The digital divide is both a local and a global phenomenon.
Here is an interesting article about children in Ethiopia being introduced to technology.
The Effects of Privatization of Education
On their website, the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO) suggests a high quality education should be a ‘basic human right in the Canadian Constitution’ in order to ensure a strong public school system. They maintain that governments are undermining the public education system by funding private schools, and that corporate involvement should only be allowed in schools if it meets an educational need. They outline how privatization relinquishes the control of the access to, and quality of, educational resources and has the potential of perpetuating the ‘have’ versus ‘have-not’ phenomenon.
This article demonstrates how even tutoring is a form of privatization and, as such, raises the same concerns – it is being used to compensate for cuts to the public system and it is not available to those in the lower socioeconomic groups.
Discussion Questions
- What do you feel is the most challenging issue facing the future of educational technology as a result of ‘the digital divide’?
- What are your experiences with ‘have’ vs ‘have-not’ schools? What is the impact on the students, parents and teachers?