Issue link: https://takingitglobal.uberflip.com/i/1505559
Devices provided to Indigenous students could include tutorials and educational materials that provide digital skills training for skills that would make Indigenous young professionals more competitive in the workforce. Researchers have argued that the use of technology among youth in productive and meaningful ways can create new forms of social capital 57 that can then be used to school-related competencies, leverage skills demanded by the labour market and enhance social relationships, including developing a network of knowledgeable peers and mentors. A nationally representative survey of 15-year- old Canadians revealed that optimal use of educational ICT is linked to improvements in reading assessments, likely leading to greater confidence in school abilities and subsequent improvements in other tasks requiring advanced reading skills. 58 Bold and Crawford argue that the lack of exposure to technology forces disadvantaged youth into "low-paid, insecure jobs at the margins of the economy," while affluent youth can benefit from more advanced training such as "summer jobs involving designing websites or writing computer code." 59 Most of these studies in the literature underscore the negative impacts of the digital divide on youths' labour market potential. Youth do not necessarily develop sophisticated digital literacy skills simply because they can access technology at a young age: Indigenous peoples in Canada show comparable levels of smartphone use for instance to the general population. 60 More than age however, experience with technology and the types of activities this technology is used for was found to be the most important determining factor of digital literacy skills among youth. 61 Findings from research in Canada, 62 United Kingdom, 63 New Zealand 64 and Australia 65 finds that students born into the millennial generation do not show homogenous digital skills. Rather, socioeconomic and demographic factors impact the ways in which youth use technology (for educational or recreational purposes) which in turn, impacts their ability to develop sophisticated digital literacy skills. 66 Through interviews with youth in Hamilton, researchers found further support in Canada for the idea that simple access to digital platforms and devices cannot alone bridge socioeconomic limitations and engage in cross-cultural dialogues. The researchers found that developing a deeper understanding of how digital technologies can be used among youth will promote social inclusion, upskilling and confidence in technology use. 67 Initial training of youth using quality devices and machines are a key component of ensuring young people in Canada can benefit from using technology in ways that can positively impact their education and learning in the long term. 68 Moreover, a survey of more than 60 students in Toronto found that youth's digital media use, as well as their perceived confidence and attitudes toward technology, rather than their access to computers, significantly impacted achievement on computational tests and programming-related tasks. 69 Programs should also better address gaps in youth's digital literacy in Canada. These gaps mainly relate to youth's productive C O N S I D E R A T I O N 5 Equip donated devices with educational materials that provide digital skills training of technology programs that are highly demanded in the workforce as well as resources on applying to and navigating post-secondary education and higher learning. Impact of Connected North's Digital Inclusion Grant on IndigenousStudents' Learning, Social Connection and Community Involvement 30