The document discusses the digital divide, which is defined as the gap between those who have access to technology and the internet and those who do not. It notes that while technology and mobile media are growing, rural areas still lack access. It then examines factors that contribute to the digital divide such as income, education, age, gender, and urban/rural differences. The impacts of the digital divide on students and teachers are also summarized, including lack of opportunities, resources and skills development for those without access. Finally, ways to address the digital divide are proposed, such as providing affordable access through schools, libraries, and training programs.

1. The Title : The Digital Divide
Student Name: Maha Aljehani
Student Number: 17489318

2. INTRODUCTION
- Mobile media and technology is growing rapidly with the passage of time.
- Nonetheless rural areas are still unable to have access to the knowledge and
information technologies.

3. WHAT IS A DIGITAL DIVIDE
• Digital divide is the difference and the gap between the people who have ready access
to the technology and those who are deprived of it.
• It is social and economic inequality between two groups.
• Provision of technology difference in the rich and poor schools.
• While the same pattern of Information and Communication technologies (ICT) does not
prevail all over the world, digital divide occurs.

4. FOR INSTANCE
Australia is a fast country
to adopt of any new
technology ,but it is still there
is a digital divide which the
government is trying to fix it
(Patricia & Edgar, 2009 ).
“The number of dwellings with
access to the internet increased
from 35% in 2001 to 63% by the
2006 Census”(Patricia & Edgar,
2009 ).

5. VIEWS OF THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
• like everything technology has its good and bad aspects that mainly worries
parents.
-There are fears of
passivity, physical
inactivity, pornography
etc.
-While if technology is abandoned
because of these fears than
children will lack exposure and
skill acquisition.

6. IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION AND
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
• Today ICT is necessary because of the following reasons as McLaren & Zappala
(2002) mentioned :
Economic participation as people search and apply for employment via
technology, also some jobs have ICT competency as prerequisites.
Education and life long learning is made easy as they provide ‘online
schooling’ for children who do not have direct access to schools and live in
remote areas.

7. IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION AND
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY
Access to services, as most of the government services like billing, paying and
accessing online services ,discounts are made via internet and are cost effective.
Socially people communicate and remain in contact via internet. That is
cost effective and less time consuming.
Political participation is also becoming easier via internet as most of the campaigns
are launched online. Also internet is the key communication channel between the
electorates

8. WHY DIGITAL DIVIDE OCCURS
• Following factors constructs the digital divide (McLaren & Zappala,2002):

9. The level of income and the earning is the basic factor that determine the usage of technology.
That is the reason why families with low-incomes have less or no access to ICT.
Study at National Center for Social and Economic Modelling (NATSEM) has revealed that
educational attainment of a student is a strong predictor of having computer and internet
access at home. Students that have university education are 2.5 times more likely to have
internet access.
FACTORS
OF
DIGITAL DIVIDE:

10. • The digital divide is directly connected to the rural-urban divide. Surveys have
shown that the growth of ICT in metropolitan areas is twice the growth in the non-
metropolitan areas.
• People above the age of 55 are less likely to indulge in the technology based
learning as compared to the young generation.
• Even though it is unclear, still the statistics reveal that females utilize ICT less than
males.
FACTORS
OF
DIGITAL DIVIDE:

11. Blue collar workers are less likely to indulge in the internet usage as compared to the
white collar workers as based on their income and other facilities.
Families with children are more likely to have computer and internet aces at home
than the families that do not have children.
CONT.

12. IMPACT OF DIGITAL DIVIDE ON STUDENTS
•Deprivation of
access to these
facilities is
affecting the
students in
various ways such
as inexperienced
for future work,
cut off from
opportunities and
disconnected from
friends.
•Educational
inequality exists
for some students
because having
home Internet
access is
necessary for
student’s
educational
performance.
Information and communication technology has
become the necessity of today’s world.

13. IMPACT OF DIGITAL DIVIDE ON STUDENTS
CONT.
They chances of
interaction,
communication,
growth and
development of the
student who don’t
have access to the
technology are much
less than the other.
For the students, who
cannot access the
technology their
resources are limited
and they are
considered seriously
disadvantaged.
With technology, the
students need to put
extra effort in school to
meet the standards of
those who have
technology access at
home and can take
assistance.

14. IMPACT OF DIGITAL DIVIDE ON STUDENTS
CONT.
Access to the
technology shape,
formulate and widen
the perspective of the
students, therefore the
students who are on
the other side of the
digital divide lack the
strength of their
perspectives.
Students who have the
access to the
technology feels ease
in their research
projects where as
those who are deprived
could not access the
online information.
Some students have
inequalities chances
in access to good
schooling because
of digital divide.

15. IMPACT OF DIGITAL DIVIDE ON TEACHERS
Digital divide has its own set of impacts on the teachers as well.
•Teachers are trained to use the technology efficiently in the learning process of the
student.
•Also, teachers need to set ground rules and expectations technological devices in
class
•Smith Family found a new digital divide in Australia which is such that inequality is
not only that which is reflected in a relative access or possession of media forms but
also a lack of skills as well as opportunities for the usage of technology for the social
inclusion(Patricia & Edgar, 2009 ).

16. IMPACT OF DIGITAL DIVIDE ON TEACHERS
CONT.
•Online assistance should be provided by the teacher to the student so that they can
gain help as whenever they want (Victoria, 2009).
•Teachers need to maintain proper educational material on their online websites and
blogs so that students can utilize them(Victoria, 2009).
•It is the main responsibility if the teachers to keep a check how the technology is
used.

17. IMPACT OF DIGITAL DIVIDE ON TEACHERS
CONT.
•For the students who are on the other side of the digital divide, the teachers needs
to focus on them more to help them meet the other students.
•Moreover, for the students who do not have technology access, the teacher needs
to teach the student in detail and help him in extra hours so he can cope up with the
new era.

18. • Classrooms
should be
advanced in
technology in order
to efficiently teach
students (McLaren
& Zappala , 2002).
THE DIGITAL DIVIDE ON SCHOOLS
• Build more
commuter labs to
provide the
students access to
technology
(Ideaslab, n.d.).
• The labs and
libraries should be
open all the time for
students who do not
have computer and
internet access at
home.

19. CUTTING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Students should
be provided
computer and
internet access
at schools and
colleges .
Students should be
given computers
and internet access
on discounted
rates.
schools can play
an important role
in the awareness
of children.

20. The society need for programs such as Learning
for Life that target help families in financial lack to
meet some of the issues linked with their
children's education.
CUTTING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
The LFL program is The Smith Family’s learning for life program which looks into the
increase within the participation of children from disadvantaged families within the
educational process through the provision of educational as well as financial support
(McLaren & Zappala, 2002).

21. CUTTING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
•There is a need of training programs specially the programs that focus
on the dual-generation approach within which parents as well as
children are targeted.
•Parental control should be applied to avoid negative usage.
•Parents should be education on the importance of the technology
access (McLaren & Zappala, 2002).

22. CUTTING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
•A priority in the policy should be finding of ways through which the
low income families can be provided with internet.
•Libraries and internet cafes should also allow students to access
internet 24/7.
•There are however cost factors that have to be taken into
consideration.

23. CUTTING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
In the given video, Nelson Mandela states on cutting
the digital divide:
ww.youtube.com/watch?v=ByrFRhNSXMk

24. • The digital divide is a lot more than a simple division within the access of hardware and technology
as to those who do not have access to it.
• It can be said that digital divide is not only about the physical access but it is mainly about ensuring
that the people have the right kind of resources as well as the skill set in order to utilize technology.
• Technology usage is the most vital form of educating children now a days so, every one should be
able to access the information from anywhere.
• Measures should be taken to eradicate the causes of the digital divided so that the world can
prosper together.

25. • PATRICIA& Edgar. D. (2009). The digital divide holding back disadvantaged kids. Retrieved from Crikey:
http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/02/09/the-digital-divide-holding-back-disadvantaged-kids/
• McLaren, J., & Zappala, G. (2002).The 'digital divide' among financially disadvantaged families in Australia. First Monday, 7(11).
Retrieved from: http://www.firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1003/924
• Ideaslab. (n.d.). Retrieved from Ideaslab: http://www.ideaslab.edu.au/
• IT Global, T. (2013). Technology. Retrieved from Taking IT Global: http://issues.tigweb.org/technology
• Victoria, S. o. (2009, July). Teacher Home Page. Retrieved from FUSE(DEECD):
https://fuse.education.vic.gov.au/pages/Teacher.aspx