The Digital Divide and Social Justice
Equality and Inequality in Education
The digital divide has become more clear in education during this decade. Despite the rapid increase of technology around the world. The digital divide still exists and increasing between people in many fields like education, economy, and health services, etc. Eubanks defines the digital divide “a product of social structure and institutionalized inequalities.” (Eubanks, 2011, p. 42). The digital divide is the gap between people who (have and not have) access to technology. People who cannot get all benefits like people who access to technology, rich and poor, skilled and non-skilled people (Eisenman, 2018). People who have Internet access can get all the knowledge and resources they need through the internet, but people who have not, get limited knowledge and resources. The expansion of modern technology leads to the growing of the digital divide. Therefore, many organizations and researchers today, looking for real solutions how to bridge the gap in the digital divide.
In Education, many students around the world, even in developed countries like the US and UK, are struggling because of the inequality they faced as a result of using technology in schools. However, in this era, many schools depend on the technologies to transform education to students. Teachers give students homework or require students to do some tasks through the internet. On the other side, some students are not skilled with technology, or they have not internet in their house because poverty or they live in a rural area and there is no internet service. That is an example of the digital dived I have faced during my experience in teaching. Also, I have the same issue because I live in a small town where is the internet service is very slow.

To help students who are facing the digital divide. We need to hear from students and study their situation and knowing their requirements and give them a solution to bridge the gap. Eubanks (2011) said, “alternative solution to high-tech equity dilemmas should be developed that leverage and diverse local knowledge to build networks based on truth, trust, reciprocity, and reconciliation.”. To fill the gap between students, who have skilled with technology and who have not, we have to teach students how to deal with technology such as computer skills or the technology they need to improve their education. We have to support students to be equal and have the same chance of learning. Then, those students can transform the skills and knowledge they have learned to their family members and society where they live. That can make some improvement in social justice in education.

Students live in a low-income family have the challenge to access online resources. I faced this problem in the town where I live. Students live in wealthy family possess Smartphone, Tablet or laptop, or their parents have in the home, but, other students who live in the low-income family and there is no one of their family have any technical devices. They are struggling to access online resources from home. Department of education provides Tablet to everyone in the school to give all students same equality in learning. This solution helps students and improve their performance of education.

Students are thinking about a real solution that gives them equity. According to (Eubanks, 2011, p. 48), when she said “I talked to women in YWCA about developing high-tech equity agenda,” “they were concerned with justice, not access.”. Students need justice more than access to technology. When they get justice, they will become equal to other, and they can access technology. Social justice in education should help students, and give them the equity they need to learn, like other students who have technology in their hands. Social justice is the important point in education, which could bridge the gap in the digital divide.
There are many other solutions to help students to pass the gap in the digital divide and improve their achievement in education to be equal with other students. Blended learning can be on of that solutions. However, according to Horn, Staker, and Christensen (2015), there are four models of blended learning: Rotation, Flex, A LA Carts, and Enriched Virtual models. Those kinds of blended learning are using in education to help students to learn fast as technology is growing fast. Also, blended learning can help students who have some learning difficulties to overcome the learning difficulties they have, with some control by their teacher or supervisor.

Horn et al. (2015) gave an example of A LA Carte model, this model of blended learning gives student an online course, and student need to attend brick-and-mortar school, students can study some courses are not provided in their school by this model in their school, the Abraham family in Texas, lives in a remote area. Their father wants his children to attend top universities. But they required to study some courses are not available in their school. This is a kind of the digital divide and inequity, because social justice, where students who live in the metropolitan area can study what they need. Finally, the school used A LA Carte model to help students to study that courses. Three of Abraham’s family admitted to Harvard, Notre Dame, and Stanford Universities.
Students have not laptops or any technical devices in their home. Lap Rotation is a kind of blended learning can help students to learn through the computer lab in the school during the class time or after school time. In my country, some schools open after school time (from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM), to let student using the facilities in the school like computer Lap and Internet service. Also, Schools provide free courses to students and their families. This can help to bridge the gap in the digital divide for students who have not technology and help society.
Governments can grant all students free access to the Internet or reasonable cost of service. Today is the era of technology. We have to recognize that and help people to be a part of the technology age. Governments must give all students the same equality in education to get the same opportunities in the future. Governments, companies, universities, schools, and policymakers around the world are responsible for social justice. They have to work with each other and provide real solutions to help people who are struggling and losing their opportunity in the life because of the digital divide.
References:
Eisenman, R. (2018). Reducing the Digital Divide. Journal of Information Ethics, 27(1), 12.
Eubanks, V. (2011). Digital dead end: Fighting for social justice in the information age. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.
Horn, M. B., Staker, H., & Christensen, C. M. (2015). Blended: Using disruptive innovation to improve schools. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.