Despite its long standing status as a
buzzword and one of the primary arguments against the incorporation of
technology in education, it may finally be time to re-evaluate the
applicableness of the “Digital Divide” within the context of modern society. This
term, describing the gap between those who have regular access to technology
and the internet and those who do not, has long been a source of contention
between educators advocating for and against Internet use to promote mobile
learning – the idea being that not all students have access to mobile devices
due to lower socio-economic status and/or the lack of infrastructure to support
these devices.
The question inherently becomes: How much
of the “Digital Divide” is based on antiquated assumptions and how much is
based in actual fact? Is the severity of this issue in fact less then what we
perceive it to be? Lloyd Morrisett, the man responsible for coining the term,
writes: “[the] perceived gaps are closing among various ethnic, racial and
geographical groups in access to the Internet” in his forward for The Digital Divide: Facing a Crisis Or
Creating a Myth? He goes on to list the “two factors [that] account for the
rapid diffusion of Internet technology: steadily decreasing costs of use, and
steadily increasing ease of use.” In addition to Morrisett’s argument, our very
own BC ED Plan states that “B.C. leads the country on internet connectivity –
85% of British Columbians use the internet on a regular basis” (7).
As
internet access and mobile devices become cheaper and more pervasive, we are
likely to see widespread integration of technology in almost all aspects of
daily life. What was once unattainable for some is now becoming accessible to
all. Ben Compaine, in the preface to the book mentioned above, reflects on the past
evolution of technology: “when it came to gaps related to technology, they
tended to be relatively transient. Television sets went from zero to
universality in about a decade. VCRs likewise, as their prices went from thousands
of dollars to a few hundred.”
Programs such as BYOD (Bring Your Own
Device) have long been criticized for their exclusion of students without the means
of purchasing these products. However, some schools in the U.S. have been effectively
implementing new BYOD (Buy Your Own
Device) programs with great success. Schools purchase large quantities of devices,
receiving both large order and educational discounts which are then passed on
to students. Students pay a low monthly fee in order to use the devices which
they will then own by the end of the school year.
It is becoming increasingly evident that
internet and mobile device use will play a substantial role in our immediate
future. Furthermore, as the Digital Divide is rapidly shrinking, the arguments
against mobile learning and the integration of technology in education are beginning
to lose steam. It is for this reason that perhaps as responsible educators we
should be looking at what our students need
and how to accomplish that, rather than focusing our energy on road blocks that
may or may not stand in their way.
The Digital Divide: Facing a Crisis Or Creating a Myth?
No comments:
Post a Comment