Many ask what the Digital Divide may mean, In the terms of the mass media it describes the fact that the world can be divided into people who do and people who don't have access to - and the capability to use - modern information technology, such as the telephone, television, or the Internet. Every day we are trying to close this gap by providing access and by also allowing easier access to these technologies.
In an article published by the South Jersey Journal in early July of this year it tells a story of a man named Navarrow Wright who is trying step by step to reduce the digital divide. His story is about a term he coined in a broadcast that aired on CNN last fall called “Black in America: The New Promised Land - Silicon Valley”. He is quoted saying, “When the term ‘closing the digital divide’ was first introduced, it was all about equal access to the Internet,” said Wright. “We’ve made great strides and have significantly closed the gap, but to me it’s not only about equal access to the Internet, it’s about equal access to opportunities for entrepreneurship and employment in the field of technology.”
I agree with what Wright is saying. The problem with this divide is that many children who are in school are receiving homework assignments that involve the computer and access to the Internet. Also Florida has an option to take classes online for high school students for free called Florida Virtual School. These classes transfer right over to the current High School the child is enrolled in. It is an amazing tool to help kids raise their GPA or even take classes on their own time.
But the biggest problem with this is access.... There are plenty of children who attend public high schools who come from a low-income family, and maybe even a family who can't afford a computer let alone the actual Internet service fees. So what kind of advantage do these children have. Well if they have the ACCESS then they are at a great advantage but if they don't then they are basically behind the other students.
These types of families are huge players in whether they can obtain the access. Yes anyone can get up and use the public libraries as a source to help but how many computers are there compared to how many students need the access. And plus most public libraries have access codes on their computers to begin with and the computers might not even be available to use at that time.
Florida Virtual School is a huge asset to the high school era, but is it a fair enough program, or does the digital divide hinder us all from receiving equal opportunity.
