What is digital Access?
Digital Access is one of the themes of Digital Citizenship outlined by Ribble and Bailey. Digital Access can best be described as full electronic participation in society (Ribble & Bailey, 2007). In a school setting one might assume all students and families have access to technology and the availability of the internet. However that is not always the case. Determining where the digital divide exists is important in helping teaching students and families become good Digital Citizens. The digital divide is not only the gap between who has access and who does not but it also encompasses the ability to understand how to use technology when available.
Mark Glaser (2007) defines the digital divide that exists as a ‘chasm” in digital technology between those who have access to it as compared to those who do not. This “chasm” exists in many ways, according to Glaser. It may be between rural and urban settings or poor and rich households. It may also exist along the lines of race such as African-American and white. Other ways it may exist is between old and young or disabled and able and also in the far broader sense of developing nations and developed nations. The cause for these divides may involve such factors as the access to broadband, which is high speed internet access, the capability to afford technology, or things that many of us take for granted like the availability of electricity or simply a lack of education.
Technology appears in all aspects of society. Students today are more immersed in technology than their parents and teachers were when they were in school. Technology includes computers at school, at home, and in local libraries. Cell phones are another form of technology and can provide another means for accessing the internet. As educators we must not only work to improve and develop the 21st Century skills for all students but we must also work to provide opportunities for digital access for all students. Knowing where our students are in terms of technology can help us as teachers plan and implement lessons that will expose our students to the various elements of technology.
Digital Access Survey
I conducted an online survey using Survey Monkey to compile data from educators on the topics of digital divide and assistive technologies. The following is a list of the questions I included in my survey on the topic of digital divide:
How familiar are you with the concept of digital divide?
What does the term digital divide refer to?
How many of your students have access to a computer, iPad, etc. at home?
How many of your students have access to reliable internet at home?
Of the assignments given to your students during the year, how many require these two tools (computer/iPad + internet access)?
What allowances do you make for students who may not have one or both of these tools at their disposal to help in the completion of an assignment?
In the future will you take the concept of equitable access into account when giving an assignment? (Answer briefly in a sentence or two.)
How familiar are you with the concept of digital divide?
What does the term digital divide refer to?
How many of your students have access to a computer, iPad, etc. at home?
How many of your students have access to reliable internet at home?
Of the assignments given to your students during the year, how many require these two tools (computer/iPad + internet access)?
What allowances do you make for students who may not have one or both of these tools at their disposal to help in the completion of an assignment?
In the future will you take the concept of equitable access into account when giving an assignment? (Answer briefly in a sentence or two.)
While analyzing the results I found that 67% of those who took the survey were at least somewhat familiar with the concept of digital divide. Following that up, 67% also knew that the term refers to access to technology between two groups such as low income vs. high income households. Once again it was 67% of those surveyed who were confident that more than 75% of their students have access to a computer and/or iPad at home; however, only 50% believe that these students have access to reliable internet at home. Sixty-seven percent of the educators give assignments that require the use of these two tools between 26 and 50% of the time. The survey results also show that time in class or alternative assignments would be given if students did not have access to these two tools. As a result of taking this survey, all of these educators stated that in the future they will be more aware of the concept of equitable access when making assignments. On the topic of assistive technology, all of those surveyed were well aware of what assistive technologies are, however they all had less than 50 percent of their students using these tools.
With these educators being affiliated with a private Catholic school that largely serves upper and middle class households, the results show that digital access is not a problem for their students. The positive side of this lack of diversity in digital access is that the teachers can work to integrate technological tools into the curriculum. Also, it is evident by the results in the survey that assistive technologies are not widely used because of the population of students. While a portion of the students may have documented learning differences, there is not a high population of students with physical impairments that would require the use of assistive technologies.
With these educators being affiliated with a private Catholic school that largely serves upper and middle class households, the results show that digital access is not a problem for their students. The positive side of this lack of diversity in digital access is that the teachers can work to integrate technological tools into the curriculum. Also, it is evident by the results in the survey that assistive technologies are not widely used because of the population of students. While a portion of the students may have documented learning differences, there is not a high population of students with physical impairments that would require the use of assistive technologies.
What are Assistive technologies?
Assistive technologies are tools that enable students with any variety of special needs or learning disabilities to use various forms of technology. The video points out that there is a wide range of assistive technologies available. These could include something as simple as a pencil grip to tools like word to text programs for computers. These types of tools can go a long way towards bridging the digital divide.
In the online survey I also asked several educators about assistive technologies. I asked them:
How familiar are you with assistive technologies?
How many of your students use assistive technologies such as pencil grips, text to speech programs, on-screen keyboards, or screen magnifiers?
From these two questions I determined that all of those surveyed were well aware of what assistive technologies are, however they all had less than 50 percent of their students using these tools.
While may not be the first thing someone thinks of when they think about assistive technology tools, an iBook created in iBook Author an Apple Accessibility tool, is an example of assistive technology. The following online flyer created in Smore explains how this in fact true.
In the online survey I also asked several educators about assistive technologies. I asked them:
How familiar are you with assistive technologies?
How many of your students use assistive technologies such as pencil grips, text to speech programs, on-screen keyboards, or screen magnifiers?
From these two questions I determined that all of those surveyed were well aware of what assistive technologies are, however they all had less than 50 percent of their students using these tools.
While may not be the first thing someone thinks of when they think about assistive technology tools, an iBook created in iBook Author an Apple Accessibility tool, is an example of assistive technology. The following online flyer created in Smore explains how this in fact true.
Additional resources for Digital Access & Assistive technologies
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation (Resources for spinal cord injuries)
Accessible Technology Coalition (Resource for assistive technology)
National Public Website on Assistive Technology (Provides technology related assistance)
ATAP: Association of Assistive Technology Act (National organization for assistive technologies)
Kirkwood Public Library (Resource for access to computers and the internet)
The Digital Access Project (Resource for communities with limited access to technology)
Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative (Resource for Delawareans with disabilities)
BroadBandUSA (Resouces from the Delaware Dept. of Technology & Information)
Accessible Technology Coalition (Resource for assistive technology)
National Public Website on Assistive Technology (Provides technology related assistance)
ATAP: Association of Assistive Technology Act (National organization for assistive technologies)
Kirkwood Public Library (Resource for access to computers and the internet)
The Digital Access Project (Resource for communities with limited access to technology)
Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative (Resource for Delawareans with disabilities)
BroadBandUSA (Resouces from the Delaware Dept. of Technology & Information)
Digital Citizenship by Tom DeMatteis is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.