Week 2 - Digital Divide Context
In an article on the Digital Divide Brown describes the divide as differences in access to technology (level one) and the use of technology (level two). He points out that this divide tends to be between the wealthy and the poor, the old and the young, able-bodied and disabled, and urban vs rural communities. (Brown, 2020). Van de Verfhost et. al. point to the Covid-19 pandemic as a time when the pre-existing digital inequities were emphasized as some communities were much more prepared for the transition to online school than others (Van de Verfost et al, 2022).
The school community where I teach is a low-income community where 80.4% of the students are socioeconomically disadvantaged (CA Department of Education, 2024). From my observation, most students and their families have cell phones, but many do not have computers at home other than the ones issued by the school. Pittsburg Unified School District has expanded student access to technology since the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, Pittsburg High School had carts of shared computers and a few computer labs for computer classes. During the pandemic, there was a need for students to be able to access their learning from home, and the district moved to 1-1 access for students. Each student can now check out a Chromebook from the school library for the year. The district is now also taking other actions that increase access to technology for students and improve equity of access. At the January 8, 2025 board meeting, Pittsburg USD approved $103, 408.80 to equip school buses with wifi (from the transportation budget). They also approved a contract for wifi hotspots for students to use off district premises, for $154, 476.00. The district pays for GoGuardian, a service to help teachers manage the use of computers in their classrooms.
While the district is showing a commitment to providing access to technology for students, it is also important that technology is used effectively in the classroom, and that students are taught how to use it effectively. During, and shortly after the time of Covid, the district provided teachers with some training on how to use the new technology tools such as the Google Suite of tools and Google Classroom. In the high school where I work an “Ed Tech” team was set up, and was paid by a stipend. The school paid additional time for teachers to attend the EdTech workshops. More recently, since the district has been experiencing financial challenges, and is trying to cut costs, they have eliminated the stipend. The school now pays for two Ed. Tech team facilitators to provide a maximum of two hours a month of help for teachers, who are no longer paid to attend. There is no planning time to develop workshops. There remains a large divide between the teachers who are more comfortable and proficient with technology and those who are not, which affects the students and their learning. The student technology is being under-utilized. I have not heard the ISTE standards being mentioned in my school and I doubt that most teachers are aware of them unless they are in a credential program. This technology use gap seems like the issue currently getting less attention and fewer resources in my school and district. My call to action will be to address this gap.
RESOURCES
Brown, W. (2020). Digital Divide. Retrieved from
https://open.library.okstate.edu/learninginthedigitalage/chapter/the-digital-divide
California Department of Education. (2024). School Performance Overview: Pittsburg Senior High. California School Dashboard (CA dept of education). https://www.caschooldashboard.org/reports/07617880735407/2024
van de Werfhorst, H.G., Kessenich, E., & Geven, S. (2022). The digital divide in online education: Inequality in digital readiness of students and schools. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9435462/pdf/main.pdf
Pittsburg Unified School District School Board. (2024, October 2023). "Discussion Requesting Bids for Wi-Fi Access for School Buses." [Minutes of School Board Meeting]. Pittsburg USD, Pittsburg, CA.
https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/pittsburg/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=D97N4X5E2DE5
Pittsburg Unified School District School Board. (2025, January 8). "Discussion Requesting Approval of bids for Wi-Fi Access for School Buses and Wifi Hotspots for use off premises." [Minutes of School Board Meeting]. Pittsburg USD, Pittsburg, CA. https://go.boarddocs.com/ca/pittsburg/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=D96QUG6AF832
Joanne- I enjoyed reading your blog. My school district, like yours, does not prioritize teacher technology training, which is sad because I do believe that the inability to utilize and implement technology in the classroom can aid or hinder student learning. I look forward to reading your action plan.
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne. In the past, I worked for a school that in the last few years I worked there, began to prioritize technology in the classroom. The issue was, that they would provide a quick half-day training and we were suppose to be masters of that technology. What took place was a lot of trial and error in front of the students...usually the first hour. lol
ReplyDeleteThe scenario you describe in your school district is starting to sound all too familiar after reading multiple blog entries. You point out that the Ed Tech team and stipends were essentially disbanded and it has become more of a voluntary situation for teachers who would like additional training. It's another example that the school districts are not concerned enough about the Level 2 digital divide to proactively correct it.
ReplyDelete