Fighting the Digital Divide

How to Help Students Participate in the IT Revolution

By: Eric Durrand

In the 21st Century, most schoolchildren will find their first job online, pay their first bill online, shop, communicate, and even find their soul-mate using tools that did not exist ten years ago!

The IT (Information Technology) revolution is sweeping not just individual businesses and homes, but the culture itself: Changing the way we interact with each other; bringing innovation into areas of life unchanged for thousands of years.

Unfortunately, not everyone can enjoy the tremendous benefits of Information Technology: Whether writing a school paper - using the power of word processing software - researching the vast anthology of knowledge available online, or simply communicating in a fun and creative way; children must have both resources and knowledge in order to enter this new world of possibilities.

A survey conducted in 2000 by the U.S. Department of Commerce, revealed that only 51% of U.S. homes actually had a computer, and only 41.5% of U.S. homes had Internet access. Those children, growing without access to or guidance in new technologies, are at risk of being left behind, unable to earn a decent wage, study effectively, or gain access to information crucial to their social and professional development
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The first step in helping children participate in the Information Technology revolution is to provide them with the proper resources: Computers, Secure and Content-Managed Internet, well chosen multimedia and commonly used productivity software. Simply having those around, however, is not enough.

"A narrow definition of the digital divide focuses on access to computers and the Internet" writes Kevin Taglang of the Benton Foundation, a nonprofit organization running the Digital Divide Network (www.digitaldividenetwork.org), "But access alone does not bridge the technology gap. To realize the potential of today's information tools, people need the skills to operate them to better their lives and the health of their communities".

Children need to learn basic skills that are the cornerstone of computer literacy: What is a computer file? What is the difference between Hardware and Software, and how does each operate? How to find quality information on the Internet? How to use word processing tools to create great-looking papers? How to acquire new computer skills by themselves?

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Computer Basics, helps students and teachers with everything they need to know about starting, operating and enjoying computers. Another recommended book is Kids and Computers: Helping Children Get the Most from a Computer, which focuses on the basic computer skills children must acquire in order to benefit from the full potential of computing.

Children could be taught how to handle complex tasks, like PC maintenance, online research, computer programming, website building and design, in advanced training.

The digital divide begins early in life: How much Information Technology education a student will have greatly depends on the facilities provided by the school and the ability of the school to train. How well you are prepared to teach Information Technology concepts is the first step to beating the digital divide.