Practicum-Danielle #2

What is a Digital Divide?

The digital divide is the gap between people with access to information technology and people who have limited or no access. It includes physical access to technology as well as the resources and ability (knowledge) needed to participate as a digital citizen.

Leaders and educators warned for years that Internet access was not reaching African Americans and Hispanics, while whites and Asian-Americans had steady access “There is also a strong correlation, experts say, between household income and Internet access” (NYT). However, research shows that the digital divide for African Americans has steadily been decreasing. There has been an increase in access to technology and skill of how to use it . There are several ideas as to why this is happening:

1. Computer prices have decreased, allowing public schools and libraries to have more of them
2. Popularity of cell phones that connect to the internet allow access (Black people are the #1 group of people that use Internet on cell phones)
3. Evolution of the Internet itself and cultural use of the Internet has decreased the Digital Divide. (Tv, Movies, Social interaction online)
4. The federal government has made an effort to provide low-cost Internet connection to schools and libraries, hoping that most kids have a place to access the world wide web.

In 1998 Pew did a survey that concluded 42% white American adults used the Internet and only 23%f African-American adults used the Internet (NYT). Pew did another survey this February that concluded 74% of whites go online, 61% of African-Americans do.

Young African Americans are the ones decreasing this gap most significantly. This is good and bad. While it is great that more young blacks are accessing information technology but many of these numbers are due to teens playing games online, downloading music, instant messaging, and accessing social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook from their mobile phones. Internet access has a large impact on academic achievement, things like homework, research, papers. Lack of access puts students at a disadvantage.

Works Cited

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/31/us/31divide.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

http://www.marketingcharts.com/television/digital-divide-narrows-two-thirds-of-african-americans-online-5230/

http://www.bizreport.com/2008/07/black_american_survey_us_digital_divide_decreasing.html