Edu 800 Annotation Week 15 & 16

Willems, J., Farley, H., & Campbell, C. (2019). The increasing significance of digital equity in higher education: An introduction to the Digital Equity Special Issue. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 35(6), 1-8.

The authors of this study examine the need for a broader range of digital equity, specifically among Australia’s indigenous people in higher education settings. According to the study, digital equity encompasses not only basic things such as access to hardware, software, and Internet connectivity. In fact, this concept also includes access to superior, related content, instructors who are able to use the digital tools and resources, as well as a means of producing, allocating, and bartering digital materials. Additionally, real equity in such spaces also requires an exceptional in-depth study on how to apply these technologies to enhance learning.

One of the most impactful things that this study implies is the digital divide isn’t a new idea. Even during the mid-nineties, researchers were suggesting that such a divide would get larger as time went on. Moreover, the four main concerns of this issue are listed as “educational advantages, future employment and earnings, opportunities for civic involvement, and equity and civil rights issues” (Willems et al., 2019). The authors even quote the World Summit on the Information Society “Declaration of Principles” (2003) as stating everyone in the world should have access to opportunities in education and the “benefits the Information Society offers”, which therefore declares digital equity as a civil rights issue in our modern age (Willems et al., 2019).

My big question for this class deals with equity and inclusion in digital education. Although these issues exist in face-to-face education as well, the Pandemic brought to light a myriad of problems regarding these disparities in distribution, especially in low-income, high-poverty areas such as rural communities and inner cities with large clusters of minorities. The ISTE website lists digital equity as one of the top concerns for the future of educational technology and even discusses some of the issues that the Pandemic brought up about these inequalities.