1. Digital Inequality: Difference in Young Adults’ Use of the Internet by Eszter Hargittai
This article looks past users/non-users and examines people’s web use: what they use the internet for and their ability to use the internet. It briefly discusses the fact that young adults use the internet, but not all young adults use the internet for the same activities. After looking at data regarding internet use of young adults throughout the United States, the article looks at social differences that may explain differences in activity. Eszter concludes that people with higher levels of education and more privileged background use the internet for “capital enhancing” activities, while people with less education who are from less privileged backgrounds use the internet for more recreational activities. Data also suggests that one’s online skills also influence types of online activity. Eszter and her colleagues examine a “second-level digital divide” which reveals the difference in internet use among young adults.
http://www.eszter.com/research/pubs/A25.Hargittai.Hinnant-DigitalInequality.pdf
http://www.eszter.com/research/pubs/A25.Hargittai.Hinnant-DigitalInequality.pdf
2. Digital Inequality: From Unequal Access to Differentiated Use by Eszter Hargittai
This essay looks at both inequalities due to unequal access to technology, as well as inequality due to different groups of people using the internet for different reasons and activities. This paper focuses on 5 main elements of the analysis of the digital divide:
- The “haves” and “have not’s” of internet access, and how these groups have changed
- Is access to the internet the same as access to other forms of technology that provide users with information
- Inequalities that exist among the “haves”: how different uses can benefit users more than other ones
- Does access to the internet allow influence one’s ability to create a better life for themselves
- With technology changing, the implementation of more regulations, and further industrialization, is the
- concept of the Digital Divide actually something we need to worry about
3. The Digital Divide and What to Do About It by Eszter Hargittai
In present day society, the quote “knowledge is power” is very much true, which is seen through the link between the distribution of knowledge and stratification. Both academic researchers and professionals that deal with policies have shifted their focus to the benefits received by populations that have access to and use the internet. Although the diffusion of the internet has increased, it’s spread among different groups has been unequal both within the United States and in other countries. This essay focuses on
- Inequalities in internet access among individuals in the United States
- Patterns of connectedness across the United States
- Inequalities among producers in the internet community looking to expand their audience
4. The Impact of Media and Technology in Schools by Thomas C. Reeves
This research report, which was prepared for the Bertelsmann Foundation, summarizes evidence that media and technology have positive effects on teaching and learning in four sections. The first section is an introduction to important issues involved in the growing interest in media and technology in schools; it differentiates between using media and technology as a “tutor” and using media and technology as a tool to enable and enhance critical thinking and higher learning. The second section features an in-depth analysis of using technology for tutorials, and the third section features an in-depth analysis of using technology as a tool to facilitate necessary skills. The last section focuses on knowledge regarding the impact media and technology has in schools and offers solutions on how to improve further research on this topic.
5. Insisting on Digital Equality: Refraining the Dominant Discourse on Multicultural Education and Technology by Paul C. Gorski
The author of this article talks about how conversations regarding technology in education only focus on the great websites and software that should be used, but the main focus should be availability. The author challenges those who work with multicultural learning and technology to focus on eliminating digital inequalities because closing the digital divide is the only way to produce education that can benefit people from all of the different cultural backgrounds, which is essential considering the United States’ diverse population.
http://www.edchange.org/publications/digital-equity.pdf
http://www.edchange.org/publications/digital-equity.pdf
6. Drake, Jr., Ph.D., Johnnie E. The Washington, DC Digital Divides: A State of Digital Disparity. Capella University, 2008. Print.Computer usage has become essential to Americans, specifically internet access and adequate skills with software. Computers are now being used in employment settings and school, so a citizen who wishes to be successful must possess the necessary skills and have access to the internet. However, computers and internet are not as readily available for certain populations. The term “Digital Divide” conveys the idea that there is a rift between the “information rich” and the “information poor.” There is not merely a gap between the two that can be ignored; the differences are much more complex and important.
7. Zhao, Ling, Yaobin Lu, Wayne Huang, and Qiuhong Wang. "Internet Inequality: The Relationship between High School Students’ Internet Use in Different Locations and Their Internet Self-efficacy". Computers & Education 55.4 (2010): 1405-423. Print.
7. Zhao, Ling, Yaobin Lu, Wayne Huang, and Qiuhong Wang. "Internet Inequality: The Relationship between High School Students’ Internet Use in Different Locations and Their Internet Self-efficacy". Computers & Education 55.4 (2010): 1405-423. Print.
Using the DiMaggio and Hargittai's framework for examining digital inequality, the authors looked at many types of relationships between internet inequality and their effects on high school students. In this study, they looked at the many different uses of internet among students, as well as influences from non-technological factors, like authority and parent influence. Their findings claim that internet access, whether it be at home, school, or in a cafe, was linked to higher levels of ISE(internet self efficacy). They also found that students with higher levels of ISE demonstrated better academic performance. This article details their research process and findings.
8. Morse, Timothy E. Ensuring Equality of Educational Opportunity in the Digital Age. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2004. Print.This article discusses the different meanings of the term digital divide, which is used to describe the inequities between social groups in regards to acquiring computer and internet access. Also discusses ways of addressing these inequalities. This argument is based off of the Brown v. Board of Education case, which stated that educational opportunities should be equal for all students, regardless of their race.
9. Song, Felicia W. "Being Left Behind: the Discourse of Fear in Technological Change." Hedgehog Review (2003). Print.
9. Song, Felicia W. "Being Left Behind: the Discourse of Fear in Technological Change." Hedgehog Review (2003). Print.
Argues that American society has become obsessed with the “no child left behind” concept and is blaming technological process as an exclusive part of society. Technology is being used more in society, and with the introduction to the term the “Digital Divide”, society is starting to fear that certain students are not receiving enough training in technology to prepare them for a secondary education or the workforce.
10. Using Technology to Support Education Reform by Means, B., Blando, J., Olson, K., Middleton, T., Morocco, C. C., Remz, A. R., & Zorfass, J.
This research report, which was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, looks at the American Education System and its need for reform. Many research support the idea of implementing technology into education because they believe it will promote "superior forms of learning." This research paper focuses on how technology can be used in the classroom, how teachers as well as students can use technology as support, how technology will affect student achievement, and methods that can be used to implement technology into our classrooms.
This research report, which was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, looks at the American Education System and its need for reform. Many research support the idea of implementing technology into education because they believe it will promote "superior forms of learning." This research paper focuses on how technology can be used in the classroom, how teachers as well as students can use technology as support, how technology will affect student achievement, and methods that can be used to implement technology into our classrooms.
