Weeeell, not exactly! It's the catch-phrase attached to how our society has become split into two - those who have  an online computer in the home, and those who don't. Of course, there are lots of folks who have chosen to do without, just as there are people who don't watch television, or have chosen to drive an older car even though they can afford a new one. But public education has a responsibility to address the fact that, due to cultural or economic issues, some students do not have the luxury of a choice. Many things that regular Internet users take for granted - instant access to international news and weather, virtual dictionaries and encyclopedias, to name a few - are simply beyond the reach of many. What's more, many of the skills developed in Internet use are useful in the workplace later in life. Hence, this "divide" impacts how well our students can hope to do there.  

How serious is the "Digital Divide" in holding back  students? The answer, of course, depends on who you ask, and how important they view Internet access and skills. But legislators (including the U.S. Department of Education) and business people think it is very important, and a lot of money has been spent to address the "Divide" directly.  The Kentucky Educational Technology System (KETS) itself, as an extension of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), was an attempt to insure a more uniform distribution of technology capability throughout Kentucky districts. But, of course, it can just encourage the development of infrastructure - it can't guarantee access!

The implementation of technology in a public school should, as much as possible, reflect an interest and concern in the "digital divide," and its impact on the ability of disadvantaged students to open up vistas and opportunities. Some things we can do in the classroom...

1. Model good technology use in your classroom! A student with no outside access might not see others using good use habits - you might be it!
2. Ensure that you allot access time to technology for any assignment that requires its use. (Of course, if access is not uniformly available, you must make sure grading isn't skewed to favor those who have the capability at home.)

As an issue of school policy...

1. Provide students access to technology outside of class, and the regular schedule. Extended School Services should include access to labs or online workstations.
2. Make sure that there's a school-wide implementation plan for 
   • student email accounts (especially in grades 4-12), 
   • network use, and 
   • keyboarding. 

Such things as email and network usernames and passwords are an important part of a huge number of post-secondary workplaces, so it is important that we do our best to provide exposure and training to those of our students with no other access but school.  As public educators, our job is to bridge the "divide" as much as we can while our students are with us!

More resources:

• The Digital Divide - a PBS production on the subject
• The Digital Divide Network - a website dedicated to issues surrounding access to online information.
• The Digital Divide Toolkit - another resource from the U.S. Department of Education.

       --Jeffrey L. Jones, Editor