The photo “Digital divide” (Laneterralever, 2015)
Digital divide exists between those in cities and those in rural areas, between the educated and the uneducated, and also between socioeconomic groups. Even among populations with limited access to technology, the digital divide is apparent in the form of low-speed cheap connection such as dial-up internet and restricted access to membership based content (WhatIs, 2014).
Schools have an important role in improving students’ skills in computer literacy which narrows the gap in the digital divide. Surprisingly, Australia has fallen from 9th to 18th place in the 2014 Global Information Technology Report (International Business Times, 2014). In addition, a recent study by Swinburne University revealed that only 10% of the remote indigenous communities own a computer and only 10% of those were connected to the internet at home (The Conversation, 2014). We must remember that children are our future. Here is an example of what I’m talking about in the video https://youtu.be/x1YLPL0KOWE (Martz & Liggett, 2012).
The photo “School role in closing the digital gap” (The conversation, 2014)
I commend Telstra’s efforts in trying to narrow the digital divide with three community projects. Firstly, access to everyone program trained around 62,000 individuals on how to use the internet. It focused on low-income families and families living in rural areas. Secondly, getting high school students teaching older Australians on how to use smartphones and tablets through workshops is a great idea. Finally, the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in collaboration with Telstra has established Indigenous Digital X which is used to strengthen indigenous participation in the digital economy (The Conversation, 2014).
The photo “Daughter and father” (Pinterest, n.d.)
As a future teacher, I would like to bridge the gap for disadvantaged students. I plan to this by having afterschool classes for those students who don’t have an access to digital equipment. Hence, I will assist students to become creative and equal digital learners (Howell, 2012, p.136). In addition, schools can have a great impact on bridging the digital gap as well. Watch this video https://youtu.be/XIPehUdoTZY (Project apple seed, 2014).
Addressing digital education issues is essential to building a more socially comprehensive society where nobody gets left behind in the digital age (Infoxchange, n.d.).
ACCAN. (2010, July 1). The digital divide [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doVVEcidowU
Howell, J. (2012). Teaching with ICT: Digital pedagogies for collaboration and creativity. South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford.
Infoxchange. (n.d.). Addressing the digital divide. Retrieved from https://www.infoxchange.net.au/news/addressing-digital-divide
International Business Times. (2014, April 24). Australia ‘weak’ in bridging digital divide. Retrieved from http://au.ibtimes.com/australia-weak-bridging-digital-divide-1338696
Laneterralever. (2015, March 16). Digital divide [Photograph]. Retrieved from http://www.laneterralever.com/digital-divide-fact-or-fiction/
Martz, K., & Liggett, E. (2012, February 23). The digital divide in education [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/x1YLPL0KOWE
Pinterest. (n.d.). Daughter and father [Comic]. Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/258534834829319590/
Project apple seed. (2014, August 27). Close the achievement gap & digital divide [Video file]. Retrieved from
The Conversation. (2014, October 6). The digital divide is narrowing but more needs to be done. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/the-digital-divide-is-narrowing-but-more-needs-to-be-done-25994
The conversation. (2014, October 6). School role in closing the digital gap [Image]. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/the-digital-divide-is-narrowing-but-more-needs-to-be-done-25994
WhatIs. (2014, June). What is digital divide? Retrieved from http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/digital-divide