In this technological age in which we live, how equitable are the opportunities for all people to purchase, utilize, update, upkeep, integrate all of the technology needed to achieve success in their lives, whether that be via their school experience or everyday life?
Upon completion of this week’s debate, discussion, and readings, I would argue that technology, in fact, has created a less equitable society and has extended the digital divide in education.
Harvard Politics mentions…
“When all three of these phenomena — income inequality, the rise of technology, and education gaps — collide, it leads to troubling impacts on youth”
(https://harvardpolitics.com/education-tech-gaps/). Unfortunately, all three of these factors have a major impact on current educational opportunities for youth. At the root of these challenges is the all mighty dollar. Although I benefited from white privilege throughout my educational experience, there was less of a divide between me and my classmates in regards to technology and equity. We were not expected to use personal devices for any work at school. Therefore, students had equitable opportunities to complete work in the computer lab or on the classroom desktops. However, I always had the capability to use my computer at home, which would have been quite expensive for my parents to purchase, in order to complete homework and improve my skills and knowledge outside the classroom. Along with this, I never struggled with lack of technological access via the internet at home.
Not only are digital devices extremely expensive in today’s world, many families also struggle to keep up to broadband speeds with the increasing prices of home internet and mobile data.
“Although 61% of all households surveyed reported speeds above the CRTC minimum, this fell to 39% for households earning less than $40,000 a year” (Deloitte, 2022, p. 12).
Unfortunately, pandemic and “post-pandemic” education has focused lots of time and effort on technological tools that promote learning from home and keeping up with school work through digital services. Of course, as we discussed earlier in the course, it is possible the technology can enhance learning in the classroom, but can it really enhance learning for all when it is not accessible for all? I would say no.
Harvard also mentioned that, “These trends are racially defined as well: Most children with technology and internet access are White or Asian American” (https://harvardpolitics.com/education-tech-gaps/). If we extend this to Canada, we can compare this quote to Indigenous and northern communities that do not have the same availability or accessibility to technology.
Having benefited from privilege as a white male, it would be easy for me to believe that technology could create a more equitable society if only focusing on my own experience. Unfortunately, we know that is not reality for many people in Canada, and it leads to a digital divide for our students we teach. Technology has been utilized in positive ways to promote equality, justice, education, etc. However, it continues to reinforce power inequities between the rich and the poor.
There are strategies mentioned this week that can lead to bridging the gap of technological equity. Some of these strategies include:
-partnering with community members and companies to provide more opportunities for students that do not have technological access or devices
-providing funding for communities that do not have access to technology (easier said than done!)
-working with families, community members, and stakeholders to build relationships and find the best strategies for education that does not require technology in its current form.
In a perfect world, all people would have equitable access to technology. Unfortunately, the data shows that this is far from the case in our own schools, communities, and across the globe. Hopefully, policy makers, educational leaders, and teacher will take this into account when developing educational practices moving forward.
Thanks for this Mike. The statistics you shared in your post are compelling arguments for the “disagree” side of the debate. As you stated, equity is based on more than just the “existence” of certain technology. Unfortunately, technology has not had the same positive impact on education for all learners. The pandemic highlighted this inequity. Funding for, access to, and education around technology all play a role in how that tech will be of benefit to its users. If we could see these strategies implemented more widely, maybe we would see more benefits for more people.
“-partnering with community members and companies to provide more opportunities for students that do not have technological access or devices
-providing funding for communities that do not have access to technology (easier said than done!)
-working with families, community members, and stakeholders to build relationships and find the best strategies for education that does not require technology in its current form.”
I appreciate the focus on what can be done, Mike. I found myself becoming pretty pessimistic as I wrote my post, and as I was reading other posts. This is simply because we all recognize that technology is yet another reflection of the inequity that exists, and there is no quick or realistic fix for that inequity. Thus, I do appreciate the reminder that just because we can’t fix this systemic inequity doesn’t mean we stop trying to make our own spaces better; we need to continue to do what we can to effect change where it is possible and useful.