Digital Divide closing, but it still has gaps

When it was time to get ready for school, the items on  my children’s list was very different than the list I used when I went to public school, much less college. It can tell you that teenagers love technology… I- this and I-that.  I use computers for my work, but not much for entertainment, compared to my children.  I am not complaining, and I am glad I am blessed to be able to afford such items when their use is controlled.

However, there are many children I work with everyday in our youth center who use the church’s computers in the afterschool educational programs.  They do not have access to computers and high-speed Internet as others do when many of their school assignments require information from these machines. This is what some call the Digital Divide.  A check on the problem shows that nationally the gap is closing, but even in areas where money and resources are available, there are localized gaps.

According to one source, the digital divide refers to the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology, and those with very limited or no access at all. It includes the imbalance both in physical access to technology and the resources and skills needed to effectively participate as a digital citizen.  The National Bureau of Economic Research published a paper by Jacob L. Vigdor and Helen F. Ladd in June 2010.

Administrative data on North Carolina public school students was used to corroborate earlier surveys that document broad racial and socioeconomic gaps in home computer access and use.  The study suggested that providing universal access to home computers and high-speed internet access would broaden, rather than narrow, math and reading achievement gaps. They also demonstrated that the introduction of home computer technology is associated with modest but statistically significant and persistent negative impacts on student math and reading test scores.

An article by Annie Gowen, published Dec. 6, 2009 in The Washing ton Post,  reported that the digital divide has narrowed dramatically in the past decade. About two-thirds of American households report using the Internet at home, according to the U.S. Census. In affluent Washington suburbs, the numbers are higher; more than 90 percent of Fairfax households with children have home computers, according to a recent survey by the school system.

Still there were problems in that situation. Most afternoons,  the study carrels of the Woodrow Wilson public library in the Falls Church area are crowded with students from low-income or immigrant families using the computers. Although they live in one of the richest counties in the United States, these students are skipping lunch to work at school labs or making long journeys to the public library after school.

According to the Post article, Henry Jenkins, a professor at the University of Southern California, describes today’s digital divide as the “participation gap” — the chasm between students who have ready access to the Internet at home vs. those struggling to work in public spaces. Those with home access have a big advantage because they’ll have ample time to develop social networking, research and other skills necessary to succeed later on, Jenkins said.

Many non-profit and state-funded educational programs are offering lower cost netbook computers as part of the programs as an incentive to get people to enroll.   I am working with foundations to get grants for hardware and software for the youth we serve, too. The Digital Divide is closing, but not fast enough.

Peace be you with always,

Rev. Paul Abernathy

“Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” -2 Peter 1:2

Contact Paul Abernathy at paulabernathy@gmail.com.

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