Abstract:

As many authors are already pointing out, today we are entering a Post-digital society. Real life of most people runs between screens, and the different spheres of daily life are mediated by the facilities provided by Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the Internet. However, this tendency is still far away for certain sectors of the population, who encounter obstacles to their integration into the digital environment, which emerges as an important factor of social exclusion. This is the case of the migrant population of school age, especially of those living in the most disadvantaged urban areas, where they face a digital divide in its day-to-day life that increases its conditions of marginality.

In this paper, we identify and define the different faces of the digital divide in terms of access, usage, and usage quality. Then, we explore how this digital divide impacts stronger on migrant population, especially on minors of school age. Finally, we emphasize the effects of the gender gap on the digital competencies of migrant girls. The combination of these different faces and impacts of the digital divide deeply threaten the performance of migrant minors in their educational process, thus increasing their vulnerability and exclusion.

In this paper, we go a step further the diagnosis of the problem, highlighting the need to transform the educational model, especially in the context of marginalized urban areas. We give insights for the incorporation of methodologies and materials developed in the field of intercultural education in school curricula to mitigate the different gaps. Both digital literacy and timely connectivity as well as adequate management of diversity are basic resources for migrant minors to exercise their rights to information, education, and social participation under equal conditions. With these proposals, we want to contribute to the design of a response strategy to reduce inequalities in the educational process derived from the digital divide, in order to identify strategies that help achieving inclusive and equal digital citizenship.

Keywords:

Digital divide, minor migrants, social exclusion, intercultural education, digital competencias, marginalized urban areas.