The Digital Divide
The term, ‘Digital Divide,’ is used to describe the gap between the people who have access to computers and those without. With cell phones becoming a major part of using the internet, over 72.5 percent of the American population was using the internet in 2008. This shows just how big of an impact the internet and all that it has to offer has affected our world. According to many educators, the newer generations should inherit the ease of using the internet to be better equipped with the way our schools operate. But how do we get those that are unable to use the internet on board? Many educators would agree that teaching social media will have the effect of revolutionizing the world of learning. Instead of presenting a set of facts to students, the internet can engage them in learning how to get those facts themselves. However, many educators would also agree that the internet is a dangerous place because of the sometimes unreliable sources. It is important to show students how to interpret what is a reliable source and what is not. But then there comes that problem of not all students being able to access the web again. How can they get these facts from credible sources, if they don’t have the tools to do so? Since the beginning of the use of the internet, officials were wondering if access to information technology was being fairly distributed. Even so, some schools would have to work on old PCs, while other students and staff were able to go home and work on their own Apple Mac computers. Now it seems that it is unheard of to know someone that is unable to access the internet at their fingertips. This ‘Digital Divide’ is now being called the ‘Digital Inclusion.’ This is because the notion of the Digital Divide is naturally closing, with more and more gaining access to the world wide web.
