Tackling the Digital Divide & Literacy by Izabel Gronski
The “digital divide� has become a hot topic term, often thrown around in the media and in everyday interactions without full comprehension of its meaning. This article will address the digital divide, including its challenges and implications, as well as the opportunities available for librarians. What is the digital divide? In an educational setting, the digital divide is primarily the economic or social disparity in access to information communication technology (ICT) at home or school. More recently, discussion of the digital divide has shifted to focus on the quality of access and the development of students’ ICT skills. Photo by Wikipedia/CC BY Despite the fact that nearly 100% of schools provide Internet access to students, researchers have found huge differences in the type of productivity software and media used by students in high income versus low income schools. This is increasingly relevant because researchers suggest that ICT skills are linked to academic performance and personal empowerment (Ritzhaupt, 2013). This shift in focus demonstrates the importance of addressing the issue beyond the physical machines and Internet service in school buildings. Who does it affect? The digital divide poses major challenges for teachers, parents, and students, however there are many opportunities, particularly for teachers willing to think
creatively and experiment with technology. School librarians are also uniquely poised to address and lessen the digital divide within the school building. The archive of articles on the digital divide in School Library Journal is filled with stories of innovative librarians and teachers confronting the disparity of access and skills in unique, but imitable ways.
Device (BYOD) programs are exceptionally primed as vehicles for teaching digital citizenship. Advocates of the use of mobile devices and other technology in the classroom consider this use to increase students’ personal empowerment and engagement with literacy across content areas (Smith, 2014).
Find more at: http://www.slj.com/category/techn ology/digital-divide/#_ The most obvious challenge of the digital divide is providing access to devices, especially in low-income and rural areas. However, receiving a device from a school will not be helpful to students who do not have Internet service at home. More recently, access to Internet service has become the truly divisive factor in this issue, especially as schools are able to provide affordable devices like Chromebooks for their students. Although there is little schools can do to change this, a creative thinker may attempt to partner with local businesses and organizations, like the public library, to provide some avenue of Internet access outside of schools. Some schools are taking advantage of the fairly widespread use of mobile devices among their students as an alternative tool to develop ICT skills and implement technology within the classroom (McCollum, 2011). Bring Your Own
Internet Access
85% of Americans use the Internet
70% of Americans have Broadband connection at home
Smartphones 56% of American adults use smartphones
Check it out!
The Promise of 1:1 by Mark Ray Low Tech, High Gains by Karyn M. Peterson Flipping the Classroom by Karen Springen
THE STATISTICS
Photo by Speed of Creativity/CC BY The second level of the digital divide is digital information literacy. This includes the lack of skills among students with which to effectively navigate the digital world and the inability to use information to accomplish given tasks. Digital information literacy is not addressed in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), however many of these skills are included in the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) Standards for the 21st-Century Learner. This places school librarians in a prime position to reassert their relevance at a time that librarians are more frequently viewed as a luxury, rather than a necessity, by shouldering the responsibility of teaching digital information literacy skills to students (Vevea, 2014). Why does it matter? Technology can have a significant positive impact on literacy across multiple content areas. Ruth Smith, a middle school teacher in Australia, undertook a two-year study implementing technology in her classroom using a project-based approach and a tool-based approach.
35% of American adults use feature phones 9% of American adults do not have a cell phone
Broadband vs Smartphones 80% of Americans have home broadband or a smartphone o 79% for African Americans o 75% for Hispanic Americans
The percentage change from adding smartphones is higher among minority groups, narrowing the gap o +6 for White, non-Hispanic o +15 for African Americans o +22 for Hispanic Americans Smartphone users tend to be somewhat less educated and poorer o +15 for no high school o +13 for high school grad
Why not?
21% of non-users are just not interested in using the Internet o Usability is a greater barrier than access issues (Source: Pew Research, 2013)
Photo by K. Swanson/CC BY
Smith found that her students were inspired to be creative and they were excited about the role-reversal of teacher and student with some of the technology with which she was unfamiliar. Smith also emphasized the importance of purposeful selection of technology tools in all areas of learning and teaching (2014). Inquiry learning,
like the project-based approach used by Smith, is easily facilitated by technology. A considerable number of mobile applications and web 2.0 tools with educational merits already exist, however the creation of such tools can also be incorporated into curriculum or lesson plans. Of course, the primary problem of using technology in the classroom is not the justification for its use, rather the availability and access. For example, some educators advocate for a flipped classroom, where lectures are videotaped for homework and class time is spent on programs and activities (Springen, 2013). While this is great in theory, some students do not have Internet and device access at home to accomplish these tasks. Teachers and librarians can counter this by having their classrooms and libraries available before and after school to provide students with time
Photo by Pixabay/CC BY
to work on these pieces. Nevertheless, there will still be many limitations. The school librarian has a very important part to play with the integration of technology into school curriculum. The media center or school library is typically the hub of technology access, especially in schools with financial limitations. As teachers are expected to use technology in their lessons, school librarians will have an opportunity to demonstrate their expertise and support their teachers in adapting to new expectations by providing professional development. As previously mentioned, the school librarian will also play a significant role in teaching digital information literacy skills to students.
Of course, the primary problem of using technology in the classroom is not the justification for its use, rather the availability and access.
Librarian in Action Gwen, a middle school librarian, has been thrown headfirst into the school’s new Google program. All students have Google emails and a Chromebook. This middle school is in a middle-class suburb of a large city. While many students are affluent enough to own their own devices, a sizeable number are still unable to do so. This is Gwen’s first year as a school librarian and she is overwhelmed with the tasks ahead of her. In addition to an overhaul of the library’s collections, Gwen must establish her place in the school. To tackle the digital divide in her school, Gwen is seeking out community partners that can provide Internet access and other resources outside of school hours. Her first stop is the public library, which has a dedicated middle school librarian, collection, and space. Tom is happy to work with Gwen on programs in the future and now that he is aware of the problem some students face regarding Internet access, he will be more vigilant during after-school hours and plans to meet with Gwen again in the future to brainstorm how they can
best serve their community’s middle school students. Back at the school, Gwen plans to give information to her teachers and students about the availability of the public library as an after school resource for Internet access. She will also begin to identify teachers with which she can work on projects integrating technology and digital resources. Gwen hopes to establish a creative environment in her library and encourage her students and teachers to work with technology as much as possible. Already, two sixth-grade teachers have asked Gwen to set up a series of lessons on digital citizenship and digital information literacy skills.
Gwen intends to try a combination of interactive lectures and hands-on activities to show students examples of reliable resources and appropriate Internet behavior, as well as workshops to develop the technical skills required to navigate the digital world.
administrators. Of course, I understand that I won’t be able to do much to break the digital divide for our students, but I will give it my best shot!” Gwen’s attitude and practical approach appear to be the start of an excellent library program.
In an interview, Gwen had much to say about her new position. “I am excited to make changes to the library program, but I am also worried about rocking the boat – I want to make sure I can implement a program that catches the attention of as many teachers as possible and really makes a difference in the students’ lives without upsetting too many
References McCollum, S. (2011). Getting past the 'digital divide'. The Education Digest, 77(2), 52-55. Retrieved from http://libezproxy.syr.edu/login?url =http://search.proquest.com/docv iew/896476039?accountid=14214 Pew Research Center. (2013). The State of the Digital Divides. Retrieved from http://www.pewinternet.org/2013 /11/05/the-state-of-digitaldivides-video-slides/ Ritzhaupt, A. D., Liu, F., Dawson, K., & Barron, A. E. (2013). Differences in student information and communication technology literacy based on socio-economic status, ethnicity, and gender: Evidence of a digital divide in Florida schools. Journal of
Research on Technology in Education, 45(4), 291-307. Retrieved from http://libezproxy.syr.edu/login?url= http://search.proquest.com/docvie w/1448424841?accountid=14214
Springen, K. (2013). Flipped: a revolutionary approach to learning presents pros and cons for educators. School Library Journal, 59(4), 23. Retrieved from http://libezproxy.syr.edu/login?url =http://search.proquest.com/docv iew/1321486146?accountid=1421 4
School Library Journal. Archives for Technology/Digital Divide. Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/category/techn Vevea, B. (2014). Librarians Are A ology/digital-divide/#_ Luxury Chicago Public Schools Can’t Afford. NPR. Retrieved from Smith, R. (2014). Crossing the digital http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/201 divide: A middle years teacher's 4/09/01/344905087/librariansreflective journey. Literacy are-a-luxury-chicago-publicLearning: The Middle Years, 22(1), schools-cant-afford 41-47. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.libezp roxy2.syr.edu/login.aspx?direct=tru e&db=ehh&AN=94355967&site=eh ost-live