Abstract As technology moves at a rapid pace it is important to review how students from low socio economic areas are catered for. Schools in these areas face many challenges; how they address these issues impacts on the students’ participation and skills as digital and global citizens. The government is implementing policies and funding to reduce the digital divide, but is it enough to prepare students from low socio economic areas to function effectively as digital citizens.

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Is your Classroom a reflection
of the Industrial Age ?

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Digital citizenship:
Informed &
participatory
citizenry,
whose online
behaviours
uphold legal,
ethical, safe,
responsible
& respectful
use of
technology
Manitoba education (2006, p17)

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Are you setting less
confident students drill
and practice problems
on the computer?
...Whilst the digitally literate
students access creative
work?
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9. •Advantaged students use ICT in instrumental ways
eg. sending emails, research and collaborative
projects
•Disadvantaged students use ICT for entertainment
purposes and are subjected to remedial drills
eg. downloading music.

10. Schools must provide students with
‘equality in access’ and ‘equity in opportunity’.
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11. Discussion Questions
•Should the school refuse to advocate spending large amounts of the
budget on technology and increase funds spent on training teachers to
integrate these technologies in progressive and sound ways?
•Should the school have an instructional technology specialist who is
also a trained teacher educator, employed to assist teachers, students
and the community in learning about digital citizenship and using new
technologies, whilst providing technology support to fix computers?
•Are you a digital immigrant? What professional strategies or networks
will you undertake to become or remain digitally literate to provide the
best experiences and knowledge to support your students as digital
citizens?

12. Recommended readings
Banister, S., & Fischer, J. (2010). Overcoming the Digital Divide: The Story of an
Urban Middle School. Mid-Western Educational Researcher, 23(2), 2-8.
Gibbs, M. G., Dosen, A, J., & Guerrero, R, B. (2011). Bridging the Digital Divide:
Changing the technological landscape of Inner-City Catholic Schools. Urban
Education, 44(11) 11-29. Doi:10.1177/0042085908318528.
Morse, T, E. (2004). Ensuring Equality of Educational Opportunity in the Digital
Age. Education and Urban Society, 36(3), 266-279.
Doi:10.1177/0013124504264103.
Owen, M.( 2008). The Digital Divide and Social Justice, Barriers to Citizenship in
the Information Society. Honors Colloquium on Communication and Social Justice,
Dr. Shannon B. Campbell. Retrieved March 25th, 2011 from
http://meredithowen.net/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/digital_divide.4122532.pdf
Snyder, I., & Nieuwenhuysen, J. (2010). Closing the Gap in Education? Victoria,
Australia: Monash University Publishing.