New forms of digital divide

Bandwidh divide could bar some people from online learning

The digital divide had been a hot topic during years. Developed countries and regions  are now noticing the rise of another kind of divide: a “bandwidth divide”. Even with internet connections available at home or schools, new online tools and services require fast and stable broadband connections and some students did not have enough internet bandwidth at their homes, according to the article in CHE.

Can the iPad Rescue a Struggling American Education System?

Some of us may believe that the digital divide is behind us because personal computers are ubiquitous. Jeffrey Young’s story about the recent failure of an e-textbook effort in a wealthy school district outside Washington, D.C demonstrates the opposite: students did not have enough.

One more sign of digital divide in a new form is discussed in the Wired article about iPad successful use in schools, growing so fast that they become a requirement for students’ learning at school and doing homework – and not every family can afford it.

Read the full Wired article >>

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