The Other Digital Divide

We’ve heard of the digital divide, that is not everyone having equal access to technology, but there is another divide which has just as much impact, a lack of skill with those devices.

A lack of digital competency means teachers and learners alike lack the skills to make digital learning work.

Teachers want parents to play a bigger role in their child’s digital learning but a lack of parental understanding of digital tools/platforms limits the effectiveness of support available to their children. Disadvantaged students tended to receive less educational support from their parents and families making the issue worse.  

Students need to take an active role in their learning. Independent learning gives students valuable screen-free time and removes some of the pressures disadvantaged students feel to be online for a full day when struggling with poor internet connection, limited access to a device, or high data costs.

Digital competency skills among educators, students, and parents need to be built through constant learning, moving away from sporadic ‘upskilling’ to ‘always-skilling’ where teachers have regular training touchpoints, ensuring that digital knowledge does not become outdated.

Governments around the world need to prioritise investments that support affordable access to reliable internet connections and devices. Governments should actively collaborate with teachers and students and use their recent experiences to inform future policy and curriculum development with a focus on free resources to address the skills gap, and on wellbeing and mental health.

The findings come from Oxford University Press’ (OUP) report, Addressing the Deepening Digital Divide which captured the views of 1,557 school and English language teachers from 92 countries – including Australia – on the digital divide, including the barriers to effective teaching and learning, and the impact of the divide on learners’ development.

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