Crossing the Bridge of the Digital Divide

The first three chapters of “Crossing the Bridge of the Digital Divide: A Walk with Global Leaders” focus on the social justice implications of the digital divide. The authors of these chapters argue that when examining the digital divide, it is important to look beyond technical and hardware issues and consider moral and ethical issues around technology.

In chapter one, “Digital Equity and its Role in the Digital Divide,” the authors Kitty Fortner, Anthony H. Normore, and Jeffrey S. Brooks, argue that to ensure that students benefit from technology, attention must be paid to moral and ethical issues. They posit that when moral authority overcomes bureaucratic leadership in a school, the outcomes can be extraordinary for students (Fortner, Normore, & Brooks, 2019, p. 12).

The second chapter, “An Examination of the Digital Divide and Its Dividing Factors in Formal Education Settings” by Albert D. Ritzhaupt and Tina H. Hohlfeld, discusses the history of the use of the term “digital divide” and identifies socio-economic status, education, gender, age, geography, race/ethnicity as the dividing factors (Ritzhaupt & Hohlfeld, 2019, p. 25-28). They call for research that examines how all of these factors interact to contribute to the digital divide and suggest that a way to narrow the divide is to focus on teachers and students becoming producers of information and communication technology (ICT), not simply consumers.

In the final chapter of the section, “Not All Young People Use the Internet: Exploring the Experiences of Ex-Use Amongst Young People in Britain,” by Rebecca Eynon and Anne Geniets, the authors highlight that not all youth are interested in or able to be digital consumers. This chapter explores the experiences of a small group of 22 young people who use digital resources infrequently for a number of reasons, including access, lack of skills, or lack of interest (Eynon & Gentiets, 2019).

The study by Eynon & Gentiets (2019) and the technology “cans and cannots” described by Fortner, Normore, & Brooks (2019, p. 9) relate to the students, teachers, parents, leaders, or other participants in the local community by highlighting that not all people have equal access to technology, and the reasons for this can be varied, such as lack of skills, lack of interest, or access to the technology.

The dividing factors, according to Ritzhaupt and Hohlfeld (2019), might be impacting community members in different ways. For example, socio-economic status might impact access to technology and the internet, with lower-income individuals having less access than those with higher incomes. Education might also impact access to technology, with individuals with higher levels of education having better access to technology and being more proficient in its use. Similarly, geography might impact access to technology, with individuals living in urban areas having better access than those living in rural areas. Those with less access to technology at home may not have the same opportunities to develop technology skills as their more affluent peers. Teachers, parents, and leaders in such a community might need to take this into account when working to bridge the digital divide and ensure that all students have equal access to technology and the internet.

References:

Fortner, K., Normore, A. H., & Brooks, J. S. (2019). Digital equity and its role in the digital divide. In A. H. Normore & A. I. Lahera (Eds.), Crossing the bridge of the digital divide: A walk with global leaders (pp. 1-12). Information Age Publishing.

Eynon, R., & Geniets, A. (2019). Not all young people use the internet: Exploring the experiences of ex-use amongst young people in Britain. In A. H. Normore & A. I. Lahera (Eds.), Crossing the bridge of the digital divide: A walk with global leaders (pp. 29-40). Information Age Publishing.

Ritzhaupt, A. D., & Hohlfeld, T. H. (2019). An examination of the digital divide and its dividing factors in formal education settings. In A. H. Normore & A. I. Lahera (Eds.), Crossing the bridge of the digital divide: A walk with global leaders (pp. 25-28). Information Age Publishing.