Educational Consulting

Memo
To:

School Board School District #8

From: CC: Date: Re:

Tracy Lloyd, Consultant

2/13/2012 Digital Equity Recommendations

When planning or implementing changes in educational technology, it is important to begin with a discussion of a phenomenon called the digital divide.

What is the Digital Divide?

In 2009, technology is everywhere. It touches almost every aspect of our lives and has an impact on virtually every occupation. By 2010, it is estimated that about 25% of all new jobs will be technologically-oriented (American Association of University Women Educational Foundation Commission on Technology, Gender and Teacher Education 2000 as cited in Cooper, pg. 320). This reliance on technology in modern society underscores the critical importance of educating people about technology and how to use it. However, there is a divide that separates the technology haves and have nots (Mark Glaser, January 17, 2007). As Glaser states, on one side of the divide are people with access to computers, high speed broadband connections and available services such as online banking and social networks. On the other side of the divide are those people who cant afford a computer, dont have access to a broadband connection (due to location or cost), have barriers to learning, or have other cultural or social limitations. According to Glaser, there are many digital divides: Rural and urban; poor and rich, African-American and white; old and young; disabled and able; developing nation and developed nation (Mark Glaser, January 17, 2007).

The Gender Digital Divide

Another digital divide not mentioned by Glaser is one that affects 50% of the population. This is the gender digital divide. As J. Cooper states in The Digital Divide: the special case of gender, there is a
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pernicious and often overlooked wedge that divides modern society. Every day we risk losing the talents of women as contributors to science, technology, and the arts because the advantages that technology provides are being conveyed disproportionately to men in modern society. Women are being disadvantaged in the process. There are several reasons for the gender digital divide which, as Cooper points out, have to do with developmental differences between boys and girls, the social context in which computer learning takes place, attribution patterns for success and failure, and a lack of female role models in technology. Details of the research findings and a link to Coopers article can be found at http://sites.google.com/site/bridgingthedigitaldivide2009/gender-issues. Suffice it to say, presenting technology in such a way that girls find appealing and non-threatening is critical to bridging the gender digital divide. These findings can be extrapolated to include any child that might be identified as belonging to a particular group or stereotype. Care must always be taken to ensure that negative stereotypes dont become self-fulfilling prophecies for students as they interact with technology. Finding and presenting multicultural and gender neutral technology content that is meaningful and relevant to students and teachers is critical (ISTE, Digital Toolkit, pg. 10).

Assistive Technology
Although a majority of schools have acquired computers and internet access for the general student population, students with disabilities often do not receive the assistive technologies they require in order to keep pace with their classmates. In addition, teachers often dont receive the training they need in order to teach these advanced technologies to disabled students (Jackson, 2003). Assistive technologies can include but are not limited to: Speech recognition software, text-tospeech (TTS) software, speech synthesis software, chorded keyboards, foot mouse, and screen readers to name but a few. The list is long and the technology is expensive; however, it is imperative for school districts that truly want to bridge the digital divide to take strides towards helping disabled students succeed through the use of assistive technologies. If a disabled/special needs person could be enabled through specialized equipment to perform a socially valuable and personally lucrative job, then the cost of special education training could theoretically be offset by the benefits given back to society and the individual through a lifetime of quality, purposeful contributions (s) (Jackson, pg. 23).

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Teacher Training & Resources

Teacher training is the critical overriding element to successfully bridging the digital divide for all students. It is important for teachers to be involved in professional development since it empowers them to bridge the divide that still exists. (ISTE, Digital Toolbox, pg 10). Teacher training should include a discussion about the digital divide, especially as it relates to girls and people with disabilities. Programs are available to train teachers on how to work with the assistive technologies required for students with disabilities as well as programs on how to introduce technology into the classroom for the general student population. There are also many free and inexpensive resources for teacher to use when implementing technology into their regular lesson plans. Resources range from educational software programs to online worksheets and lesson plans.

Recommendations
The Gender Divide In order for girls to feel comfortable with computers in the classroom, the following recommendations are made based on the research by Cooper: 1. Introduce the technology in same-sex dyads or individually. Girls are less likely to feel anxious if boys are not present and they will perform better. 2. Reinforce with girls that their success with technology is due to skill and not luck or hard work. 3. Use software programs that are at the very least gender-neutral. Select programs that appeal to girls (i.e. colourful arrays) and that teache them something new as opposed to using boy-toys that are competitive in nature. The following link has a list of girl-focused software that has been rated based on educational value, kid appeal and parent appeal. http://www.superkids.com/aweb/pages/search/subject.cgi?terms=Girls It is worth noting that software appealing to girls is not easily accessible as most software is still written with boys in mind. Hopefully this reality will change as more attention is paid to gender issues in technology.

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4. Frequently provide opportunities for girls to observe female role models using technology. The following is a link to a website that features a different successful woman
in technology each week: http://www.girlgeeks.org/innergeek/gkwk/menu_2003.shtml

Assistive Technology
In order to truly bridge the digital divide, it is necessary for school districts to provide assistive technology for those students who require it. These devices and software can be expensive; however, there are government grants available to help school districts offset the financial burden. Bridge Multimedia (see URL below) has links to the U.S. Department of Education Technology Grant Programs and the E-Grants portal page where districts can apply for this grant. This site also has numerous other resources related to universally accepted media. http://www.bridgemultimedia.com/edtechgrants/assisttechinfo.php

Teacher Training & Resources Teachers are the true bridge across the divide between students and technology. In order to encourage and motivate their students to embrace technology in the classroom, teachers need to feel relaxed and comfortable using technological tools. There are hundreds of resources online of varying quality and price. However, one recommended website is 4 Teachers. This is an extensive site that has links to teacher tools, educational games, teacher videos, and professional development. http://4teachers.org/ Another teacher resource is the Intel Teach Program. This site helps K-12 teachers integrate
technology into lessons through teacher training programs. It also offers links to teacher tools and resources.

http://www.intel.com/education/teach/index.htm?iid=ed_nav+teach

Conclusion
Your district has begun the challenge of narrowing the divide between rich and poor by purchasing computers and bringing broadband connectivity to your schools. This, however, is only the 1st step towards erasing the divide that exists between the technology haves and have nots. By focusing on gender-neutral or female-oriented software and providing examples of successful women in technology, girls will start to see themselves as talented computer users. They will begin to seek out opportunities to use technology and may one day become the role models for a younger generation of girls.

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Providing students with disabilities access to assistive technologies will allow them to play an active role in the classroom. They will be able to participate fully in collaborative learning and problemsolving with their peers, thereby experiencing what it is like to be a necessary, integral member of a team. Of course, the critical bridge across every digital divide in the classroom is the teacher. By providing teachers access to professional development training and technology resources, they will feel comfortable embracing the new technology and sharing their passion for technology with their students. They will be planting the seeds of lifelong learning which is the key to succeeding with technology. Please refer to my site at http://sites.google.com/site/bridgingthedigitaldivide2009/Home for more information and resources about the digital divide.

References
Cooper, J., The Digital Divide: the special case of gender, 2006 The Author, Journal compilation copyright 2006, Blackwell Publishing, http://docs.google.com/fileview?id=F.5fbf7647-2426-4c61ad26-7118986c351b&hl=en&pli=1.

Glaeser, Mark, Your Guide to the Digital Divide, Media Shift: Your Guide to the Digital Media Revolution, Retrieved February 2009, http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2007/01/your-guide-tothe-digital-divide017.html. Digital Equity Toolkit, Integrative Society for Technology in Education, Retrieved February 2009, http://iste.org Jackson, Valery L., Technology and Special Education: Bridging the Most Recent Divide, Doctoral Candidate in Educational Leadership, Retrieved from ERIC, http://eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/1b/4f/f0.p df, 2003-00-00,

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