This article was written by Ifrah Reyal of Richard Montgomery High School
The technological era has only started recently, yet it seems not many can go without internet or electronics. As most students ended the previous school year online, and started this school year online, no one can say they don’t use electronics on a day to day basis. As many start to integrate the internet and electronics into daily routines, it has started to take over people’s lives and take a turn for better or worse.
Although many people have access to the internet and its multiple assets, some of the less fortunate don't have easy access, and it’s taken a toll on their schoolwork. According to the American Library Association (ALA), digital literacy is “the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills.” To those who are unable to afford proper access to the internet, due to the digital divide, it is significantly harder to develop this ability, which is an important part in online schooling during COVID-19.
Many teachers assign most of their work online, and expect students to access and complete those assignments in a timely manner, but for the poor, completing those assignments proves to become another task all by itself. As the COVID-19 outbreak worsens, restrictions are growing tighter, and so many poor students are unable to access the library, or other places to do their schoolwork. This causes them to turn in those assignments late or incomplete, which causes their grades to suffer.
Digital literacy is a major asset to succeeding in online school. As students are forced to learn online, develop new study habits and adapt to the new learning environment, some could fall behind. This indirectly affects their whole life, since school is the gateway to many new opportunities and a new life for some.
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