Students Insist That Policy Makers Take 'Digital Divide' Seriously

The Pew Internet and American Life Project recently completed a study finding that students who use the Internet complete school-related work more quickly. Students use the Internet to obtain more current information than can be found in written publications and as a source of reference, support, and even storage.

Some key findings of the study are as follows:

The Pew study reports that schools and educators are behind the times when it comes to using the Internet effectively, especially with respect to access to, locations of, and restrictions on usage. Students also indicate that when the Internet use is assigned, it is not stimulating or interesting; they opine that schools should introduce programs to teach Internet-related skills: basic computing, keyboarding, etc.

“Students insist that policy makers take the ‘digital divide’ seriously and that they begin to understand the more subtle inequities among teenagers that manifest themselves in differences in the quality of student Internet access and use.” (p. v)

Students are dealing with the frustration of relying on the Internet for homework and research while not having the resources to access or use the resources available on the Internet fully.

Facts:

94% of 12 to 17 year olds who report using the Internet have used it for school research
71% used the Internet as the major source for their most recent school project
58% have used a Web site set up by school or a class
34% have downloaded a study aid
17% have created a Web page for a school project
As of July 2002, Pew surveys show that 60% of Americans under 18 and about 78% of those between the ages of 12 and 17 use the Internet.

Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project: http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=67