I decided on this title because I think it's interesting that the term "global community" came about because of the widespread access to the internet, but there is a divide between those with access and those without.

The digital divide is a term that is used to describe the gap that exists between those who have access to technology, often specifically speaking about access to the internet.

The term digital inequality describes how someones ability to utilize technology in their everyday lives can give them advantages (monetary, convenience, banking, job applications, etc.). People without access to these skills or technologies are often in a disadvantaged position.

I work for an online alternative high school, and these are real world examples of things that I encounter at my job. Let me explain. These 3 issues impact me everyday, and here's how our program overcame them.
1. Because of the socioeconomic make up of the majority of our student population, many kids don't have a computer to use at home. When our program began in 2012, the Director of the program (my boss) wrote a grant for something like $125,000 for new Apple iMac computers. Since then we've supplemented as needed by purchasing used Macs. Each student in our program receives a computer to use in their home. If the student graduates from our program and receives at least half of their credits from us, they are able to keep their Apple computer at no cost to them!
2. Because the majority of the work done in our program is online, students need to have internet access at home. While broadband internet is becoming more commonplace in homes, it is not affordable. We solved this problem by setting up a business account with Verizon. We own close to 2 dozen "jetpacks" which are 4g wifi hotspots that are checked out to students as needed. We pay the bills and monitor the data usage. This is another way that we try to remove roadblocks to student learning.
3. This question, along with many other technical questions ranging from general Mac questions, to application specific questions come up frequently in my program. This is why we have a policy in place that says that every student will spend at least two hours a week in our Learning Lab. We have open lab hours Tuesday through Thursday, and students are able to drop in when it's convenient for them. This allows all students to receive help working through issues on their computers, and doesn't provide any advantage or disadvantage based on their technological acumen.

The digital divide is something that we as educators, let alone educational technologists must face head on in a proactive and progressive manner. Section 1.3 of the AECT Code of Ethics states that "the member shall guarantee to each individual the opportunity to participate in any appropriate program." This means that as educational technologists, it is our job to ensure that the lack of access to technology, nor the lack of knowledge in how to use that technology are reasons that a student is unsuccessful in an educational program. The issue of "haves and have nots' is in the forefront of education right now, and it won't go away anytime soon. The positive side to that attention is that more funding has become available, and innovation is creating new opportunities for different areas of educational technology.