What does all of this mean? In short, students who lack access to the Internet at home are not only suffering academically, but their futures are at risk. Education reflects society, and technology is the future. Learning takes place through accommodation and assimilation, and the Internet is the best venue for personal discovery. Even though those students without Internet at home may receive technology instruction at school, their capabilities are limited just as much as their time due to filters and district policies. How is a student without Internet access at home supposed to compare to a student who has the ability to navigate social networks, play games, instant message, and use digital media? They can't. Students who are technology savvy become innovators who integrate technology into their daily lives. For all intents and purposes, being computer illiterate will soon be just as bad as being illiterate.

The Problem

Beware. The following stats may frighten you.

There are currently 30 million American households that do not have a computer.

Yikes. It gets even worse if you think more about it. As of the 2006 U.S Census, there are approximately 111,500,000 occupied households in the United States. If you crunch some numbers, it will tell you that about 27% of households in America do not have a computer.

Would you like to see this from a different perspective? As of the 2006 U.S. Census, the average American household is comprised of 2.61 people. 30 million household multiplied by 2.61 people is 78,300,000 people, or about 26% of the American public without a computer in their home. Either way you look at it, it's pretty awful, and will get worse if we don't address the situation.

The Solution

So, the big question is, how do we solve this problem? You guessed it; through cooperaction! It's time to get involved. The Open Source Movement along with Programs such as Educause, One Economy, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 21st Century Connections and One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) are leading the way, and you can help. Donate. Participate. Communicate. Connect. Volunteer. Learn. Teach. The only way to to create change after recognizing a problem is to do something about it.

One such gentleman, highlighted in the aforementioned article, did just that. In Flinton, PA, a rural, low-income town in western Pennsylvania, the percentage of high school graduates in 2001 that went on to college was a shocking 14%. Dr. Dennis Bruno, incoming superintendent of the Glendale School District recognized the problem: a lack of internet access. The families that could afford Internet were forced to pay a whopping $40 a month for a dial-up connection, which hardly seems worth it. Dr. Bruno created BRAIN, the Broadband Rural Area Information Network, for not just his schools, but for a large portion of rural Pennsylvania. A tower was place upon the top of Glendale High School, bringing the community wireless broadband Internet access at a very affordable $14.00 per month. The result? Seven years later, in 2007, 78% of Glendale Jr/Sr High School graduating seniors went on to college.

We can't compete with large districts in terms of curriculum, but we need to be able to enrich students' education and keep pace with kids in more urban areas. The equalizer is the technology.

If you are a parent and you are reading this, take my advice. While it's important to monitor and keep your child's Internet activity to a reasonable level, don't take it away from them. Learning is taking place, and the worst thing you can do to your child is take away their computer time. If you do, you might as well take away their books, too. If they have any at home, that is.