In my opinion, my school district, Brantley County, feels the strongest digital divide in the socioeconomic factor. According to Town Charts (2016) , the average annual household income for Brantley County is only $36, 301 and our school is at 100% free breakfast and free lunch. In contrast, the average annual household income for Georgia is $49,342. (Town Charts, 2016). This gap, according to Gorski (2005), can have a direct impact on the access to digital tools, internet, and technology trainings, especially in education. From my personal experience, every year, a little over half of my students do not have consistent internet access outside school. Honestly, a little over half do not have established homes. Consistent internet access for those are simply not a priority. My observation was confirmed through studies done by Gorski (2005). They found that children living in low-income environments are “more than twice as likely to have computer and internet access…(p.24).” I thought it was interesting that their statistics combine computer and internet access together. Most of my students who do have consistent internet access outside school use the data on their devices (phones or tablets); they typically do not have computers at home. I wonder what the statistics would be if just internet was considered. The lack of consistent internet access outside school can certainly be a challenge! While assigning internet-based assignments, our teachers must be careful when considering pacing. We have to allow more class time than those in surrounding areas because we cannot require students to complete online assignments outside of class. Another challenge is the lack of experience students have in technology use. The only time some of our students are using a computer, tablet, or internet is at school. We really have to account for their learning curves in the use of the device as well as their learning of the content. content. Gorski, P. (2005). Education equity and the digital divide. AACE Journal, 13 (1), 3-45. Town Charts. (2016). Brantley County, Georgia Economy Data. Retrieved September 11, 2016, from Town Charts:http://www.towncharts.com/Georgia/Economy/Brantley-County-GA-Economy-data.html Image from: https://www.flickr.com/photos/freepress/6641427911
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9/18/2016 03:21:03 pm
I can’t imagine teaching at a school where there is 100% free breakfast and lunch. I commend you for accepting the challenge of still providing your students with classroom opportunities to work and learn with technology. I think it can be so easy to avoid using technology when you know your students won’t always have reliable access to technology or internet. If you didn’t provide the students with technology in the classroom, I am curious if they would ever have an opportunity to develop their skills and abilities. At my school, we have a similar experience where the majority of our students are accessing the internet from their personal devices on our free wi-fi. It can be so hard to use different technologies or even roll out a new learning management system when the only time the students will have access is when they are in the building. However, I am excited to take this challenge head on and provide the best experiences for my students in my classroom.
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July 2017
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