Running Head: DIGITAL DIVIDE

Roots in Technology: Bridging the Digital Divide with STEM Education

Nathan Shrader

GEN499: General Education Capstone

Dr. Armando Perez

November 13, 2017

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Roots in Technology: Bridging the Digital Divide with STEM Education

Technology is progressing at rapid rates and today it is as easy as pressing a button to pay

your bills, message someone across the world, or make a phone call from anywhere. With this

ease of access, it is easy to book a vacation or even pursue higher education. Technology is not

just computers and cell phones it builds cities and develops new methods and processes. In the

age of technology, one might think that access is readily granted but is contrary to those that

believe this. The digital divide is real and an awkward gap to bridge due to many

underdeveloped countries that lack the access and capabilities. Making even the smallest steps

toward technology accessibility would benefit underserved areas allowing for their technological

advancement. Having the ability to make these resources readily available could help grant

access and advance not only personal capacities but stimulate economies and increase education

levels making a countries markets more competitive. How to accomplish this will be

challenging, but the rewards make it worth a countries time and money. Overcoming the digital

divide is possible through enforcing government regulations to provide STEM education to

economically underdeveloped economies. Science and technology-based programs will make

dependant countries more sustainable and competitive in global markets, increase the national

education average, and teach transferable skills that can provide limitless opportunities.

Problem

The term digital divide was coined in the mid nineties by Al Gore in a speech that

explained the distribution of personal computers into households within different socio-economic

brackets. With the coming of a new century this opened up a debate about internet access that
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became a crucial issue with the both the United States and the world. A simple definition of the

digital divide is the division of people with and without access to technology. There is also a

lack of knowledge with these technologies which can make the distribution a difficult process.

In more developed countries a little more than half of the the households have and are able to

access these technologies but in more developing countries you are only able to find 2 out of

every one hundred people that own any sort of computer or technology. The United Nations has

composed an Information Society to try and bridge the international digital divide. There are

also groups that share the same spirit such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that

builds cheap, rugged, energy efficient laptop computers and distributes them to children in

countries such as Uruguay, Rwanda, and Mongolia. These enable teachers to teach children

more about technology and their world (Stingl, 2015).

Using this as a foundation it is imperative that education is a building block to bridge the

digital divide. So how can one implement education and technology into developing countries?

Utilizing STEM education that focuses on foundations in science, technology, engineering, and

mathematics is a crucial tool in helping the world becoming technologically literate. Utilizing

these principles to help economic challenges, STEM literacy can be used to solve technological

and environmental problems, and to develop workforce skills in the twenty first century (​Ritz &

Fan, 2015). In South Africa technology is being utilized in classrooms. Information and

communications technology, or ICT, is at a shortage in classrooms. With only 26% of educators

with the capacity to teach using ICT, it is a growing concern. To help reduce the digital divide in

the classroom a study was performed to get how ICT is viewed from an educator's perspective.

A survey was conducted that consisted of 66 educators. The results showed that those surveyed
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were from private high schools and thought of ICT as a positive influence in their curriculum,

they were also predominantly self-taught. With utilization of technologies in classrooms the

teachers were then surveyed if they would continue to utilize ICT as part of their curriculums.

From the sixty six educators that were a part of the study when asked if they would adapt

technologies to help in their classroom education within the next five years 1.52% disagreed,

18.18% were neutral, and 80.30% agreed (Mashile, 2017). With more than half of the educators

agreeing that they would adopt methods relating to technology that in turn helps both student and

educator.

Speaking of students, how do they benefit from STEM education to help bridge the

digital divide? Latvia, a member of the EU has implemented and utilized ​the STEM education

principles. Due to the underwhelming interest and need in engineering and medicine in both

schools and higher education, it is an attempt to see if this method will increase investment and

stimulate the country's labor markets. The study was performed for ten years to register whether

or not policies put in place were effective. There is data based on the percentage of students

interested in particular STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Job

vacancies filled and a 20% increase in qualifications for people interested in health science fields

and show steady growth. Latvia's workforce has seen a large improvement with students that

qualify for health positions increased 80% from 1,254 in 2006 to 2,252 in 2016 (Rita & Aija,

2017).

When looking at the digital divide is it just all about computers and technology?

Infrastructure is an important factor to consider when approaching a possible way to bring the

world into the twenty first century. In order to be competitive it is important to bring those
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economies that are struggling to be competitive with more developed countries. Just as Latvia

did with its increase in education other countries can do the same thing, but must establish the

proper groundwork through building the proper infrastructure. Technology in the developing

world is necessary and is like that of societal necessities like food, shelter, and water. In order to

obtain these things society needs to change in order to adapt and for that to happen there must be

a good reason without social disadvantages before this can occur. There is an emphasis on why

third world countries in Africa must acquire its engineers to utilize new rural and urban

technology. Expressing this distinguishes this as an essential topic to build on the importance of

improved STEM education to promote more opportunities for technological growth via

infrastructure. The low income brackets of the undeveloped world requires a technology that is

both technically sound and socially acceptable if people are to achieve a respectable standard of

living or equity (Ascough, 2014).

Solution

Getting the right acquisition of technology may be harder for those less developed but it

is possible through allowing more access through infrastructure. In Nigeria there is a need for

the access of computer but the costs are what make it hard for the people to buy them. Four out

of twenty people are able to afford to buy a computer. With this being a staggering statistic to

more developed countries this is normal. There are internet cafes and libraries that offer internet

but they are so far and few between to meet demand. When interviewing one of the participants

in the study they mentioned that The only two places they knew of are the Cybercafés and the

community library. The community library doesn’t have enough computers to use. The cyber
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cafes only have four computers, sometimes the wait can be two to three hours. The community

library doesn’t remain open all the time but they would use the computer there if they were able

to (Tayo & Thompson, 2015). Poor infrastructure is to blame and is one of the key factors to

why MIT offered to send underdeveloped countries affordable energy efficient computers for

children. With this option it would help those seeking computer literacy the opportunity to

develop skills needed for the modern world. Utilizing cheap alternatives to things like electricity

could help prevent the strain on Nigeria or any other third world country by deploying these

methods and reducing the cost of paying for the power to help run these computers so they can

offer more at cafes and libraries. It would also benefit personal home users as well by

maximizing cost efficiency and battery life.

Evaluation of Evidence

Evidence of technology and education outcome benefits are as follows. The information

of these sources is unbiased and shows data accrued from several studies relating the similarities

in importance of education and technology use. The organizations are reliable and provide valid

and substantiated information. For example, when comparing the amount of time spent on the

internet in more developed nations in the EU shows that there are more lower class individuals

spending more time on the internet than those who make more or are more educated (Has the

digital divide been reversed? – Evidence from five EU countries). Utilizing this data further

expresses the vast difference and need for technology in developing countries like Nigeria.

The information provided from this study may have bias considering the source of survey

as well as the sample chosen from only five EU countries. This could exclude those more
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economically needy countries that could affect the data. These statistics could be used though

for more developed countries to compare that to those underserved by technology to build a

sound argument why a country like Mongolia may need them more than Japan. Below are the
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graphs pertaining to time spent online compared to income and time spent on sites compared to

education (Pantea & Martens, 2013).

Clearly stated the higher the income the less time was spent online and those with lower

education levels spent more time leisurely browsing with the exception of human capital

websites.

While this data is reflective of only five countries this is also done via survey, so it is

voluntary. Unfortunately there isn’t a way to gather statistics to every person that owns a

computer and has access to internet so it is up to those who willingly volunteer to gather the data.

While this is only the surface there still needs to be a way for websites to allow for certain types

of traffic to be available for the appropriate agencies to collect information to help those

countries needing help access to technology.

Ethical Outcomes of Solution

Limitations on the internet could cause an issue with those countries that cannot afford to

withstand the demand. Countries such as India and China have disparate groups of people that

are either extremely wealthy or extremely poor. Having the finances for economies to withstand

the ability to finance computer literacy programs or even STEM education. In 2009 it cost the

United States $260 million dollars to help fund STEM education which is comparable to Liberia

with a GDP of ​$882 (£719) (Charette, 2009). Having these poor economies stunt the growth of

possible infrastructure projects due to the lack of funding.

Utilizing countries that are abundant in technology like the United States or Japan

compared to their own can help alleviate the burdens placed on undeveloped countries. Through
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educational partnerships with technology there will be growth in education interest and a

stimulated job market. Partnering with companies that invest in a country in need can provide

community services to help put communities on their feet. ​In Nairobi, a group of software

developers, engineers and technologists, who created the well-known crisis mapping platforms

Ushahidi​ and ​Crowdmap​, and ​Nairobi’s iHub​, have started BRCK. ​BRCK​ is a durable,

brick-sized portable connective device intended for use where electricity and internet

connections aren’t available (Livingston, 2016).

Conclusion

Technology while made available to some it isn’t for most. With 80% of the world being

made up of those developing countries discussed there is still a lot needed to bring them to a

competitive level with more developed nations. Stabilizing infrastructure and building stronger

workforces will accumulate on account of increased access to technology. This is an important

topic due to the increase in tech and its importance on society to help build relationships and

influence on the global stage.

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References

Ascough, W. (2014). Appropriate Technology for Development in the Third World.

Charette, R. (2012, June 08). STEM Education Funding in the U.S. - Is More or Less Needed?

Retrieved November 14, 2017, from

https://spectrum.ieee.org/riskfactor/at-work/education/stem-education-in-the-us-is-more-

or-less-needed

Glewwe, P., & Kremer, M. (2006). Chapter 16 Schools, Teachers, and Education Outcomes in

Developing Countries. ​Handbook of the Economics of Education,​ 945-1017.

doi:10.1016/s1574-0692(06)02016-2

Livingston, S. (2016, August 23). Classroom technologies narrow education gap in developing

countries. Retrieved November 14, 2017, from

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/techtank/2016/08/23/classroom-technologies-narrow-ed

ucation-gap-in-developing-countries/

Mashile, T. (2017). Technology integration and the digital divide : understanding factors that

impact on educators' ability to integrate technology in South African classrooms.

Ritz, J., & Fan, S. (2015). STEM and technology education: international state-of-the-art.

International Journal Of Technology & Design Education​, ​25​(4), 429-451.

doi:10.1007/s10798-014-9290-z

Pantea, S., & Martens, B. (2013). Has the Digital Divide Been Reversed? Evidence from Five

EU Countries. ​SSRN Electronic Journal.​ doi:10.2139/ssrn.2265274

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Stingl, A. (2015). Digital Divide (sociology). ​Research Starters: Sociology (Online Edition)

Tayo, O., Thompson, R., & Thompson, E. (2015). Impact of the Digital Divide on Computer Use

and Internet Access on the Poor in Nigeria. ​Journal of Education and Learning,​ ​5​(1), 1.

doi:10.5539/jel.v5n1p1