ABSTRACT
The "digital divide" is the gap between individuals, households, businesses, and geographic areas in terms of both their opportunities to access information and communication technologies (ICT) and their use of the Internet. It is classified into: the old divide and the new or "second" divide. The old divide expresses the division between those who had the physical technology and those who did not. The emerging new divide expresses the division between those who have the digital skills to use this technology, and those who do not. As computers and the Internet continue to evolve, a significant section of the global populace is being left behind. "The digital divide in education goes beyond the issue of access to technology. A second digital divide separates those with the competencies and skills to benefit from computer use from those without". Four different elements of the digital divide, which are the barriers to access: mental access, material access, skills access, and usage access.
