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The Digital Divide, Unequal Learning Ground

Takesha Lewis
EDU 352 Foundations of Educational Technology
Kathleen Brady
December 19, 2016

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From my previous introduction, posts and discussions, it is very obvious that my passion
is educating the less fortunate, the low income and poverty stricken communities from which I
came. One major issue that I have in education is definitely, the digital divide concern. It is a
concern that is widely known throughout the entire educational system, and on a global scale,
yet, there is still very minimal being done to combat the concern. It was only now, moving to
Charlotte, NC that I feel as if my classrooms are on level grounds as the rest of society.
Digital divide is the gap between those who have access to digital technologies and those
who do not. Its the gap between those who use digital technologies and those who do not. The
digital divide in laments terms as it pertains to technology is quite simple, its simply the haves
and the have-nots. If we are living in a technological age, it should be expected that every
student, in every region, should have access to functional technologies specifically meant for
learning as it pertains to education and exploration of the world we live in, however, this is NOT
the case. This is a major concern because a large part of technology advances and progressions
are due to the internet and the World Wide Web. Not only do children and families not have
access in their homes, but children also do not have access in their schools. There are several
reasons for this but the 2 main reasons seem to be the availability and affordability.
Availability is an issue in many low income and poverty stricken areas is nonexistent
except in those facilities where by law such accessibility is a must such as higher institutions and
libraries. Affordability is an issue because the cost of internet service, as well as the cost of
purchasing a desktop, laptop, tablet or even smartphone, can be expensive. What are some
negatives of digital divide? According to the article, The Digital Divide and What To Do About
It, by Eszter Hargittai, because a vast amount of teaching, educating, and learning programs are

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done in the classroom online, the students whom are denied this tool, do hugely poorer in
academics.
Many federally funded programs as well as private sponsorship has been set ion place to
assist in making technology and technological devices accessible to all student, including those
less fortunate. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), or the Stimulus Package
of President Obama, was set in place among other things; to fund a movement that puts internet
service in low income areas, as well as gave facilities the flexibility to use the funds for school
modernization and repair including updating tools, devices, and resources to improve learning.