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(UNESCO, 2018). The management of not' got them. This describes observed
21st century digital skills is vital for inequalities of access to computers,
members of the learning society to to the internet and associated digital
ensure the practice of accessibility. technologies. The digital divide is
This involves carrying out meaningful reduced by the goal of universal access
activities in a program of media and to information and acquiring actual
information literacy. The universal use skills with the availability of technology.
of digital tools and the internet is an
essential requirement for creating, Mapping Digital Divide
communicating, problem-solving, Inequalities in the availability of
and socialising for both formal and technology and internet access in
informal learning. For creating a digital different parts of the country are major
environment, it involves understanding considerations of the digital divide.
how to use, design, edit, and create These considerations are strongly
pictures, audios, and videos. Managing related to socioeconomic background,
online applications for students’ race, and gender. Jones (2013) stated
learning are based on the following the digital divide in referring to
dynamics:
technology-related social stratification
• Understand the basic ICT concepts based on racial, gender, and class
of hardware, software appliances, distinctions as a gap of both access and
and networks. uses of technology. This is termed as
the first level of the digital divide. The
• Know the fundamentals of
operational usage of digital tools. second level of the digital divide is the
phase of inquiry to know the actual
• Awareness of the commonly used differences in usage and skill outcomes.
digital devices and applications The majority of the students' population
• Use digital device and internet having access to technology possesses
insufficient skills. This causes digital
• Structure your own digital exclusion among them. Research shows
environment depending on that low-level educated individuals
accessibility, and settings. spent more hours on the internet but
• Identify needs and select an were unable to benefit out of that (Van
appropriate digital solution and Deursen and Van Dijk, 2014). It is due to
apply it. the fact that they tend to engage more
in social networking and gaming. On the
• Solve technical problems.
other hand, high proficiency students
• Develop self-efficacy using digital take maximum benefits in minimum use
technologies. of the internet. They use the internet for
their development of knowledge and
Digital Divide skills. This explains the gap between
capacities, abilities among low and high
The digital divide is characterised
by distinguishing those who 'have' educated students. This is the third level
technologies from those who 'have of the digital divide which concerns the
Indian Journal of Educational Technology 283
Volume 3, Issue 2, July 2021