Chapter 8: Partnering with Teachers to Bridge Digital Divides

Developing a digitally literate and technologically savvy populace are global priorities. School systems are charged with educating students in these digital literacies (Epstein, Nisbet, & Gillespie, 2011). Nonetheless, and despite increased availability of technology in schools throughout the world, a digital divide persists in schools (Incantalupo, Treagust & Koul, 2014; Warschauer, Cotten & Ames, 2011). This divide often runs along socioeconomic status, as well as racial and ethnic lines (Pearce & Rice, 2013). One reason these divides persist is that they are not simply a matter of availability of technology (Tate, Warschauer, & Abedi, 2016). Whereas the proliferation of internet connected devices beginning in the early 2000s has bridged technological access gaps, gaps in skills and usage persist (van Dijk, 2017). In school, the persistent gap in student skill and use of digital technology also suggests that digital divides are part of a larger systemic gap and should not be viewed in isolation (Irvine, 2010).