The digital divide wasn’t something that I had put much thought into until covid-19 caused schools to move to online learning. Talking to parents and seeing their frustration and worry about how their three children are going to share one device to access zoom lessons and submit their work at the end of the week was a real wake up call.

Just because a student has access to the internet and a device to access it does not mean they have equal opportunities compared to others. A student with their own device that is theirs alone compared to one family desktop that is shared with multiple children and parents who may be working from home are two different situations.

As educators we need to be aware that the digital divide is a real thing and not only refers to the access of internet but also skills of users, blocked sites and restrictions imposed upon students by others. It is benneficial as teachers to keep this is mind when students are asked to complete tasks away from school. Are we making it fair for all students? If the asssessment has not been completed is it because they don’t have the means at home to do what is required?

The school in which I work uses library times and the expertise of the teacher librarian to assist students in completing assessment items, allowing students to have fair access to the internet and one to one devices that allows them to research and ask for help when needed. This is a very different approach from when I was in school or high school in which tasks were set and if we didn’t have access to the internet we were expected to get ourselves to the public library to borrow books on the topic or use the internet there. As educators we need to be encouraging students to collaborate, create and share but in a space where it is fair for all and the circumstances in which you come from don’t dictate your ability to do well at school.