Equal Access to the Digital World!

The digital world and its intersection with the education world is more important now than ever before... and its importance will only grow as time marches on.  As we speak, in schools, of helping to educate "21st Century Learners," we can not ignore the fact that, by its very interpretation and meaning, some of our students are set up to struggle from the outset if we are not careful to bridge the digital divide.  The digital divide refers to the fact that the world is divided into different groups: those who have easy and reliable internet and computer access and those who do not.  This is a significant factor in many ways, not the least of which in that it has the potential to widen the achievement gap even further in public education.

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To provide equal access to the digital world means that schools must start investing in technology, and enough of it that there is equitable access for all students.  Ideally, schools will become 1:1 (in other words, a computer or tablet for each student) in order to facilitate this access as soon as possible.  That said, there are real financial (and other) barriers that prevent this from happening.  So, to provide equal access to the digital world has to be done as best as possible. Teachers must take responsibility for bringing students to the computer lab, for engaging them in ways that are appropriate to the 21st century learner profile, and thereby helping them to attain the types of skills and traits that are required of a successful 21st century employee.  In short, the types of access that we, as teachers, grant to students in our classrooms is exactly how we can ensure that they are all able to learn using the digital world.