Barbara Singleton

Barbara Singleton, director of technology and curriculum at North Knox High School in Bicknell, Indiana, discusses the information gap that results when students do not have the opportunities to access the Internet and use other education technologies. Excerpted from a videotaped interview for the video series Learning With Technology, program #1 Merging Onto the Information Highway (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 1994).

"If we're not careful, we're going to separate even further the haves and the have nots. Not only are we going to have economically disadvantaged students, we're going to have information disadvantaged students. I feel that we've given our kids here at North Knox a huge advantage by being able to access this information, but I also think about other schools just in this neighborhood that don't have internet access. There needs to be a way to provide it for all, because it's just that powerful. Information is power, and if we deprive schools that are already disadvantaged from that power, the gap is just going to grow wider and wider."

This Critical Issue was researched and written by Rosemary Bell, former policy analyst with the Evaluation and Policy Information Center at North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, and Rafael Ramirez, senior research associate with the Center for Technology Projects at North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.

Development and production of this Critical Issue were supported in part by the North Central Regional Technology in Education Consortium.

Date posted: 1997