July 16, 2008
To: Board of Education, Orange Unified School District
Re: Digital Divide-Addressing digital inequities in the classroom and the community

Members of the Board of Education:

The vision statement which introduces the Orange Unified School District's technology standards reads as follows: "Orange Unified School District envisions a technology-rich learning environment for ALL students and staff, utilizing interactive information retrieval in ways unimaginable before toady. Location will no longer be a limiting factor within today's global community. Facilities will be intelligent structures with rich technical infrastructures providing on-site and remote access to an unlimited amount of information and projects. OUSD envisions a transformation in teaching styles and modes of intellectual communication for tomorrow's diverse global society. Graduates of OUSD will be prepared to succeed in a technology-rich, information-based society of the 21st century."

To make this happen on a district-wide scale we need to close the Digital Divide that exists in our school and our community. What is the Digital Divide? Specifically, as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development, the digital divide is "the gap between individuals, households, businesses, and geographic areas at different socio-economic levels with regard to both their opportunities to access information and communication technologies and to their use of the Internet for a wide variety of activities." Simply put, the digital divide is the separation between the information rich and the information poor. It includes access to technology, and more importantly, the effective use of available technology. Those that are unable to access and effectively use the Internet and other technologies are becoming disconnected politically, socially, economically, and educationally from those who can use these resources effectively. What follows are some recommendations for ways to address the Digital Divide in the classroom and in the community.

1. Establish a task force to study the digital divide as it exists in our schools and the community. The task force should include members of the board, district and school site leadership, teachers, and community members. First on the to-do list should be an extensive questionnaire of all OUSD stakeholders, including the community-at-large to survey the details surrounding their access, use and understanding of information and communication technologies. Once the results are in the task force should contact an organization such as The Community Technologies Centers Network which is committed to expand technology access to underserved communities for aid in taking the next steps.

2. Provide increased access to ALL stakeholders to a technology-rich learning environment, as stated in the vision. We must be willing to find ways to make access possible. Some schools already have laptop programs, some have wireless networks. We need to find ways to make all of the technology available to all stakeholders across the district. Some ways to address this may be before- and after-school access to computer labs for students, and opening computer labs to the public. Afterschool.gov is a resource worth investigating to enhance our already existing SES afterschool program.

3. Make training opportunities available to ALL district employees. To truly bridge the digital divide, we need to increase the effective use of technology across the district and the community. According to A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the Internet, if people know that their family, friends, and community are accessing the Internet, they will be more likely to see the need to access it themselves. We can help this phenomenon catch on if we train secretaries, librarians, health clerks, parents and community members in the use of technology. Classes available to the public will be crucial in this area.

4. Provide staff development time and opportunities for teachers to increase their knowledge and effective use of technology to effect the "transformation in teaching styles" of the vision statement. In OUSD, many schools have acquired SMARTboards. The district could bring in SMARTboard training personnel to maximize learning opportunities in the effective use of the new technology.

5. Explore funding opportunities to acquire technology (hardware, software, digital equipment and the like.) There are many donation and low-cost programs for technology acquisition. Grants can be another valuable funding resource that should be explored. The Foundation Center is a comprehensive grant resource center that can help locate appropriate grants and provides grantwriting training, among other resources.

6. Finally OUSD should explore what other school districts and communities are doing to bridge the Digital Divide. Many networking opportunities exist to accomplish this goal. The Digital Divide Network is an online community of educational, business, and community entities all working toward closing the Digital Divide.

In summary, the path toward bridging the Digital Divide will not be easy. Simply put, OUSD should investigate and delineate the specific needs of our district, and find resources to increase technology access and training. The first steps toward accomplishing these goals include establishing a timeline for task force member selection and monitoring their efforts to survey the community. Soon OUSD will be on the path toward reaching its technology vision.

Thank you for your time,
Ilene Zedek