Digital Inequity at Home and School

From the readings, the issue of digital equity across student classrooms and schools seems to be the continuation of the same issues that divides peoples’ perceptions into schools as the “haves” and “have nots.”  It was disheartening to read about Sto-Rox’s digital equity issues in Poor Students Face Digital Divide in Teacher Technology Training, but I can also empathize with the leadership’s point of that digital divide being significantly lower on their priority list when they face the more pressing issues of student safety and career readiness.  While I want to point out that improving students’ technology training IS an issue of job and career readiness, I also have to acknowledge that it would appear to take significantly more money than is available to truly close the digital gap.  It is shocking to think that there are only 20-30 computers for the entire student population.  I would encourage leadership at Sto-Rox, from the principal and upward, to make computer acquisition an important goal moving forward, whether through a grant or long-term budget request.

After reading the other articles, I wonder if the issue of digital equity should be part of the question around homework as well.  Some of possible options in closing the digital equity included having students work in Wi-Fi enabled hot spots, public buildings, or use the free Wi-Fi in school parking lots.  I would argue that this just further heightens the awareness of the digital equities and potentially places an even greater burden on households that are already likely operating with less time and less money.  Built into these suggestions is that the affected students have a means of transportation and more time to do their out of school assignments than those students with digital access.  I think a good philosophical exercise would be to ask is the assignment of homework itself an issue of equity.   Just food for thought…..