Running head: THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

The Digital Divide

Week 5 Assignment
Eric Fonseca
Foundations of Educational Technology EDU 352
Instructor Kathleen Brady
January 9th, 2017

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

2
The Digital Divide

A major issue regarding educational technology is that schools and homes still go without
broadband access. This lack of broadband access if known as the digital divide. The divide
hinders teachers providing assignments that require the internet (McLeod, 2010). This issue is
important because many individuals in the United States while still do not have internet access,
because of cost or availability in their area. The digital divide can be identified as a disparity in
access to technology by socioeconomic status, race, or gender (Block, 2010). There is a
significant difference in internet connectivity because of these items, but in the United States, it
is primarily because the individuals are in rural areas without infrastructure. This statement
identifies that many people in the countryside still do not have adequate access to the world-wide
web. One of the reasons why this is a serious problem is described by Hyland, Layte, Lyons,
McCoy, and Silles (2015) who find that math and reading scores were improved when the
internet was present in the classroom. The lack of having internet connectivity greatly hinders the
ability for students to conduct research, but also impedes the teachers ability to access resources
and collaborate with others easily.
One of the main issues in implementing connectivity in rural areas is that it is very
expensive and takes time. There have been great strides in improving the infrastructure in all
states. Individuals have become aware that internet access is essential to the educational process
and have begun to implement plans through the government to close the gap. In fact, the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) in 2009 assisted in funding the project of a
national broadband network, including rural areas (Barnes & Coatney, 2015). Though this has
started to bridge the divide, there is still much work to be done after it has been completed like

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

instructing teachers how best to use the technology to enhance their students learning
experience. I believe that when this has been completed appropriately that technology in
education will begin to be implemented much easier. In the present it is hard to implement these
technologies because of the lack of collaboration and availability for all educational institutions
to implement advancements.

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

References
Block, J. (2010). Distance Education and the Digital Divide: An Academic Perspective. Online
Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 13(1). Retrieved
from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring131/block131.html
Barnes, J. N., & Coatney, K. (2015). Progress on Broadband Adoption in Rural
America. Choices, 30(1), 1-6.
Hyland, M., Layte, R., Lyons, S., McCoy, S., & Silles, M. (2015). Are Classroom Internet Use
and Academic Performance Higher after Government Broadband Subsidies to Primary
Schools?. Economic And Social Review, 46(3), 399-428.
McLeod, S. (2010, November 22). If we were really serious about educational technology [Web
log post]. Retrieved from http://bigthink.com/ideas/if-we-were-really-serious-abouteducational-technology