When one hears the term digital divide it brings to mind an inadequacy in the access to technology, but within this specific ecosystem there are many contributing factors that have to be considered.  Specifically, there are three challenges that teachers, parents, and students will potentially face. The first is access to quality and up-to-date technology hardware and software.   As teachers and administrators know there is a greater demand to be able to provide students with up-to-date technology and quality computer programs.  This is an overwhelming challenge to overcome since most schools are experiencing cutbacks due to budget cuts within their states.  However, with this challenge there is a new opportunity to explore different types of creative learning environments for students.

 

One solution to this problem would to have students participate in mobile learning or mLearning.   With mLearning a student can bring their own device; whether a phone, tablet, or laptop computer from home to help alleviate the burden of school equipment usage.  Duggan and Smith, in their article, Cell Internet Use 2013, state that, ” ....63% of cell phone owners use their phones to go online.”  The authors also note that groups who predominantly use the internet on their cell phones are comprised of young adults, non-whites, the less educated, and the less affluent (Duggan and Smith, 2013).  With the average age of cellphones users being younger the chance for schools to increase student participation within the digital realm by allowing them to bring their own device to school could help greatly to close the digital divide.  

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The opportunities mLearning would provide to an educational environment are numerous.  Students could learn digital and information literacy on a device they feel comfortable with. Schools could also help to alleviate the need to provide technology for student learning, thus providing administrators the chance to shift the budget towards other goals, such as infrastructure to support mLearning.  In theory if schools allowed more students to bring their own devices a school would not need to provide as many devices, or would only accommodate those who would not be able to bring their own device.  Another opportunity mLearning presents is the ability for schools to increase their digital citizenship participation by having students interact more with each other in a safe and creative environment.  

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The second problem students, teachers, and parents may face is access to home computers and quality broadband services.  In 1994, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) conducted a survey to address the issue of the digital divide.  They found that across America, those with a lower education and income tended to have less access to computers at home (National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NITA), 2001).  Although computer access in homes has increased over the past decade, there is a lower instance of computer and broadband access in African American and Hispanic households (Sperling, 2013). To date, 30% of Americans do not have broadband access at home (Kruger and Gilroy, 2013).  Students from these backgrounds tend to not engage or have the opportunity to engage with digital devices on a daily basis.

 

The problem of adequate broadband services not only translates to homes, but to schools and libraries as well.  While mLearning could benefit schools with equipment issues it could present another challenge in providing students the power to navigate the Internet in a timely and effective manner. This could be especially challenging in rural areas where Internet connectivity is somewhat unreliable.  However, the challenge of quality broadband access may be changing in the near future.  If broadband access is viewed more as a utility, it would increase the importance of the Internet and allow individuals to access the information they need.

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The third problem, and one that is receiving the most attention, is the emphasis on digital and information literacy.  While many students are able to connect to the Internet via mobile devices, and while the number of people connecting to the internet via home computers continues to increase, thus closing the gap in terms of access to technology; the level at which students are able to locate, evaluate, and use digital information is deepening (Cancro, 2016).  Providing students with technology is only beneficial if they can successfully navigate and decipher the information they encounter.  Teachers and administrators need to work together to become well informed and educated on information research strategies that students can utilize to find information they are looking for.  Much evidence points to the fact that although digital natives know how to use technology they lack the know how to be able to adequately know where to find information for classes and papers and how to decipher this information once it is found.  Stressing the importance of properly vetting research resources and equipping teachers with more information on the process will help them to be able to better disseminate these strategies to their students thus increasing information literacy.