a relative’s house, etc. (Warschauer, Knobel & Stone, 2004). However, computer access in schools and libraries is very limited, making it difficult for students to finish their assignments and have any real benefit from the technology that surrounds them.

Amongst those that do have equal access, there is still no guarantee that the technology will help them in the same manner. One study revealed that students of high socioeconomic status with home computers are much more likely to use them to complete school assignments and for simulations and research in science courses, while low socioeconomic students use computers more for math and English courses and remedial and vocational uses. Another study shows that having a home computer helps students of high socioeconomic status have greater academic improvement than students of low-socioeconomic status (Warschauer, Knobel & Stone, 2004).
In addition to providing access at home, there is also the issue of students having technology access at schools. While affluent districts may have more resources to invest in technology, the poorer districts do not. Many schools and districts do not have the money to renovate old school buildings to make the electricity and wiring compatible to handle today’s technological equipment. Not every teacher understands how to incorporate technology into their lesson plans or even how to use the technology available to them. Schools often do not have the money to hire technical specialists that can train staff and teach them how to incorporate the technology into their subject matter and make it relevant. Professional development is crucially needed to educate teachers and staff on how to use technology effectively to enhance their lessons. (Park, Singha & Chung, 2007).

In the article Beyond Access: An Analysis of the Influence of the E-Rate Program in Bridging the Digital Divide in American Schools, Park, Sinha and Chong speak of the E-Rate program which is a “U.S. federal funding program for providing discounts for telecommunications, Internet access and internal networking costs for schools and libraries to ensure access equity across poor and rich, rural, urban and suburban areas, and highly served and underserved areas since 1996.” E-Rate was enacted as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (Park, Sinha & Chong, 2007). Technically this program has narrowed the divide between rich and poor schools if we look at equity in regards to access. However, the program was not meant to bring educational equity or enhance education in anyway. It was simply meant to bring equal access to schools and libraries and it was left up to the schools to decide what to do with the access. Schools were still responsible for providing their own equipment such as computers, telephones and software and many poorer districts did not even know about the program because it was not widely publicized. Others could not get funding because the application process was too complicated. Poorer schools needed assistance in filling out application and the distribution of the money needed to be overseen by a neutral party who could make sure that the neediest schools would get the amount of money required as many times the money was not distributed evenly when disbursed by the school districts (Park, Sinha & Chong, 2007).

There are many factors that need to be resolved in regards to equity and the digital divide. There is no one solution that can solve it, as many issues need to be addressed. Rather than dealing with one single, gaping divide, the nation’s schools are struggling with a set of divides, cutting in different directions like the branches of a river. It is seen more and more that these inequalities are due to not just the lack of access to computers, but what is done with computers and how they are used to educate children (Warschauer, M., Knobel, M., & Stone, L., 2004). The internet has tremendous potential to achieve greater social equity and empowerment and improve everyday life for those on the margins of society, however, we must know how the internet is used by individuals and populations in everyday life and what needs they have that need to be addressed in order to tailor the technology to get them to the next level that will put them on an equal threshold as everyone else (Mehra, B., Merkel, C. & Bishop, A., 2004)


References

Mason, C., & Dodds, R. (2005, May). Bridge the Digital Divide for Educational Equity.
Education Digest, 70(9), 25-27. Retrieved June 5, 2008, from Academic Search
Complete database.

Mehra, B., Merkel, C. & Bishop, A. (2004, December). The Internet for empowerment of
minority and marginalized users. New Media & Society, 6(6), 781-802. Retrieved
June 5, 2006, doi:10:1177/146144804047513

Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary. (2008). Definition of Equity and Equitable.
Retrieved June 5th, 2008.

Park, E., Sinha, H., & Chong, J. (2007, January). Beyond Access: An Analysis of the
Influence of the E-Rate Program in Bridging the Digital Divide in American
Schools. Journal of Iniformation Technology Education, 6, 387-406. Retrieved
June 5, 2008, from Education Research Complete database.

Warschauer, M., Knobel, M., & Stone, L. (2004, September). Technology and Equity in
Schooling: Deconstructing the Digital Divide, Educational Policy, 18(4), 562-
588. Retrieved June 5, 2008, doi:10.1177/0895904804266469