5353: Week 1 Blog Post




My Introduction

Hey there! My name is Dana Setchell, and I’m a middle school special education teacher. This is my 13th year in education, and I currently teach at Maize Middle School in Maize, Kansas. Previously, I worked in the Wichita Public Schools, so I’ve had the opportunity to work with students from a variety of backgrounds. Even though Maize is often seen as a middle-class, white, and affluent community, things are changing. The community is growing, more houses and duplexes are being built and we’re seeing more diversity in our students. Maize has long been home to families residing in Section 8 housing, apartments, and trailer parks, with Wichita’s urban expansion gradually blending into the suburban landscape of Maize. It’s a much wider range of backgrounds than people might expect.

Last year, I had an experience that really opened my eyes to the digital divide. One of my students, who I worked with almost daily in math class and during homeroom and after school, didn’t tell me until April that she didn’t have internet access at home. We had just finished working on a few missing assignments, and I told her to input the answers into McGraw-Hill, the online program we use for math. That’s when she told me she couldn’t—she didn’t have the internet at home. This made an impact on me.

I was surprised, but also feeling ridiculous for assuming she had internet at home. Here I’d been working with her all year and just assumed she had internet access. Our district provides Chromebooks to all of our students in the district, so it never even crossed my mind that she might not have what she needed at home. It made me realize how much I’d taken for granted, and suddenly, her missing assignments made a lot more sense. As teachers, we had been unintentionally setting her up for challenges because we didn’t stop to think about what resources she actually had access to.

Since starting this course, I’ve already learned so much from the articles and Nicole Turner Lee’s photo essay. It’s been eye-opening to learn about the digital divide—not just the physical access like devices and the internet, but also the skills and usage gaps, what’s called the second-level divide. I’m really looking forward to diving deeper into these topics and figuring out how I can better support my students when it comes to digital access.

Bridging the Digital Divide: Understanding Internet Access in Maize, Kansas

The digital divide is a critical issue that significantly impacts educational outcomes, particularly in communities where socioeconomic disparities are pronounced. As I reflect on the readings for Course 5353, “Digital Divide,” and consider my role at Maize Middle School, I’m inspired to explore the realities of our community and the challenges faced by our students regarding digital access. Although Maize is often regarded as an affluent suburb of Wichita, the socioeconomic diversity within our student population tells a different story.

Defining Our Community

Maize, Kansas, is a small yet growing suburban city with a population of approximately 7,000 residents (City of Maize, n.d.). According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the median household income in Maize is $88,075, and 94% of households have access to a computer, with 92% reporting internet access at home (United States Census Bureau, 2022). However, these aggregate statistics can mask the disparities present within the community.

While many students at Maize Middle School come from households with incomes well above the national average, others reside in Section 8 housing, trailer parks, or modest apartments. Some students have access to the latest technology and reliable high-speed internet, while others struggle with inconsistent connectivity or lack access altogether. These disparities are particularly concerning given the school’s reliance on digital tools such as Chromebooks for homework and online learning.

Economic and Social Realities

Though Maize is often perceived as affluent, economic diversity is a defining characteristic of the community. Data from local sources indicate that high-income households—those earning $200,000 or more annually—make up 8.4% of the population (Incomebyzipcode.com, 2022). Meanwhile, approximately 7% of households earn less than $25,000 annually. This range reflects a significant disparity in economic realities, further complicated by the fact that Maize’s proximity to Wichita introduces additional layers of socioeconomic complexity. Many of our students’ families come from adjacent ZIP codes: 67212, 67235, and 67205, which feature varying income levels and housing situations.

Insights from the Readings

The readings from this course emphasize the multifaceted nature of the digital divide, extending beyond physical access to include skills, usage patterns, and broader societal implications (van Dijk, 2017). In Maize, the divide is not merely about whether students have a device but whether they can effectively use the internet to support their educational needs. The NCES report on digital learning resources highlights that students without reliable internet access at home often experience difficulty completing homework, engaging in classroom activities, and achieving academic equality with their peers (KewalRamani et al., 2018).

Bronzino et al. (2021) further emphasizes the importance of granular, community-level data to understand digital inequities. Applying this perspective, I would like to conduct a survey at Maize Middle School to assess internet access among students. Questions could include:

  • Do you have internet access at home?

  • If not, do you have access to reliable internet elsewhere?

  • Is completing online homework or assignments difficult due to connectivity issues?

Applying What I Learn

This course equips me with the tools to address digital inequities within my school. By analyzing survey data and sharing findings with staff, we can challenge assumptions that all students have internet access and work collaboratively to identify solutions. Possible interventions might include distributing mobile hotspots, creating a Wi-Fi zone on school grounds, or providing additional support for students with limited access.

Call to Action

The insights gained from this project will serve Maize Middle School by fostering awareness among staff and prompting actionable steps to bridge the digital divide. Presenting these findings during an in-service or PLC will ensure that all educators understand the unique challenges faced by our students and are better equipped to support them.

Conclusion

Although Maize, Kansas, is often seen as an affluent community, the diversity within its population illustrates the need to address digital inequities that impact students’ educational experiences. Through targeted data collection and collaboration, we can work toward a more equitable learning environment where every student has the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their socioeconomic background.

References

Bronzino, F., Feamster, N., Liu, S., Saxon, J., & Schmitt, P. (2021). Mapping the digital divide: 

Before, during, and after COVID-19. SSRN. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3786158

City of Maize. (n.d.). City information and economic development. Retrieved January 19, 2025, 

from https://cityofmaize.org/ecodevo_cityinfo.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Incomebyzipcode.com. (2022). Income data for ZIP code 67101. Retrieved from 

https://www.incomebyzipcode.com/kansas/67101

KewalRamani, A., Zhang, J., Wang, X., Rathbun, A., Corcoran, L., Diliberti, M., & Zhang, J. 

(2018). Student access to digital learning resources outside of the classroom. National 

Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov

United States Census Bureau. (2022). QuickFacts: Maize city, Kansas. Retrieved from 

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/maizecitykansas/POP010220

van Dijk, J. A. G. M. (2017). Digital divide: Impact of access. In The International Encyclopedia 

of Media Effects. Wiley.

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