In the world we live in now, technology is an important part of a child’s education. Students can use various technological tools in the classroom to help them learn. The gap is closed by personalized learning, which lets teachers quickly determine where students need more help and give them assignments based on their progress (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018). Students can also take part in learning activities outside of school. But as teachers, we’ve seen that children worldwide have trouble getting access to technology and digital tools for learning.
Society may have a big impact on how students get their hands-on technology. Students from low-income families, students with special needs, and English language learners are just a few examples of people who may not have access to the technology and digital resources they need to do well in school. We have a long way to go to close educational gaps that have been around for a long time. Every day, students worldwide try to overcome geographical and social limitations, racial and cultural inequalities, and physical and cognitive disabilities (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018). Technology gives us the tools we need to improve the learning skills of our diverse populations and help these students close the achievement gap.
But what if some of our many students don’t have the right technology in the classroom or at home? People have a digital gap when they don’t access all information and communication technology (ICT) resources. This makes it hard for them to stay connected and learn the many skills they need to use these resources (Zarabanda, 2019). Students worldwide can learn a lot more if technology is used to make changes in education and digital equality. Because not everyone has the same access to and use technology, digital equality has only recently become an issue of social justice. Because of this social injustice, some of our student groups don’t have the same access to technology, information from electronic devices, skills, and academic performance as our student groups with more money. The digital divide is less about giving students access to technology and connected devices and more about giving them the skills and tools they need to be useful members of society and independent people. Since technology is the area that is growing the fastest, all students need to be able to use and manage tech tools and apps more than ever before.
Educational and Digital Equity
Equality and equity are frequently mentioned in education, but what exactly are they? Is it possible to switch them out? What do these two words mean in terms of education? There needs to be a difference between equal and fair. Equality doesn’t consider how different people are or what they may need to be successful (Willems, 2019). People’s differences and what they need to do to be on the same level as others are considered.
As teachers, we can work toward equity by giving all of our students the same materials, tools, support, and services. When it comes to educational equality, though, it’s essential to find out if all students have a chance to do well by using strategies that include everyone (Willems, 2019). But when we talk about digital equity, we need to look at digital practices that ensure all students have equal access to digital technology and the tools, skills, and resources that come with it. Right now, this is not happening in schools. Many students may not have access to technology or the internet at home, limiting their ability to use technical gadgets and equipment. All students should have the same amount of access to technology and the internet, and they should all be able to use them well (Zarabanda, 2019).
Even though you can connect to the internet anywhere globally, not every home has it. We’ve seen that most low-income households don’t have the money to pay for Internet access. 42% of the world’s population does not have access to the internet (Statista, 2019). By looking into educational and digital gaps related to technology, schools may be able to give each student more of the resources they need. There are technological differences when resources aren’t shared equally, and not everyone has access (Grace et al., 2019).
Digital equality is important because it makes sure that all students can access and use technology in the same way. This is important because students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds have more access to technology, and their parents can help them figure out how to use it (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018). People from poorer backgrounds don’t have access to educational resources. Digital inequality is now caused more by a lack of technical skills and access to constant, stable broadband internet than by a lack of computers and the internet (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018).
Over time, school districts have tried to fix problems to close the rich and poor gap. In Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), students used to bring their own devices, but in the past three years, all students have been given a Chromebook for learning purposes. Even though CMS took part in a one-to-one program, the issue of digital equality was brought up because only a few students have a good internet connection and know how to use these tools well enough. On the other hand, some people aren’t sure (Lindqvist, 2021).
Educational and Digital Access Current Issues
The digital divide was the difference between who had access to technology and who didn’t. This phrase now means using various electronic devices, software, programs, and the internet at school and home. The digital divide started with students who didn’t have access to technology, but now it also includes kids who don’t have the skills or opportunities to learn how to use it (Kono & Taylor, 2021). School districts with fewer poor people have worked hard to give their students the same opportunities as districts with more money. Accessibility issues in rural and poor areas have been addressed by several students, such as giving every student a device, updating internet infrastructure and schools, and putting Wi-Fi in school buses (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018).
This is great, but it doesn’t consider the fact that not all students have access to the internet. Districts started putting money into hotspots so that all of their students could connect to the internet from home. Hotspots, which let students connect to the internet outside of school, are already familiar. Several school districts have put Wi-Fi on school buses to give students more options (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018). CMS was one of the schools where students could use hotspots to connect to the internet from home. When students took the COVID in March 2020, it was essential to ensure that all of the students in the district got the same treatment. The CMS ran out of hotspots, and businesses and industries helped buy more so that all students could connect to the internet. When the district ran out of money, low-income communities were given buses that could connect to the internet. Students could use the internet, participate in classroom discussions, and finish their work while on or near the bus.
Noting that having access to the internet and technical tools is not enough is essential. Teachers need to know how a wide range of technical devices and programs work so they can teach students how to use them. We want our kids to learn how to use technology and change software and programs from their teachers. In this situation, we need to make sure that the teacher makes good use of technology. If teachers want to keep up with how quickly technology changes and grows, they need to spend time with new technologies and attend professional development seminars (Wang & Wong, 2018). One difference between schools with more money and schools with less money is using technology to teach. Teachers in schools with a lot of money use technology to help their students prepare for the 21st century. Teachers at schools with a higher socioeconomic status emphasize teaching students how to use critical thinking skills than teachers at schools with a lower socioeconomic status. It’s just for fun (Powers et al., 2020). Through inclusive education, all students can reach their full potential. It is essential to think about how technology should be taught and how digital literacy should grow.
Equity and Access Gaps Identification
It is essential to close the gaps in equality and access to find the answers. The COVID-19 virus outbreak brought several digital gaps in schools (Kono & Taylor, 2021). The epidemic left the country with a digital divide. There is a digital gap when some people have full access to the internet and technology while others don’t (Grace et al., 2019). Most instructors have a wrong idea of how much digital access their less fortunate students have. They don’t realize that some students can only use technology through mobile devices or in public places like libraries (Wang & Wong, 2018). Many students have started using mobile devices instead of PCs or laptops to do schoolwork at home because they don’t have them or can’t easily connect to the internet. Because of how COVID works, this might be hard for homeschooled students. There are many reasons why people choose not to get internet at home. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2018), they may live paycheck to paycheck and can’t afford the monthly membership. If they have smartphones, they may not see the need to buy Wi-Fi for the home since they can use their phones.
As teachers, we need to know what’s going on in the lives of our students from low-income families and work hard to close the gap. At the moment, 61% of school-aged children in the US have access to the internet at home (National Center for Education Statistics, 2018). Forty percent of students must find a different way to connect to the internet. Also, we need to get to know our students to figure out who might need extra help because of family students. Many professors don’t care about their students’ home lives and often don’t know about their family problems or support systems (Kono & Taylor, 2021). The digital gap is clear because students with more money have unrestricted access to technology and Wi-Fi. On the other hand, students with less money use cell phones or libraries to do the same homework as students with more money. The achievement gap will worsen until schools give students more than equal chances.
Equitable Access and Learning Opportunities
White or Asian students are 10 to 13 percent more likely than African American or Hispanic students to have an internet connection at home (National Center for Education Statistics, 2018). This means they are more likely than their peers to meet technological standards. Teachers have to work to make sure that all students have equal access to educational resources, technology, digital information, and enough chances to learn. Students from every economic background shouldn’t be punished for things they couldn’t help (Wang & Wong, 2018). To meet the needs of all of our students, we must make sure that everyone has the same access to educational resources. Our students from different backgrounds will fall further behind if they don’t have equal access to resources. Students can use digital technology to learn 21st-century skills and improve their digital skills, which will make them more valuable workers (Lindqvist, 2021). If all students have the same chances to learn and access to learning, they will be able to get the skills they need to help society and support their families. Without constant communication, it is much harder to succeed in business in today’s world (Wilson & Hopkins, 2019).
Getting access for everyone
Digital equality is a social wrong because so many students don’t have access to technology or don’t know how to use it (Serrano-Cinca et al., 2018). This could be because of their race, where they live, how much money they have, or the people who go to their school. Hispanic and African American students are hit harder by digital inequality because they don’t have as much money (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018). Digital may have something to do with race. A language barrier could make it harder for a student to learn. There are a lot of English language learners, students who aren’t doing well in school, and teachers who don’t know how to teach digital topics in lower-income schools (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018). Compared to students from schools with more money, who use technology devices all the time, this creates a problem of inequality.
Students in rural areas try to set up fair technological practices because many come from low-income students and live in remote places (Powers et al., 2020). Only 65% of students in remote rural areas of the United States said they had reliable Internet access (National Center for Education Statistics, 2018). Because it costs a lot to bring Internet access to a small town, many students in faraway places may not have constant access (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018). People who live in rural areas might worry about living outside of a city. There are not as many technology-related services as there are in the city. Outside of cities, digital infrastructure is often ignored, making it hard for people to get reliable high-speed broadband internet (Wilson & Hopkins, 2019).
Strategies for Addressing Equity Gaps
Educators are tasked with ensuring that all students have equitable access to computers and other digital resources and developing strategies to address the equity gap that currently exists in their institutions. (Calderón Gómez, 2019) People require access to technology and exciting experiences that provide them with a multitude of opportunities to develop digital skills for them to become more digitally literate. We can employ technology to help bridge the achievement gap between kids living in urban regions and those living in rural areas, where schools frequently lack sufficient numbers of appropriately trained instructors (Schrum & Sumerfield, 2018). everyone must accept responsibility for it, and teachers should collaborate with the parents of their students to close the achievement gap and teach all of the pupils. When planning classes, educators have a responsibility to consider any technical issues that their students could be experiencing and adapt their lessons in response to those issues.
We cannot emphasize enough how critical it is for parents to take an active role in their children’s education. When parents are aware of how technology can benefit their children and what it can do for them in the classroom, their children are much more likely to embrace that technology (Serrano-Cinca et al., 2018). It is also a good idea to arrange seminars for parents to educate them on the technology their children will use in school and teach them how to use it themselves. A teacher’s most valuable resource is their pupils’ parents, who are interested in the education that their children are receiving. Use parents who are invested in their children’s education to encourage other parents to feel the same way about their own children’s education.
Teachers are people who never stop learning and are always eager to try out cutting-edge tools whenever they get the chance. Teachers need to be aware of the most recent and cutting-edge technology tools available for use in the classroom to educate their pupils effectively. Concerns regarding digital inequality are something that educators should address. Empathy is a quality that employees and other stakeholders must have; this quality can either be innate or acquired via professional growth (Willems, 2019). Make an effort to avoid generalizations while speaking about your kids. It is in your best interest to get to know someone personally so that you can be prepared to deal with any issues they may be experiencing. Because it would be challenging to improve educational equity in today’s schools without the assistance of teachers and other educational stakeholders who support the shift to more digital teaching and professional development sessions to help them learn more about technology, teachers and other educational stakeholders must work together to make this happen. Teachers and other educational stakeholders can accomplish this by working together to make this happen (Powers et al., 2020).
Conclusion
When considering why pupils have varying amounts of access to technology, society is likely going to be an essential consideration to take into account. Kids who come from homes with poor incomes, students who have special needs, and students who are learning English are some instances of persons who may not have access to the necessary technology and digital resources to succeed academically. The use of technology to level the playing field in terms of education and digital access could significantly enhance the educational opportunities available to students worldwide. The unequal distribution of resources and differing levels of access to advanced technologies have contributed to the rise of inequality in today’s society (Wang & Wong, 2018). Our children from diverse socioeconomic situations do not have the same access to technology, knowledge gained from utilizing electronic devices, skill set, and academic success as our students from wealthier households. As students, we can ensure that all individuals have access to the same resources for learning, including tools, support, and other services.
References
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