School Software as a Solution to the Digital Divide
Providing solutions to the digital divide in today’s schools is a huge aspect of promoting inclusion that often goes ignored. Tech education and digital citizenship are vital for children growing up to work safely and comfortably in today’s digital-focused world.
In 2023, millions of Americans still don’t have access to broadband connections, many due to financial issues (from GAO reporting). The digital divide refers to how this lack of access to technology is an inequality that produces disadvantages.
Ultimately, this means that some children and young people rely on schools to provide guidance on the technologies that are essential for future careers. Senso software is working to help schools find effective solutions for the digital divide to prepare kids for the future.
How Does Digital Access Prepare Kids for the Future?
Introducing children to technology in an educational space through integrated school software throughout K-12 education can help prepare them for responsible technology use in their futures. Youth advocacy groups like the EYEJ have worked to introduce more classroom devices like personal laptops and tablets for students to use in schools to help improve accessibility for disadvantaged youth as hybrid learning grew more common throughout the pandemic.
The digital divide refers to more than just an issue of technology provision, but a broad concept of core competencies in technology use including digital etiquette, effective online communication, confidence in using various programs, and how to integrate digital technology into everyday practice.
Encouraging the use of technology during lessons using multi-purpose, innovative classroom management software gives students experience across many of these areas. Software that provides screen sharing, broadcasting, messaging, and seamless Microsoft Teams chat monitoring is a great benefit to students at any stage of education.
Preparing your students for a future job market with new, modern technologies and increasing use of remote working is important to help student well-being in later years when entering the job market. Building confidence and comfort with the benefits of technology through school software use on classroom devices is key to bridging the digital divide.
How Senso Strives to Provide Solutions for the Digital Divide
As School software makes hybrid learning easier and more suited to classroom management needs, student devices can be used in productive ways, giving students practice with a range of ways that we use technology in everyday life.
A cloud-based teaching software like Senso’s software packages for schools gives teachers, substitute teachers, para educators, and para professionals across any institution the ability to educate and protect students using technology.
A focus on easy-to-use digital cloud classroom management software encourages more regular and integrated digital technology use, while the safeguarding software with cloud-based device monitoring and content filtering on all networked student and classroom devices assures them that their students are protected from the harms that technology use can bring.
Teachers need to have access to technology and digital literacy to use it in the classroom so that students can be exposed in more ways. Without effective, easy-to-manage, school software, teachers are less likely to even use technology in classrooms, impacting students without home broadband access more than those who can use technology at home, further widening the digital divide.
Funding options
The financial costs of technology are a primary reason for the prevalence of the digital divide in today’s society, putting children at a disadvantage in less affluent areas. Because of this, Senso is committed to working with a range of technology purchasing and leasing programs to help schools provide students with devices at affordable rates.
You can get to know some of these companies in our partnerships section to find which options are available in your state. Empowering all students and schools to use technology and explore new methods of learning, teaching, and management is important to helping solve the digital divide in this country and we are proud to be partnered with these companies to assist in this.
Digital Citizenship and Knowing Your Rights Online
As the internet and the complexity of technology grow, new hazards and issues arise, and providing adequate education on internet safety for students reduces the impacts of these dangers now and into the future. Digital literacy is a vital part of modern education, protecting student well-being online by informing them about how their digital footprints can be impacted by their actions and to encourage caution around information sharing.
Without integrating digital technology into classrooms with consideration for encouraging digital citizenship as part of the curriculum from early schooling, students disadvantaged by the digital divide may be more susceptible to harm online. Limiting exposure to technology with knowledge of the hazards and benefits of technology ultimately puts the vulnerable at more harm.
More information on digital citizenship can be found in another of our guidance blogs: How Can Students Become Better Digital Citizens?
Get your Senso Free Trial and see if our Software is Right for your School
Don’t miss out on your Free Trial of our School Software. If you have any questions you can contact our team at 866-664-1520 for more information about how Senso can help your institution adapt to EdTech futures!