Inequality In The Digital Age Information accessibility has never been more prominent in our society than it has become today. A requirement of being knowledge-intensive in many areas of our society has become prevalent. This is made possible powerful resource and tool known as the Internet. However as accessible the information is, the medium and access to the Internet itself, is not attuned to the information it offers. Digital divide is the term used to describe who has access to digital technologies, as well as those who do not. The topic being discussed here goes further in depth to digital divide, as the term “digital inequality” attempts to research deeper as to how the digital divide affects our society. Digital inequality reaches various socioeconomic, cultural, and demographic aspects of society. A Digital Divide At Home And Abroad Digital devices provide a great advantage for students to those who have access to it. This makes learning and researching more efficient for students. These devices are not limited to only students but to teachers as well. For instance teachers can save and edit documents such as: homework, projects, attendance sheets, etc. As technology improves over time the easier it is for students to learn and get more out of online material. However, not all students are able to access them in school or their very homes. These factors may vary but are not limited to: income, location and education. Income plays a big role between digital
According to Mary H, digital divide is not only the gap between people who have access to technology and those who do not, it is also the inequality in the kind of access. Though most Americans access the technology, the difference in the quality of access remains. Yet the Constitution guarantees the equality of opportunity, the digital divide subsists in the USA because there is economic disparity among people. Therefore, some social class does not earn the advantages of technology and the gap between upper class and lower class will grow up.
The future of education is brighter than ever because technology continues to evolve and develop. Because of so many advancements, education is now available to more individuals throughout the world. Education can now be offered to not just a few privileged in the populated communities, but connects people of all statuses from all over the globe.There are several advancements in technology that have drastically changed education. Perhaps one of the factors that has influenced education the most might be the availability of devices. Inexpensive mobile phones now have more power and potential than desktops of just a few years ago (Solomon and Schrum, 2014). Not only do they have more power and potential, but they are also more convenient
The term “digital divide” was coined to define this growing gap between the people who do not have access to modern technology (more specifically the poor, rural, elderly, and handicapped) and the people who do (wealthy, middle class, and those living in urban/suburban areas). In urban areas especially, a common assumption made is that everyone has access to this modern technology. People see technology all around them and assume it is integrated into everyone’s life. Because of the simplicity technology offers, it has become the engine behind economics, politics, and communication. In rural areas, most people know the potential of modern technology, but don’t have the resources to achieve it. “It has been observed that households earning incomes over $75,000 are 20 times more likely to have home internet access than those at lowest income levels and 10 times more likely to have a
Technology has many attributes and applications that improve livelihoods. As a student myself, one of the most obvious advancements is in the field of education. Educational technology has slowly been integrated into classrooms over the last decade. Today, the basis of technology, digital literacy, is a crucial skill for academics. “Students who are digitally literate know how to effectively use technology to collaborate, create original content, and conduct in-depth research for academic purposes” (Dotterer, “Fostering Digital Citizenship In The Classroom”). Some worry that the use of technology will encourage people to “cease to exercise their memory and become forgetful” (qtd. In Carr, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”).
Since the launch of the Internet as a global communication network and the boom in communication technologies, our world has been overwhelmed by a new phenomenon – digital divide. It has gradually turned into a major, constantly growing world issue, threatening to further increase the gap between advanced and developing countries. Yet, is digital divide really an unprecedented occurrence or a natural and unavoidable trend? “Divide” is certainly a word whose meaning could be traced back to the mere dawn of human history. It goes even deeper – to human nature itself: to sex and racial differentiation, to unequal physical and mental powers, to different
Learning methods have also been transformed by technology. Before technology was incorporated in schools, essay writing was hand written, regardless of how long the essay was. Mathematical problems were solved mentally or calculated on paper until the solution was found. Handwriting skills in children was good, because of the amount of practice they had using it everyday in their school work. Furthermore, children developed a vast amount of book knowledge by using library resources from actual books. However, today it is not the norm. Almost every school issues students with devices like iPads or tablets from as early as kindergarten. It is important to realize that with the use of technological devices, children would prefer the quick action of iPads and tablets in contrast to handwriting or reading a book to find reference points. To put it another way, children will end up using mobile devices both in and out of school, leaving no room for outdoor forms of recreation. A Northlines article, “Information Technology and Children”, mentions that the availability of Internet connection on mobile devices is harmful, because they can use it negatively, giving children an uncontrolled source of entertainment and connectivity. Similarly, the availability of
Many of our students have smartphones, laptops, and tablets they use throughout the school day for school work. While some students depend on their devices to look up the current fashion trends and football stats, we feel that technology has also enabled students to think in a different way. Many students are quick on their feet to Google information to prove their friend wrong, send texts and emails in less than 10 seconds, and get excited when they are allowed to use their
The first set of questions were used to see what technology teachers use and how often they use them. The seven different devices that were surveyed are computers, smart boards, mobile devices, tablets/iPads, digital cameras, clickers, and televisions/projectors. Each device was rated based on use either daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or never. Using this data we can see which devices are used most and least by teachers. These charts also show us which devises teachers and students are most familiar with in the classroom. The most significant statistic from this first set of questions is that 91% of teachers use computers daily and weekly in the classroom (Fig.
What did mankind do before the internet? Educational technologies are changing the lives of current and future generations. For years, technology has been flooding into the classrooms of youngsters. On an average, a student uses up to three devices daily. Teenagers count on a cell phone to do things, from waking them up in the morning to giving them any information needed during the day. The incredible World Wide Web saves many hours of research for a paper compared to three decades ago when days were spent looking up research that is now available almost instantly. The floppy discs of a few decades back cannot compare to digital textbooks on mobile devices, e readers, laptops, or tablets of the day. Technology plays a huge role in today’s world impacting education on major levels in regards to accessibility, communication, and opportunity. Education will continue to be part of people’s lives, regardless of age or lifestyle.
Since its introduction on a public scale in the 1990s, the internet has been associated with many changes in social experience. Many aspects of social life such as education, work, commerce and even personal relationships have changed through the internet. However, researchers have found that, at least in the early years, access to the internet is shaped according to gender, class, ethnicity and education. During the 1990s the typical information technology user was a white, male, professional with a background in IT. This bias in internet access was named the ‘digital divide’ to point out the implied social inequalities. It was said that the internet was
Today, technology is advancing faster than ever. It’s incredible how humans have turned it into something more. Innovative ideas such as virtual reality, touchscreen devices, and audio helper (Alexa siri, google.) Furthermore, technology has evolved greatly for the education of students. Although technology has enhanced education, some students can’t fully utilize it if the circumstances at home prevents them from doing so. For example, Anson High School provides laptops that students can take home. With this, we can use it to our advantage to complete assignments online.
Most people know the feeling getting in their comfy clothes and sitting down to watch a new episode of their favorite tv show on the laptop. The popcorn laying by ones’s side. Their butter fingers across the keys, while each image is illuminating your face. Their phone is buzzing from the Snapchats. In this generation, people cling to some type of electronic device. “According to the US Department of Education and studies by the National Training and Simulation Association Technology-based instruction can reduce the time students take to reach a learning objective by 30-80%”(ProCon.org). In a classroom, teachers are able to take their class around the world electronically to look at the development of civilizations in Egypt, Greece, Rome, and Latin America. Also, students are able to take virtual trips and collaborate with other students around the world and research in the best libraries
Although digital technology is wide spread, that does not mean all people have access to technology or the internet. Use and access to technology can differ greatly from place to place and person to person, due to computers age, connection speed, internet access, cost, usage, geographic location, culture, religion and social economic status; this is called the digital divide. When sending homework home, such as research, computer work and assignments this can be a real issue for teachers. To minimise the effect of these issues, teachers must make allowances and determine whether information can be gathered by students from other sources, such as books, be provided to take home or create work base on classroom learning materials.
The “Digital Divide” is a buzz phrase heard today in North America. It refers to the growing divide between people who have and do not have access to information specifically via the internet. There are various forms of digital divides but the one that is the most despair is the global digital divide between industrialized countries and developing nations. Optimists feel that the internet and information it carries brings potential to societies of developing nations but pessimists feel that the internet offers no new potential for developing nations but rather it reinforces existing divisions of inequality. Various positive and negative outlooks will be delved into in this essay to give a
Education has found its way into the loop of technology. Teachers are using ipads and laptops during class time to help conduct experiments, or share a presentation. This is allowing the students to gain instant access to the information they are seeking. Students also receive the opportunity to complete their homework online and print off their assignments instead of just using paper and pencil. Another pro for Technology in Education, there are countless sources out there which help enhance learning. In one research conducted, they compared the performance of teaching kids how to read a clock. One group was coached by an online app, another was shown by a toy clock, and the last group was trained by a drawing example. The results revealed that the children that were taught by the toy and app exceeded the paper drawing group (Galetzka).