Digital
Divide
Household income is a strong predictor of Internet use.
Is the Internet a necessity for academic success?
Written by: Robin Christian-Bull
The statistics you see above are courtesy of PEW Research Center. You can download the entire report for free by clicking here.
I graduated high school in 1997. The Internet was for the rich folk. I did all of my papers the old fashioned way in high school: by way of researching in the library a la Dewey Decimal System. In fact, I didn't get much Internet experience until around 1999 when I signed up for my very own Internet provider.
When my sons were little (they are now 15 and almost 13), I used websites to make learning fun. Free math websites, coloring pages, and starfall.com happened to become a normal part of our day.
We lived on an Air Force base with their father. I was a stay at home mom. I used the Internet and email to keep up with family and to talk to other young moms.
The Internet is certainly handy...but is it a necessity?
According to PEW, 95% of teenagers utilize the Internet. I doubt that most of that use is for educational purposes (2012).
That's not to say that I disregard the social interaction available online. I will address that momentarily.
If a child does not have Internet at home, can the child be academically successful? I've read articles online that say no. PEW's research shows that 62% of homes have Internet access.
Lack of Internet at home will not predict academic failure. Libraries and most schools have Internet. Not everything on the Internet is educational or verified as scholarly (a good example of not scholarly yet people rely on it would be Wikipedia).
Those who want to learn can and will do so regardless of any perceived obstacles. Going to a