Activity+Seven

Discuss the issues surrounding the digital divide in relation to online learning. Support your ideas with evidence and give examples.

There seems to be three factors promoting the digital divide and/or the self-consciousness of it. Self-consciousness in the fact that poster children of the digital divide are usual referred to as the poor and minorities. While statistically that may be true in fact of having actual access, it does not mean that the poor and minorities are digitally deficient or unable. Too much focus on a class of people can have unintended consequences – stereotyping an entire demographic sector (Maeroff, 2003). The second factor is that of whether broadband access is an actual need or still a want. Educators will contend that it is a need since the drive to use technology is strong. The question is who will pay for the development of it? New technologies have been driven by markets that can pay to make the investment worthwhile. As usage increases costs go down. If there is no free market, the drive or incentive is taken away for increased development. The third factor which may actually be more relevant is if lack of broadband access is restricting those without access from participating in our democratic society. If the inability to shop online; view videos online; and play online games is participating in our democratic society, then I would disagree. Smith and Severson (2011) claim that not having a good broadband access leaves one out of “things that are core to who we are as a country.” They go on to say, “This is about whether rural communities are going to participate in our democratic society. In their claim that affordable rural broadband would change the way rural America lives, they list the changes in this order: pay bills online; shop online, run businesses from their homes online; and take college classes online (Smith & Severson, 2011). You do the math, three out of four for business and one out of the four for education. Hmmmmmmm!

Maeroff, G. (2003). A classroom of one: How online learning is changing our schools and colleges Palgrave Macmillan

SMITH, P., & Severson, K. (2011). The Digital Divide. New York Times Upfront, 143(14), 6-7. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.