Digital Divide Gap Analysis

Over the last few years we have seen many advances in technology. None are more evident than the changes we have seen in the classroom. For many years, classroom technology consisted of tools to help with teacher led instruction. Over the past few years, the shift has moved from teacher led to student centered learning. The same shift has occurred with educational technology.

One tool that illustrates this shift is Zaption. Zaption is an interactive way for videos to be used in the classroom. Through this software, educators can embed images, text, and questions into a video in order to keep the learner engaged and deepen their understanding of the topic. This allows educators to differentiate their instruction by giving the learner

For many years, the digital divide between white and black residents of our country. Based on government census of 2011, it is estimated that 76 percent of White households have access to a computer at home while only and average of 57 percent of Black and Hispanic have the same access at home (U.S. Census Bureau 2013). This lack of access could be one of the reasons for the digital divide we see in different races. In a study done in August 2000 by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, it was found that there was a greater factor than uneven access to computers at home, that was leading to the digital divide. That factor was the attitude different races had about the purpose of computer use. A couple of examples given were blacks were 69 percent more likely than whites to have listened to music online, and 45 percent more likely than online whites to play a game. In contrast white use of the web was to obtain news from it and get political information more often. They are also more likely than blacks to search for jobs and conduct work-related research on the internet. (Spooner, Rainie