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Bridging the digital divide; Developing digital literacy skills for guardians of school aged children
Keywords
Digital divide, Online learning, community education, COVID-19
Session Abstract
An estimated 65% of households with children have transitioned to online learning due to COVID-19 restrictions. To address equitable issues stemming from the digital divide, school districts provided access to technology with little to no consideration as to the level of support needed by guardians helping the students at home.
Session Description
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, most children around the world were forced to receive their education via virtual spaces. Education and child advocacy communities were quick to identify potential barriers to student success including equitable issues stemming from the digital divide. This issue was promptly evaluated forcing educational communities to identify solutions to provide access to technology for student success. However, the literature is lacking in research on what education if any was offered to the guardians of these children to aid them in developing the digital skills necessary to support their children during online learning. According to Bacher-Hicks, Goodman, & Mulhern (2021), there was a significant increase in student and parental online searches seeking supplemental learning resources. The research assumed that they have the digital skills necessary to search critically for reliable and high-quality resources. Guardians without these skills are unable to support their children thus leaving these children to navigate virtual learning with little to no guidance from home. Resulting in even greater marginalization of already vulnerable populations that do not have the privilege of reliable home internet, owning the latest technology, or education to advance their children.