BYRuby Calhoun

Educational Technology

FEBRUARY, 2005

EDT 251

A. DefinitionsB. What Trends are

current?

C. AnalysisD. Resources

DefinitionsThe term “digital divide” is commonly used to describe an individual or community’s lack of access to computers, training and online resources. The digital divide refers to a gap between those individuals who have reasonable oppor-tunities to access technology tools and those that do not.*

* US Department of Commerce, 2000

“The digital divide is the disparity in access to technology that exists across certain demographic groups.”(A.L. Honore, 1995)

Demographic Groups

• Education• Income• Ethnicity• Gender• Geography• Disabilities

Digital divides can exist among those of differing income and economic levels, education, age and gender, race or ethnicity, location, single and dual-parent families, and disability. The key to understanding the digital divide is to look at it in broader terms - a digital divide exists anytime there is a gap in opportunities experienced by those with limited access to technology, especially the Internet.

The digital divide breaks among manyfault lines including, but not limited to:

The InternetThe Internet is becoming a basic and essential tool in our information-based society. Tech-nology provides increasing options for citizens to conduct daily activities online. More Americans are going online to conduct day-to-day activities for educational purposes, to conduct business transactions, personal correspondence, for research and information gathering, shopping, and license renewals.

“The Internet is the cheapest way to transfer any form of data, including voice, anywhere in the world.” - Africa Analysis   August 2003

As the nation and the world increasingly goes online, those that already have access to electronic resources are making rapid gains while leaving the unconnected behind.

Why does it matter?Being computer savvy and digitally connected is becoming more critical to our educational, economical, governmental, and societal advancement. Because a larger percentage of Americans regularly use the Internet to conduct daily activities, people who lack access, knowledge, and training on how to use those tools are at a growing disadvantage, and will event-ually be unable to function in an information-based society.

Therefore, raising the level of digital inclusion by increasing the number of Americans using the technology tools of the digital age is a vitally important national goal.

“The digital divide could be reduced and the economy of the state advanced and prospered by the design and implementation of programs that provide eco- nomic resources, training, and access to at-risk members of our society that are without these critical tools”. - Digital Divide Council, 2002

Why does it matter?

free flow of information and ideas has brought knowledge and its myriad applic-ations to many millions of people, creating new choices and opportunities in some of the most vital realms of human endeavor. Yet too many of the world's people remain untouched by this revolution. A digital divide threatens to exacerbate already-wide gaps between rich and poor, within and among countries. The stakes are high indeed. Timely access to news and information can promote trade, edu-cation, employment, health and wealth. One of the hallmarks of the information society – openness -- is a crucial ingredient of democracy and good governance. Information and knowledge are also at the heart of efforts to strengthen tolerance, mutual understanding and respect for diversity.

New York, 18 June 2003 - Secretary-General's message to "The Net World Order: Bridging the Global Digital Divide", Conference hosted by the Business Council for the UN [delivered by Amir Dossal, Executive Director, UN Fund for International Partnerships]

The swift emergence of a global “information society” is changing the way people live, learn, work and relate. An explosion in the

The Digital Divide is often described as part of a Global Divide between the world’s poor and wealthy.

Looking to the Future

“The best jobs in the future will go to those who are the best prepared. When it comes to high-tech jobs, which often pay higher wages, this country runs the risk of economically limiting many college students because they lack the appropriate technology education training. It is vitally important for all Americans that we close this opportunity gap. Access to the Internet is no longer a luxury, but a necessity." - US Senator George Allen (R-VA)

Senator Allen introduced a measure that addresses this problem. His proposal provides $250 million in grant funding to upgrade the technology infrastructure at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and minority serving institutions.

New and upcoming technological inventions are likely tolargely impact our society and the way we live.

Electronic Paper

Online Voting

• Television• Entertainment• Health Care• …

Other technologies, or fields?

Other people, or groups affected?• Disabled Americans• Those with English as a second language (ECS)• …

A. DefinitionsB. Update (current

trends)

C. AnalysisD. Resources

The united states has more computers than the rest of the world combined.

More Americans Online

In a recent government report, Falling Through the Net: Toward Digital Inclusion, the extent of digital inclusion was measured by studying households and individuals that have computers and Internet connections.

The share of individuals using the Internet rose from 32.7 percent in Dec. 1998 to 44.4 percent in August 2001. It is estimated that more than half of all Americans were using the Internet by the middle of 2002.

According to Pew Internet Project data, the growth of the online population itself has slowed from 2002 to the present.

The movement is very egalitarian. The rapid uptake of new technologies is occurring among most groups of Americans, regardless of income, education, race or ethnicity, location, age, or gender, suggesting that digital inclusion is a realizable goal for all. Groups that have traditionally been digital "have-nots" are now making dramatic gains.

In the last 10 years we have seen substantial improvements in the acquisition of technology within our nation’s schools.

Computers and Internet Access in Schools

With the passage of the 1994 Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Con-gress created technology programs to promote experimentation, research, and the proliferation of good ideas. According to recent Benton Foundation reports, the United States has spent $38 billion over the past 10 years to bring technology and Internet connectivity to the nation’s schools.

Quality of hardware and connections What students do with technology What their teachers know and can do

Despite seemingly impressive numbers reflecting growth in student—computer rations and schools with Internet access, making a significant difference isn’t easy. A key question we must ask ourselves is this:Did we achieve digital equity as we implemented these programs?

Today there remain other areas of concern:

Minorities without home accessAccording to reports released by the US Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences in October 2003, minority and poor students lack computer access outside of regular school hours.

While the reports acknowledge improvements in providing computer and Internet access in public schools, it states that a digital divide still exists, especially with access within the home.

"These reports are good news and show how much progress has been made in connecting nearly every school in the nation to the Internet," says Rod Paige, U.S. Secretary of Education. "But there are still big differences in home computer use that need to be addressed before we can declare the digital divide closed."

The first report, Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-2002, is an annual department survey conducted to report on the availability and use of technology in schools. The second report, Computer and Internet Use by Children and Adolescents in 2001, shows that computer and Internet access has become an important component of schoolwork, but that a digital divide still exists, especially with access within the home.

Income Divide PersistsAlthough Americans at every income level are connecting at higher rates from their homes, particularly at the middle income levels, an income divide exists.

Percent of U.S. Households with a Computerby Income/Race/Origin

National Telecommunications and Information Administration Chart (1998)

Computers, though not really expensive, are not cheap either, and it is difficult for low-income families to purchase them.

From the Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Publishing Company, 2003.

Large gaps remain regarding Internet penetration rates among house-holds of different races and ethnic origins.

In 2001, the U.S. Department of Commerce found that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have maintained the highest level of home Internet access -- 56.8 percent. White households access levels follow with 46.1%.

Racial Divide Continues Online

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30

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60

AAPI White Black Hispanic

Blacks and Hispanics, at the other end of the spectrum, continue to experience the lowest household Internet penetration rates, at 23.5 percent and 23.6 percent, respectively.

Percent of U.S. Households with Internet access

US. Department of Commerce (2001)

Large gaps for Blacks and Hispanics remain when measured against the national average Internet penetration rate. Differences in income and education do not fully account for this facet of the digital divide.

Debate over Racial Divide

According to a recent study by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund and the Benton Foundation:

"While some of the data clearly show that there are increasing numbers of Americans connected to the Internet and computers, the same data also shows how a specific segment of society- particularly underserved communities- continue to significantly lag behind and that the Digital Divide remains a persistent problem.”

During last spring’s Democratic presidential race, Reverend Al Sharpton, wrote a letter to fellow presidential hopeful Howard Dean, urging the Vermont Democrat to reject a proposal being offered to the Democratic National Committee that calls for an internet-optional primary in Michigan on the grounds that it would "effectively disadvantage large numbers of minorities.“ Sharpton declared that “The simple fact is that the Digital Divide is a racial divide. Communities of color in Michigan and across the nation do not have the resources to own home computers to connect to the internet.”

Urban vs. Rural AreasAccording to survey data collected between March and August 2003, suburban and urban residents remain more likely to use the Internet than do rural residents.

Additionally, there is a large gap between rural African-Americans and rural whites. While 54% of rural whites go online, 31% of rural African-Americans do so. This disparity can probably be traced to income and education. Over 70% of rural African-Americans live in households with incomes under $30,000 a year, compared to 44% of rural whites.

More Women OnlineBefore delving into the current debate on the digital divide, it is important to exam-ine all the groups that are negatively effected by the divide. This is particularly important considering that the current debate focuses heavily on certain groups while almost completely ignoring others. Women have largely been ignored in the digital divide discussion.

In recent years, however, the disparity in Internet usage between men and women has decreased significantly. In December 1998, 34.2 percent of men and 31.4 percent of women used the Internet. By August 2000, 44.6 percent of men and a statistically indistinguishable 44.2 percent of women were Internet users. In early 2003 it was reported that women users had exceeded men. (The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Publishing Company, Inc).

Newsbytes reports that while women make up 51 percent of home Internet users in the US, more men use the Web in the workplace.

HispanicsHispanics are another group that has had little attention paid to them in the digital divide discussion. Hispanic usage of the Internet is significantly lower than the averages of the overall population and other minority groups. However, Hispanics are buying computers at a rate that "far outstrips that of the general population“ (Children’s Partnership Study, Halfner 6).

English-speaking Hispanic users report high levels of instant messaging and downloading music compared to African-Americans and whites.

Online ContentAnother aspect of the digital divide that is outside of the general debate concerns content. There are few statistics available to describe the amount of content on the Internet that is actually directed at or relevant to underrepresented minority groups.

The children’s partnership released a study in March that draws attention to "severe gaps" in internet content geared toward the needs of lower income and immigrant populations (Hafner G.5).

The emphasis on e-commerce, online investing and other highly profitable ventures on the Internet is largely irrelevant to the daily lives of low-income households.

Disabled Americans have complained that producers of Internet content have left them out of the loop of online experiences as well. The federal government, as of yet, has not enforced any guidelines for handicapped access to the Internet.

Content: What do people use the Internet for?Different people use the Internet in different ways. Within the online population, specific demographic groups have comparatively high incidence levels for certain online activities.

High proportions of female Internet users have done activities such as seeking health or religious information on the Internet, while a large percentage of male users have sought news, financial information, sports news, and political news.

Among minority Internet users, a large portion of African-Americans have done research for school and sought religious and spiritual information.

English-speaking Hispanic users report high levels of instant messaging and downloading music compared to African-Americans and whites.

Those from high-income households and who have college degrees are more likely than those with more modest incomes and education to do a host of things online, including looking for government information, doing online banking, and participating in online auctions.

For more statistics, go to

WIRELESS COMPUTERS EXPAND WORLD OF CLASSROOMS

Centenary College in Hackettstown, New Jersey, began last fall to establish virtual classrooms by providing all full-time undergraduate students with laptops connected to a campus-wide wireless network. Learning is no longer confined to the classroom, said Carl Wallnau, associate professor of theater arts and communication.. The purpose of the wireless initiative is to help bridge the "digital divide" by creating a learning community that is connected anytime and anywhere, says Kenneth L. Hoyt, college president. "Closing the digital divide is especially important for Centenary College because of the unusually diverse nature of our 2,000-plus students who exemplify the essence of the 'new American college,'" Hoyt says. "They are the first in their families to attend college and most receive some form of financial assistance and work to offset the cost of their investments in their educations."

Online AccessWith the advent of Online education, more students can go to school from home. Or can they? How will the digital divide impact Online education?

Summary of FindingsOverall, government findings show that there has been tremendous increase in a relatively few years, and the trend continues upward bound. It is, therefore, no surprise that computer ownership and Internet access rates continue to rise rapidly nationwide and for almost all population groups.

Nonetheless, there are still segments of America, such as Blacks and His-panics, that are not properly connected.

“Until everyone in America has comfortable access to these new technology tools, the nation must continue to support steps to expand access to these information resources, that are revolutionizing the world.” - Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Publishing Co, Inc.

It is evident that the issue of digital equality is being pushed from the public to the private sector. Policies that promote digital equity at the federal, state, and local levels-and even among corporations and organizations- are critical to the equitable and effective use of technologies for learning.

A. DefinitionsB. Update (current

trends)

C. AnalysisD. Resources

In order to address the problem it behooves us to first ask the question: Why do these disparities exist?

While the position of this workshop is from an African American perspective, it is important to ask the question of all populations who are affected by the digital divide: Why do these gaps exist?

Why is there a gap?

According to a report released Nov. 2003 by the Consumer Advisory Board of Advanced Micro Devices, “There are social reasons for these divides. Bridging the digital divide requires more than simply offering computers and Internet access. Technological fixes won't close the divide.”

The Abacus is the earliest known computing device. It is believed to have originated in Babylonia, 3000 BC.

Subsequent versions of the Abacus appeared in Ancient Egypt 500 BC, China 200 AD, and later in Japan, Rome, and Greece.

Ada Lovelace, born in 1815 was one of the world’s first computer programmers.

Once we have identified some of the causes, solutions can be recom-mended and implemented.

Narrowing the Gap

• Societal level• Community level• Within our educational institutions• Within our homes

As mentioned earlier, Senator George Allen introduced a measure that provides $250 million in grant funding to upgrade the technology infrastructure at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and minority serving institutions. This measure was passed in the Senate by a vote of 97 to 0 on March 13, 2003. However, the National Science Foundation opposed the bill, claiming there is not enough money available. NBCC President Harry C Alford, urges all citizens to register your support for this measure by calling the White House at (202) 456-1111.

Forbes-Towns Bill HR2801

• Students – “business intelligence”, self-discipline

• Parents – Encourage, support, role models

• Educators – Receive technology training, inform students

• Counselors – Guide, monitor progress

• Administrators – Needs Analysis, provide access

• Community leaders – Ensure access to citizens, share resources

What can we do?

A. DefinitionsB. Update (current

trends)

C. AnalysisD. Resources

http://www.digitaldividenetwork.orgThe Digital Divide NetworkThe Digital Divide Network is the Internet's largest community for educators, activists, policy makers and concerned citizens working to bridge the digital divide. At DDN, you can build your own online community, publish a blog, share documents and discussions with colleagues, and post news, events and articles.

www.pbs.org/digitaldivide PBS Digital Television (Digital Divide)The Public Broadcasting System (PBS) recognises that computers and technology are the forces that are driving our country. It features “DIGITAL DIVIDE” to point to the role computers play in increasing the social gaps between the “haves and have-nots” throughout our society, particularly among young people.

http://www.digitaldividenetwork.orgAll Africa.com

The Digital Divide Network is the Internet's largest community for educators, activists, policy makers and concerned citizens working to bridge the digital divide. At DDN, you can build your own online community, publish a blog, share documents and discussions with colleagues, and post news, events and articles.

http://www.digitaldividecouncil.com/Digital Divide CouncilThis Web site acknowledges the digital divide experienced in this country could be reduced by the design and implementation of programs that provide economic resources, training, and access to at-risk members of society that are without these resources. The absence of reasonable training opportunities, and access among some sectors of society needed to function, compete, and succeed in an information-based society provides a digital divide among those with the adequate resources and those without.