What issues still remain for you to address in relation to the digital divide and why?

One major issue that still bothers me when it comes to the digital divide is the tech tools themselves. As noted by Zutura, access to tech tools negatively impacts the digital divide (2020). The Covid-19 pandemic made it evident that not all families have equal access to tech tools, such as laptops. Some schools were able to provide Chromebook, but these are limited in what they can accomplish. In my experience, I’ve had to find additional tech accommodations or ways to create assessments that can fit within Chromebook use. School issued-Chromebook have limited memory space, limited download capability, and limited applications available. Partnering this with tech issues such as batteries dying, cables being munched on by dogs, and slow or no Wi-Fi access, are all things that are detrimental to student learning in this digital divide.

The tech itself further exacerbates learning at home. Depending on the tech tool being used, some students may not be able to open the work document to follow along for instructions at the same time as having the teleconferencing application open. I’ve had students who used their phone or iPad to attend class. If they wished to open the document, they would have to leave the meeting. They were unable to have the meeting running in the background. Additionally, since we continue to operate on the idea that Covid-19 will end soon, we place Band-Aids over the wound, instead of addressing how to fix and properly support students. Covid-19 made the digital divide evident to the public. However, we have not fixed it, only acknowledged its existence.

Zutura, R. (2022). The digital divide in education: Essential data.