To: Minneapolis School Board
From: Dr. Glori Hinck- Downtown District
CC: Administration, Faculty, Staff Minneapolis School District
Date: 7/14/2008
Re: Digital Divide
What is the "digital divide" and how and why should we address this issue?
The digital divide refers to the gap between those who benefit from digital and information technology and those who don’t. Simply put, those who use computers and the internet and those who don’t. Digital divide refers not only to differences in physical access to technology, but also to unequal acquisition of related skills necessary to succeed in today’s world. This digital divide is simply another symptom of a wider and more pervasive problem- poverty and inequality.
Who is at risk from this digital divide? At risk groups are often discussed in terms of socioeconomic, racial, generational, or geographical factors. NTIA and the Economics and Statistics Administration published a report based on the 2001 U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey and found that groups at risk include low-income households, those with a high school education or less, Hispanics and Blacks. (1) Fewer than 60% of the households in these groups have computers and internet access. A large number of students in the Minneapolis school district fit into these categories. It is imperative that we begin to address this digital divide so that our students have the tools and skills that they need to succeed. The entire world is moving into a digital age. The Center for Justice, Tolerance and Community believes that bridging the digital divide can help children accomplish the following (2):
1) Improve educational achievement
2) Lead healthier lives
3) Increase economic opportunity
4) Participate in their communities
The NTIA report found that the greatest barrier to internet usage is cost. Cost not only for computer equipment but for internet access and peripheral equipment and supplies. Another barrier may be cultural or social. If your friends and family and the people in your life do not use computers or the internet, you are also less likely to. This can also be a positive situation. If members of a group are exposed to computers and internet usage it can have a cascade effect with more and more members of that particular group also becoming involved in technology. If children are exposed to technology at school, they will carry this information to their families. The following suggestions will help address the barriers to computer and internet usage in the children and families of the Minneapolis school district.
To truly bridge the digital divide, technology resources should be made available at school, home, and in the community. The following suggestions will address all three.
o First and foremost we need to educate our teachers as to the importance of technology to this generation of learners and provide training to teachers to aid in the implementation of technology in the classroom. This is not an easy task and will require a multi-level approach. We can encourage teachers to pursue advanced degrees with an educational technology emphasis and can provide workshops on educational technology related topics. Online resources for teacher education can be an efficient means of distributing information.
o Afterschool Programs and Community Education programs emphasizing technological literacy for children and their families should be developed. If we build relationships with community organizations such as Waite House, Pillsbury House and others it can help with the infrastructure for this. Grant proposals can be written in conjunction with these organizations to help with the costs.
o Identify at risk families and provide refurbished computer equipment to these families. Contract with a local internet service provider to offer internet service on a sliding fee scale basis.
o Work with churches in the Hispanic and Black communities on multiple levels. Use this avenue to communicate the importance of technology to the success of children and families. This could be an additional source for assistance with Afterschool Programs and Community Education programs. As mentioned above, exposing members of a group to technology can result in a cascade effect.
o Update, expand and improve the equipment available in computer labs and classrooms. Yes, this will result in additional costs but the benefits truly outweigh any costs. The suggestions below will help offset these costs but the school district must also contribute to this critical need.
o Obtain free computers and accessory equipment from the community, federal agencies and area businesses. Hold a computer and equipment drive with the help of the community and work with area companies such as Best Buy and Target. Ask them to offer a discount on a new computer with every old computer turned in. These computers can then be refurbished by volunteers and distributed. The link below outlines a federal government program through which computers no longer being used in federal offices may be obtained simply for the cost of transportation. As there are a number of federal agencies in Minneapolis, these costs would be minimal.
Funding Factory
http://www.fundingfactory.com/
o Collect recyclable printer cartridges which can be exchanged for computer equipment and printers to use in the school as well as the other programs recommended above. ETCEP (Educational Technology and Conservation Exchange Program), is a unique fund-raising plan that can provide schools with state-of-the-art computer technology without any cost to area taxpayers. A school collects used printer cartridges and packages and sends them to ETCEP for points. These points may be exchanged for new computer systems and peripherals.
Computers for Learning: http://computersforlearning.gov/help/doc/cfl_school_instructions.pdf
Funding education is never easy. However, the Minneapolis school district cannot afford to ignore the digital divide. The future of the children in our district depends on it. Most of the suggestions listed above involve minimal direct cost to the school district but do involve indirect costs primarily related to staff time required to plan and administer these initiatives.
These suggestions can be divided into two categories- those directly related to the school district and those involving the community. I suggest that we start immediately by meeting with the school board, administrators and faculty regarding the importance of narrowing the digital divide in our students. This group can begin to address the issues of faculty education and updating and improving equipment in our classrooms. We can then ask for volunteers from the school group to be a part of a task force of parents, business owners, and agencies to address the other community based suggestions.
I hope that this memo has been successful in drawing your attention to the issue of the digital divide. A majority of students in the Minneapolis school district are members of at-risk groups. Those in at-risk groups have a diminished chance at academic and economic success in life. It is imperative that we minimize this digital divide in our students to the degree possible.
Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to our meeting.
Dr. Glori Hinck
References
1. NTIA and the Economics and Statistics Administration. A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use Of The Internet. http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/nationonline_020502.htm
2. http://cjtc.ucsc.edu/digitaldivide.html
6 comments:
Hey Glori,
My name is Jonathan and I met you at the Ed Tech Conference at Normandale Community College on May 21 & 22 where Michael Wesch spoke. I really enjoyed that conference, and his speech. I wish we could all be on board with this stuff and make the changes faster...
Anyway, since you are a fellow Ed Tech Minnesotan, I thought that you might find this study interesting. I have included it in my 'Memo assignment' to actually refute the growing digital divide theory.
http://www.thejournal.com/articles/22818
Kudos for the very well written memo :)
-Jon
Hi Glori!
You did a great job with your memo. I really liked the specifics in your plan, especially the one about the ink cartridges. I never even thought about a plan for those! I think you sound ready to head the whole technology program!
Hi Glori,
Your memo is very well written and contains many useful suggestions. The two main points I agree with are the need for both training and equipment; the latter must be available both in and out of the classroom for all students. Unfortunately, both training and equipment acquisition are often difficult to accomplish because of limitations imposed by districts.
I have found that it is very difficult to accomplish good training because teachers need more than just workshops. I believe they also need modeling and mentoring in the classroom and computer lab. However, this kind of training is more expensive, so it is rarely done. Due to budget constraints, coaching positions in our district have been severely cut back.
In terms of equipment, the district technology department has very strict standards regarding the kind of hardware they will support, so most refurbished and donated equipment cannot be used on the district network.
I agree that we need to find ways around these obstacles.
Hi Glori,
Nice post; you bring up some very good points. The divide in income is perhaps the most visible. technology is expensive and schools districts that lack funds can't hire skilled professionals or establish a technological infrastructure. The answer is really simple: set up a federal (or state) grant for educational technology development in all school districts that lack sufficent funding.
What I find really disturbing is school districts that do have enough money to spend on technology but refuse - usually for ideological reasons. Money is easy to get if you who and how to ask for it. Will can be stronger than a block of granite.
Glori, you write a very thorough blog on the digital divide. Are you an English teacher? I liked reading your blog more than reading the articles about the digital divide. I liked your suggestions to bridge the gap in the digital divide. Can you really get a contract with your local Internet provider to offer Internet service on a sliding fee scale basis? I didn’t know about ETCEP. I will let the tech at my school know about this program.
Glori,
Thank you for your in depth explanation of the problem and oyur plan.
I followed the link for the funding factory, but couldn't find the information about used government computers. Could you add a link directly to that page? I'd like to do more follow up for my district.
Thank you for your idea!
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