Why the App Gap is Important to Educators

A couple of months ago, in a blog entry called Kids and Screen Time – Lots of Numbers But What Do They Mean?, I referenced a research study from the non-partisan, not-for-profit organization Common Sense Media entitled Zero to Eight: Children’s Media Use in America. That blog entry talked about the amount of time our kids are spending in front of electronics – TVs, computers, tablets, and so on. But another topic brought up in the study is the so-called “digital divide,” as well as a new phenomenon – the “app gap.”

The “digital divide” is something that has been discussed in education for some time. It is, quite simply, the separation of children into two groups – those who have access to technology and those who don’t, and what that difference means in terms of their educational development. The divide is caused almost entirely by economics – low household income vs. high household income. The “app gap” is much the same – the difference between young children (pre-k and kindergarten especially) who have access to smart phones or tablets with educational apps versus, those who don’t, and the resulting delays this may produce in the educational skills of the latter group.

How wide are these separations? That is what we can glean from the Zero to Eight research. The study is based on a survey of 1,384 parents of children ages 0 to 8 years old from a variety of ethnic and socio-economic groups. Speaking of the digital divide, the paper say this: “There is still a substantial ‘divide’ in home computer access among young children. In fact, the majority of lower-income children, children from less well-educated families, and Hispanic children do not have a computer at home.”

The numbers tell the story very plainly:

• Of households with less than $30,000 annual income, only 48% have a computer and 42% have high-speed internet access.
• Of households with $30,000 – $75,000 annual income, 80% have a computer and 73% have high-speed internet access.
• Of households with annual income above $75,000, 91% have a computer and 92% have high-speed internet access.

In terms of the “app gap,” the numbers are even more startling. (Note: These figures are based on surveys conducted May 27-June 15, 2011. Given the huge sales of tablet devices in the last year, some of the percentages may now be higher, but it’s likely the ratios are about the same.)

• Of households with less than $30,000 annual income, only 27% have a smart phone and 2% have a tablet device.
• Of households with $30,000 – $75,000 annual income, 41% have a smart phone and 6% have a tablet device.
• Of households with annual income above $75,000, 57% have a smart phone and 17% have a tablet device.
• Furthermore, in households with incomes under $30,000, more than one-third of parents (38%), say they don’t even know what an app is!

Clearly, at home, lower income children do not have access to the same technological resources as those in more affluent households. But that doesn’t have to be the case once they go off to pre-k or kindergarten classroom. Programs that utilize Hatch technology, and especially the iStartSmart desktop and iStartSmart mobile devices, are giving these kids an opportunity to learn on equipment they may not have access to otherwise. Furthermore, iStartSmart doesn’t depend on random apps, which may or may not be effective teaching tools, but on a cohesive, research-based system of activities that give these children the educational foundation they need to have success once they move on and enter school.

The “digital divide” and the “app gap” that exist in our nation’s households is not something we at Hatch can solve. What we can do is provide technology to pre-k and kindergarten classrooms that will, to some extent, conquer the divide and bridge the gap. And we think that’s an important first step.

Do you see evidence of the “digital divide” and the “app gap” in the kids you teach? How do you overcome it? We’d love to get your feedback!