The Inequalities of the Digital Divide. Is E-Learning a Solution?

     The U.S. faces technological segregation based on access, digital literacy, and cultural

limitations.  Both urban and rural areas feel the effect of the digital divide more than suburban areas.  This is, in large part, due to socioeconomic status and ethnicity.  The digital divide affects large numbers of African Americans and Latinos.  Many rural areas remain out of range for internet services, and even those that can access the internet often can only use dial-up modems, placing them at quite a disadvantage compared to broadband users.  The digital access of African Americans and Latinos falls well behind that of whites and Asian-Americans .  In addition, digital literacy, a measure of how comfortably one uses technology based on previous experiences, also plays a role in the digital divide.  Discrepancies in technology instruction occur across the U.S. and tend to be impacted by geographic location, socioeconomic status, and race.  Also, students from more privileged socioeconomic backgrounds are encouraged to develop computer skills, making them less anxious about using technology.  A discrepancy in how students use computers exists, too.  Students from low socioeconomic backgrounds use computers to do rote exercise and present existing material, whereas students from high socioeconomic backgrounds use computers to research, edit papers, and perform statistical analyses.  Cultural implications, such as teachers allowing male students more time to access technology, contribute to the digital divide. 

     E-learning is a possible solution to give low-income students a quality education.  The basic draw of e-learning is that students of certain geographic and socioeconomic locations can access distant educational opportunities without ever leaving their home / community.  Skeptics view e-learning as impersonal.  The ability to foster online communities rests largely in the hands of instructors that teach e-courses, therefore, teachers need training in how to teach classes online. 

. 

Journell, W. (2007).  The inequalities of the digital divide: Is e-learning a solution? E-Learning, (4), 138-149.