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Bridging the Gap: Making Effective Use of the Curriculum
by Tamara Haspels

Data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2001 survey prompted the report A Nation Online, published by NTIA and the Economics and Statistics Administration. The report documents a consistent rise in Internet access throughout all segments of society and an even greater increase in previously underserved populations, including low-income and minority populations. This increase was credited, in part, to the existence of Community Technology Centers which have taken measured steps at addressing the digital divide. The data are encouraging and have been used to argue the non-existence of the digital divide.

Despite the consistently growing numbers of households with Internet access and computer skills, the people who still remain unaccounted for in the Information Age are most notably low-income, Hispanic and Black families. It should be alarming that access to technology can be delineated not only on the basis of class but on the basis of race. Lack of technology tools and skills exasperate differences in social, economic and personal advancement between those who “have” and those who “have not”. Limited technology resources are a major concern because lack of skills and access limit advancement in education and employment. This limit on resources will, in turn, exaggerate differences between those who ‘have’ and those who ‘have not’. This lack is what most of us have come to know as the ‘digital divide’.

The Benton Foundation report, published in response to A Nation Online, cites the necessity of federal leadership to address the digital divide (http://www.civilrights.org/publications/bringinganationonline/). In addition to funding for community technology programs that specifically address the needs of those who fall into the digital divide, the integration of technology into classrooms is also cited as an effective measure to promote equity. It is proposed that every student, including those who statistically remain accounted for in the Information Age, is given the opportunity to have Internet access and develop computer skills alongside their peers.

Other evidence supporting the integration of technology into schools indicates that students show increased motivation, confidence and collaboration when computers are used in the classroom (http://www.ed.gov/pubs/SER/Technology/ch9.html). As a result of these and other studies, schools have taken measured steps over the past few years to acquire these tools. Teachers may be familiar with various testimonies highlighting the positive effects on students when technology is used to enhance the curriculum. Teachers, however, may not be aware of how they can benefit from the use of technology. Some of the advantages of classroom technology use for teachers are enumerated in a section of the report, Technology and Education Reform:Technical Research Report, funded by Office of Educational Research and Improvement (http://www.ed.gov/pubs/SER/Technology/ch10.html). According to this research, the benefits for teachers include increased collaboration among teachers and with the outside world, increased professional development opportunities, increased self-esteem and morale, and less time spent on class preparation and lesson plans.

With technology on-site and the measurable advantages prompting its use, it is critical that teachers have the know-how to effectively integrate and implement these tools in the classroom. In many cases, students are more comfortable in front of a computer than their teachers. This is yet another aspect of the digital divide that needs to be addressed. The integration of computers into mainstream America is very recent, and even slight differences in age can exasperate differences in skill level. For all of those who did not grow up with computers, learning to use the computer can be particularly daunting at first, especially when others (students, for instance) flaunt their savvy. Teachers may need some encouragement to begin making effective use of technology in the classroom.

Given the advantages for teachers and students to integrate technology with the curriculum, and considering that an educator’s lack of knowledge about using these tools can inhibit the use of computers in the classroom, consider helping yourself or another teacher overcome their reservations about technology. This is a sure-fired means to address the digital divide in your community. Classroom activities that utilize technology are typically project-based learning experiences that necessitate a wide range of problem solving skills. These experiences give students the opportunity to actively participate in learning experiences that do not require teachers to be the sole facilitators. As such, the integration of technology with the curriculum closely parallels the integration of service-learning in the classroom. A service-learning project in your classroom may, in fact, ease the transition into other project-based classroom activities, such as using computers. Consider incorporating the two simultaneously. Technology can be used to assist an aspect of a service-learning project, or an entire service-learning project can be tailored towards addressing the digital divide by helping teachers acquire and feel more comfortable using technology in the classroom. For teachers who are already using technology in the classroom, consider having students help other teachers become familiar with these tools. They can present how technology has been and can be used to address the curriculum.

Teachers who do not yet consider themselves computer literate can be made aware of what the tools of the Information Age have to offer them and their students. Service-learning and computer-use in the classroom often require styles of teaching that are different from those traditionally used by teachers. Transitioning may seem overwhelming at first, but once these approaches are implemented, they are bound to make teaching easier on the educator. The effects and outcomes of these learning methodologies make computers and service-learning powerful resources to use as part of the curriculum.