The other day I came across this image on Twitter and saw an opportunity to discuss its purpose. Being a graduate student studying education technology, the idea of digital divide is a common concept that is mentioned. The separation of those who have technology access and those that don’t is a major issue especially with k-12 education.
This image focuses on what happens when technology gets integrated into education and a different type of divide that can occur called the digital use divide. Schools and universities may utilize these technologies in an active or passive way. If the institutions are following the passive use of their technology it holds back the potential it can bring to enhancing the classroom curriculum and student’s needs.
In an article I found about the digital use divide, it includes the meaningful quote “It’s not enough to have the connectivity; it’s not enough to have the smartphones” (Roscorla, 2016). I find that explains it well because if you have laptops, computers, tablets, etc. in the classroom but you are not using the technologies to enhance your lesson plans, you are missing out and your students are too. By taking the active use approach with technology, your students have the ability to design and create digital content and participate in online collaboration which is fun, different, and useful for their future.
Roscorla, T. (2016). Education Leaders Need to Bridge the Digital Use Divide. Retrieved from https://www.govtech.com/education/higher-ed/How-Education-Leaders-Can-Bridge-the-Digital-Use-Divide.html
Jake Dalton 
That article is super interesting. I’ve only ever see the digital divide talked about regarding access outside of school. One quote from the article I found particularly relevant to my district was, “Without buy-in and leadership from a superintendent, this type of shift won’t happen, said South. A teacher can make a difference in a classroom, but it takes executive support to pivot an entire school district” (Roscorla, 2016). We have a lot of great things happening at the classroom level, and we have district-level infrastructure support, but not a lot of top-down modeling of innovation. Thanks for giving me something to think about this morning!
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Yeah I did not really think of the digital use divide before, but it is something I feel educators of all levels should take more seriously and discuss. As you mention, classrooms and district levels are helping but more needs to done to make better use of what technologies we have. Maybe the higher-ups on the pay grade need to be more involved in the planning and research process to help bridge the gap.
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I hear about this in other districts, unfortunately, it’s digital inequality. I wish they could donate unused technology from wealthier districts and donate them to the less fortunate ones (wishful thinking).
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I find it to be disappointing when districts or schools within the same district, do not necessarily have the same tech resources and can be quite uneven. It would be nice if unused tech could be donated to other schools that lack the resources.
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The image made me wonder how teachers choose to use technology. It also made me realize that there are so many teachers that lack creativity.
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