Running Head: Ed Tech Issue Digital Divide

Ed Tech Issue: Digital Divide

Homer Reynolds
EDU 352 Foundation of Educational Technology
Instructor: Judy Donovan
Tuesday November 18, 2014

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Ed Tech Issue - Digital Divide

Digital divide is an issue as we understand it as some peoples having more access than others
on information technology. But questions remain open about the methods of applying or teaching
this technology rather than just the mere access. Access itself is not the solution to attempt to
justify and put an equal balance on technological advances which play a huge role in many
economic and political differences in societies. Unbalanced technological distribution needs to
be looked at in an educational perspective so it may help us find reasonable uses when
confronting the Informational Technology.
Digital divide is an issue that may be caused by a misinterpretation of technological factors
(Merritt H., 2011). (IT) Informational technologies helps develop economic growth in societies,
and technologies such as the internet help and enhance educational advancements (Merritt
H.,2011). In recent years there has been so much written about the issue of information
technologies because it is a rapidly growing concern and quite pricey too. Scholars have labeled
this unevenness between the information haves and have-nots (see, Hoffman and Novak,
1998; Compaine, 2001; Rogers, 2001; Servon, 2002 In Merritt, 2011), hence Digital Divide.
Information technologies such as the internet have issues relating to divisions, some are
relating to 1) The necessity of having a physical network to support the internets operation,
where many developing nations are limited or do not have 2) Issue of capability, the diffusion of
the (IT) is improved when citizens have better education and computing skills and 3) Issue of
technical change, where the innovation process demands from uses a continuous and permanent
upgrading attitude (Merritt, 2011). In other words, 1- Having proper installations and providers,

Running Head: Divide

2- Citizens who know how to use the internet & 3- People who know how to change old systems
into current up-to-date and modernized technical systems.
In education, the issue of Digital Divide is of high concern especially for social groups such
as women, ethnic and racial minorities and people who live in distant rural or disadvantaged
areas or who have to combine their studies with full-time or part-time employment (Enoch Y.
and Soker Z., 2006). Enoch mentions in his article about digital divide no longer being the
outcome of levels of computer ownership or internet access in western societies, but more
directly on the individuals ability to use educational technology (p.101). True, computer
literacy does prove its importance. Other students in Enochs article mention that because of
Digital Divide, advanced methods delivered for potential students who need to acquire higher
education more than others is creating more barriers (Enoch, p.100).
I believe Digital Divide will perhaps continue to grow as population grows, but we should
consider the students point of views about the division caused by the teaching methods to teach
technology. We should try to diminish divisions and apply improved technological classes that
will engage the students with more interests. I do not believe any student be ridiculed if he/she
does not have computer skills to begin with. Digital Inclusion can take the place of Digital
Division.

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References

Enoch, Y., and Zeev, S (2006). Age, gender, ethnicity and the digital divide: university
students use of web-based instruction, Open Learning, vol.21(2), p99-110.

Hoffmann, D.L., and T.P., Novak (1998). Bridging the Racial Divide on the Internet, Science,
vol.280 (5362), pp390-391.

Merritt, H., (2011). Information technologies and the evolution of the digital divide in Mexico:
a public approach. Analisis Economico, vol.26 (62), p119-137.