- Coming up next on IQ: smartparent, it seems like everyone has a smartphone or tablet, or at least a computer these days.

Studies back that up.

About 75% of us own digital devices.

But what about families who don't?

What happens when the problem isn't too much screen time; it's too little or the wrong kind.

Find out how families are affected and how your kids could end up on the wrong side of the digital divide, next on IQ: smartparent.

(upbeat music) (audience clapping) Hi, I'm Angela Santomero, and welcome to IQ: smartparent.

Children's television is one of my passions.

I created "Super Why!"

and "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood," because I believe that kids should have access to entertaining educational programs, and television is still the primary way that children interact with media.

But kids are also using computers and smartphones and tablets more than ever before.

They're watching videos, they're playing games, they're learning new technology, and that's great, but these devices aren't cheap.

So what happens when a child doesn't have access to the games and apps that their peers are using?

And what happens to kids who are being left behind?

There's a name for this problem.

It's called the digital divide, and it impacts all of us.

Joining me now is a very special guest.

Michael Levine is the executive director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center, a nonprofit research organization based at Sesame Workshop.

Michael also blogs for "The Huffington Post" and has a big presence on social media.

Michael, welcome to the program.

- Great to be here, Angela.

Thanks for inviting me.

- Oh, thank you.

We want to get right into the digital divide, but first let's just talk about the Joan Ganz Cooney Center and what it, what you do there.

- Sure.

The Joan Ganz Cooney Center is an independent research organization.

It's based at Sesame Workshop, and we do research and work with parents, educators, and policymakers to try to advantage all the great new digital technologies that can advance children's learning.

- And Joan Ganz Cooney, as the creator of Sesame Street, obviously was inspirational and why I'm here and why I do what I do.

And so it's great that the research is coming out to help inform new producers and to inform new parents.

So what did you find out about age and socioeconomic status and gender from your research in terms of some of the differences?

- Sure.

So we've just released a new report in which we talk to parents across age and socioeconomic status, as well as income.

And we found that there were some differences in how they approach the uses of educational media.

For example, lower income families do not have as much access to some of the new digital apps, nor do they have access to some of the technologies that will help them educate their children.

Hispanic and Latino families in particular find that the educational media for their preschoolers is less compelling and less attractive than some of the other families that we spoke to in our recent survey.

- So there is that divide... - This is how the report looks - Yes!

- on learning at home.

- But let's define what we mean by lower income and higher income.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, lower income means families earning less than $30,000 a year, and middle income are families who are earning between 30 and $75,000 a year, and higher income applies to families earning over $75,000 a year.

So, what you're saying is that there is a divide, and there is a difference in terms of that gap.

- There are different kinds of divides.

Yes, there is a divide in access, what is often referred to as the digital divide.

There is less ownership of some of the different types of media technologies, although that gap is closing.

What we're most concerned about at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center is about the ways in which children who do get access to digital technologies are using them.

In some of the research that we've been supporting, as well as other scholars in the field are conducting, we're finding that children from middle-class and upper-income homes have much more active scaffolding and support, the guidance of the adults in their lives, whereas other children who might come from homes where there's only a single parent or where the parents are working two or three jobs, don't have as much guidance and support.

So that they're accessing sites on the internet and apps that may be a little bit less educational.

- So, what you're saying is, even though maybe more people are having access, let's say to the internet, or let's say to even some tablets that are coming down in price, what they're doing with those tablets is different.

- And the networks in which those children are living, whether it's their peers and relatives and grandparents, or whether it's the educational opportunities that they have at school are not as robustly resourced, so that they're not discovering the really good stuff.

They're not finding the things that researchers say are more educational and can put these children on a pathway to success later on in life.

- Yes.

And even, you know, I looked at the top 10 iPhone apps for 2013 across the board, and I don't think any of them were educational apps.

Let's take a look, Facebook and Pandora and, you know, Vine and Instagram.

So, so you're thinking that it's an information, so we have to tell parents where to go to, to search out some of these better apps for their kids.

- So as you suggest, the most popular apps are ones that are for communication or for socializing, and these things are fine.

Children do learn from that.

But among those apps that are explicitly educational, there's a problem too.

There are tens of thousands of these apps, - Mm hmm.

- so it's not like there's a distinct shortage.

It's just that they're not meeting the needs of children to learn 21st century skills.

For example, we did a study last year called "Pioneering Literacy and the Digital Wild West," which showed that around early literacy skills, there are plenty of apps where, what we call "skill and drill," just the basic phonemes - Worksheets, - Worksheets, right?

- But on a tablet.

- And those are fine, you need those basic skills, but to really advance children's literacy skills in this digital and global age, we need to get them thinking about rich vocabulary, a very rich vocabulary bath.

We need them to have fluency.

They need to comprehend.

They not only need to learn to read.

They need to read to learn.

- And those apps are not as available, so we need to... - They just aren't there according to our research yet.

- Yeah, okay.

So we need to keep focused on creating.

- And we also need to take those that are there, and there are too few, and make the information available to families.

- So that parents can find them.

- Yeah.

- Right, exactly.

So one of the things that we found in our most recent study was that 50% of parents reported that they just find apps or other digital media through browsing.

- Yeah, through just browsing.

- Or 20% just found it through referrals from their friends.

- Right.

- That's all fine.

But we need in a very, very robust environment.

We need shortcuts for the parents.

- Right, right.

Let's talk, we definitely want to keep talking about that, but right now I'm going to, and I'm going to ask you to stay so we can keep going on this conversation.

But I want to turn our attention to some people who are also working very hard to close the digital divide.

The Hilltop YMCA Computer Center, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been open for a little over two years, and it's a place where kids and adults have access to computers, the internet, and digital devices that they don't have at home.

And for kids who weren't sure how to turn a computer on when they first started coming to the center, it's a place that's teaching technology and transforming lives.

- All the games in the world, and you're playing.... (upbeat music) See, these are just a way to navigate... My name is Nick Jaramillo, and I am the director of Hilltop YMCA.

Prior to joining the Peace Corps, I was, I had the privilege of teaching robotics and computer programming, and two dimensional, three dimensional gaming to youth at Carnegie Mellon and Villanova as part of a summer program.

And after that, when I went into the Peace Corps, I really, I got a chance to see what it was like in a third world country with respect to people's literacy level in technology.

And coming back to the States and getting a job that I was excited to be able to incorporate both the skills I had learned in grassroots area.

But as well as, like, my computer science background, I was assuming that I was going to be able to come back and teach robotics and teach, just kind of jump right in, and youth were going to swarm and be able to kind of learn right off the bat, Java programming, for example.

But in the first few months of opening the center, we really got a chance to see firsthand that the literacy level was very, very on par with what I saw in El Salvador as a Peace Corps volunteer, which was truly amazing to me, and when I was, when I would ask the youth questions about what the access was and when they had the chance to work on computers, I mean, "Don't you have access to computers in school?"

It was, it was always, well, there's a computer lab, but we never get to go to the computers, or maybe it's, you know, once a week, and there's no instruction surrounding it.

It's just 45 minutes that the teacher can kind of go off and have a break for that.

So they're used kind of just like a, as a placeholder.

It was literally, "Well, how do I turn the computer on?"

Which just blew my mind.

So we started with that, and we've come a really long way in the last two, two and a half years.

- I'm Ni'arra, and I'm eight.

I have these computers at my school.

That's it, my mom has a laptop, but it's at my cousin's house.

- Have you seen the music program?

The other one with the little things you can touch and move them into the circle.

- He's fun.

He tells us to get to know the place.

When I first came, he showed us around, and he tells us about the whole thing.

- Why do you like this one better?

- It's cool.

- It's cool?

(electronic drumbeats) - All the youth we see here are, they come within walking distance of the center.

I mean, they're residents there.

Their parents utilize the center for other services, other social services.

I mean, they're members of the community.

- I'm Darius, and I'm 13 years old.

(rock music) They have games, the staff are nice.

I actually found out from my sister because we didn't have internet at the time.

So I usually come here.

It's a fun place to hang.

Hang out, play a games, meet new people.

- You're doing a good job keeping everything on the lockdown, right?

Just continue doing that, all right?

(Nick and girl laughing) We've been able to find a way to still have the intimacy and the comfort level of kind of a mentor relationship with these youth.

But if you want the drums to only play a little bit, then you can have it be, like, only a little bit in the circle.

And be able to teach them without having a classroom atmosphere.

So it's real after-school feel, it's a real summer-camp feel.

Isn't that cool?

You can drag two at once.

It's a perfect opportunity to sow seeds, whether it be speaking about college, or speaking about computers, or speaking about computer technology in a way that just gives them the opportunity.

So we're not here shoving anything down people's throats.

We just offer a creative and as awesome as we can environment where youth can gravitate to what they're interested in.

(upbeat music) - That's exactly how I want to see my kids learning in the classroom, is just gravitating to what they're interested in.

Joining me now in the studio is the director of the Hilltop YMCA community center, Nicholas Jaramillo.

- Hello, there.

- Welcome to IQ: smartparent.

- Thanks, Angela - Oh, you were fabulous with those kids.

- Thank you.

They're the driving force in everything that we do.

- Oh, and we were talking about scaffolding.

That's what you're doing, right?

You're starting with showing them how to turn the computer on, and they're going to be writing script at some point.

- Hopefully.

That's what we're working towards.

So I mean, we employ, and we work with volunteers that are teens, and we, I mean, as you say, we scaffold that up, from eight years old up to adults.

- And what's your, what's your vision?

What inspires you when you come to the center?

- My inspiration definitely lies within our grassroots connections to the community, but my vision and the vision of the great team that I work with is to provide an all-inclusive services.

So providing technology, but not, not just to youth and adults, but to other members of the community as well, immigrants, other ethnicities, so.

- And you believe, I think I read somewhere that you said that if you can expose these kids to as much as possible, then they won't be intimidated as they get older, and it will definitely open doors for them, and change their lives.

- Absolutely.

We've seen, and I'm sure Michael can definitely attest to it, the direct correlation between the ability to go into a situation and manipulate technology and grades, you know, things practical application to real-world situations, whether it be in the classroom or getting a job or selling yourself in an interview, so... - And one of the things that you had said also is that kids were coming into the center at the beginning and just watching YouTube videos.

And you created an agenda, which I think we can use at home, or be inspired by, to think about how we can take that into the home.

Can you talk about that a little?

- Absolutely.

So when we started the first three months, we did see that the primary usage of the computers by the youth was just to watch YouTube videos and probably the same YouTube video over and over all day.

So the great team of individuals that comprised the Hilltop YMCA, we got together, and we wanted to create some kind of kinesthetic programming to kind of harness all this energy that the kids are bringing in and giving us.

So we started coming up with programs, like building a touchscreen kiosk with the help of Google, for example, or creating a remote controlled Android, an Android-controlled remote control blimp, from, from any Android phone.

And we found that the process by which people gravitated to youth in general, to projects that allow them to create something in the end.

But we also found that it's the process of creating something that really grows people - And interacting and being part of it.

Thank you so much.

And you stay, cause I think we have a lot more that we can talk about.

We're going to take a quick break, and then continue this conversation.

When we come back, $12 computers and $20 tablets, a pipe dream?

Or possibly coming to a store near you?

We'll find out next.

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- Welcome back.

We're talking right now about the digital divide, the difference between having access to the latest devices and games and apps, and what happens when you don't have that access.

Joining me now is Derek Lomas.

Derek is a scientist, a game designer and artist, and co-founder of PlayPower, an organization that develops affordable educational games for families around the world.

And Derek, right before we took that break, we talked about these lower-cost computers and tablets.

So is that possible?

- Yeah, it's here now.

So, we started with a computer that cost only $10 on the street, but it was a specialized device, but now it's clear that an Android tablet, for instance, is going to be incredibly accessible to millions of kids around the world.

The average cost of goods right now is just $25 for an Android tablet and our organization, what we're trying to do is make sure that when those kids get the tablets, that there's really high quality content there.

- So you're creating the learning games that will then go with the tablet so that it comes pre-loaded.

- Yeah.

Remember how computers would have a games folder, and there'd always be "Minesweeper" and "Solitaire"?

So, we want to make sure that there's really high-impact learning games when kids open up their tablet.

- So this is, is this PlayPower?

This would be what you would get in the box.

And so what's the difference with something like this?

Are the graphics are different?

- With a tablet?

- With a tablet that's, like, a lower-cost tablet.

How do you get all of that in a box?

- Yeah.

So right now, for a seven-inch tablet, it plays all the movies.

It does everything that an Android tablet does.

It won't have as high of a quality screen as an iPad, for instance, but the point is, is that the trend for the cost of technology is, it's approaching zero essentially.

And so the question is not device access, but what kind of content a kid has access to.

- Right.

So the digital divide might be lessening with regard to potentially even getting internet access.

I know some of the cable companies are offering lower rates, $10 rates for some lower income families, but it's really what they're choosing.

And Michael, you see this as well in terms of needing the information for parents to choose the good apps, and also kids.

It doesn't really matter what the graphics look like, as long as the game is rich enough and engaging enough for them.

- Look, we have to catch up first on internet access, as well as on broadband, you know, availability more generally in order for children to have the same opportunities that they have in other countries, but just as important.

And I think soon more important is going to be what Derek is talking about.

We need high-quality content tailored to the learning needs of each individual, so personalized learning.

And then we need to figure out a way to have parents in the equation.

- And you were saying, even touch-typing can make a huge difference.

Like, what kinds of things did you see in India that you're then trying to bring over here?

- Well, I think you probably saw some of this where just, if you're playing games and interested in computers, you're much more likely to develop some expertise and be excited about computers along with it.

- Absolutely, that goes along with it.

Yeah, of course.

- And I think even for parents, if they don't experience a game or experience an app, they might even be saying that it's not educational when they haven't played it before.

I think that might've happened with Minecraft.

I think I read something about that.

It's a game that has actually been embraced by a lot of the schools in terms of all the learning that goes into it.

But if you've never really, if you don't know about it or you haven't played it as a parent, you might not realize that.

So we do need parents coming into your center as well with the kids?

- Not as often as we'd like, but I mean, we definitely encourage it, and we reach out to parents, especially for the bad kids.

So that gives us a really good opportunity to kind of get the whole family together and like, all right, what can we do differently?

- And are the parents teaching the kids anything?

I mean, I've met the opposite.

- Um, they can.

- The kids are teaching.

- It's almost always the opposite.

- Always.

- So the kids bring what we teach them home.

I mean, in every realm.

- Yeah, absolutely.

- That's what our research has shown, that when it comes to digital technology, the kids themselves are more native-born, and the parents are more, you know, refugees or folks that are... - Well, I always find that the kids are smarter anyway.

That's how we write for the shows all the time is just how much they know.

So one of the things I just wanted to make sure we end up with is if parents can take one thing from our conversation today, what would you want them to take?

- Well, I think that it's pretty hard to manage kids and tablets.

I don't think it's terribly easy right now.

And so if you're frustrated, if you're struggling, I don't think you're alone.

And I think it's something that a lot of people are working on helping.

- I would definitely say that to dive right in there, and don't be afraid of the technology, and to explore it with your kids.

I mean, it's a good kind of focal point to kind of do something together with, it's not something that has to be individualized.

- I would agree.

Relax, but pay attention to what your children are doing.

Especially as they get older, they have so many choices out there, and you're their best advocate for what they should be doing.

So engage and play and learn together.

- And we find that parents are around 75% of the time when their kids are playing with some tablets, so there is an opportunity more for co-viewing and getting parents involved and invested.

And I love all the research that you're doing with regard to the learning games, 'cause that's another thing we want to tell parents in terms of some of the games, apps, and television shows that are really research-based are going to make a big difference.

So we thank you, and I'll stay around so we can have more conversations.

We've shared a lot of information tonight, and I want to give our audience a chance to get in on that conversation too.

Before I do, here are some tips I want to leave with you.

- [Female Announcer] First, help your kids connect.

Connect them to the internet through low-cost programs that cable companies offer, and connect them to good educational resources that you can search for, on sites like commonsensemedia.org.

Next, don't be afraid to ask for help.

Keeping up with technology or even knowing where to begin isn't easy.

Don't be afraid to ask for help at your local library, community center, or even from your child or your child's teacher.

And finally, make your online time education time.

The type of device you have doesn't matter as much as what you do with it.

All parents can and should help their children choose television shows, apps, and games that reinforce what they're learning in school and other valuable skills.

- Okay, I am here with Scott.

He's the director of technology at the Fox Chapel School, and you have a question for our panel.

- First thing I wanted to thank you for expanding that definition of digital divide, that it goes beyond access to physical devices and more looking at the opportunity gaps that are there, especially those socioeconomic barriers that we still have to overcome and those inequities that are there.

So my question is what are some suggestions and what are some ways that a school district such as myself who are bridging that initial physical device divide and providing devices to students, but can still have a way to get into the homes to make sure that providing these devices doesn't actually extend and exacerbate that gap between socioeconomic divisions.

- Sure.

I'll try that.

Thanks for your good question.

Number one, there is an opportunity for every staff member, as well as every student, to become more digitally literate.

So digital literacy curricula, such as the Common Sense Media approach to encouraging wide use of digital resources is a first step.

A second step, I think, is to actually convene parents with your technology experts and with your staff to talk about some of the ways in which you can bridge what's going on at home with what's going on in school.

For those families that do not have the most recent digital technologies, look to more simple technologies.

DVDs are an excellent way of capturing extended learning opportunities for younger children in particular.

And then third, I think there's a way in which a community should look at investments in digital technologies.

They shouldn't just be the infrastructure, not just a new set of iPads for every child.

There needs to be professional support and assessment support built in to that equation.

- Anybody else want to jump in?

- I'd say we've had more, we've had a lot of success with just being able to guide the youth in a direction.

So I mean, and it's difficult to do inside of traditional education, but I think that's one of the pivotal things that sets after-school programs apart from school programs, the structure.

And I'm still, for the life of me, I'm still young, but I don't know why it has to be that way.

(laughs) - Well, thank you very much.

And as we wrap things up tonight, I think we can all agree.

Digital divides are real, and they impact kids before, during and outside of school.

Parents are the key.

I want to say that again.

Parents are the key to bridging this gap, by deciding where access comes from, be it from home, a library, the television, school or community center, and by seeking out trusted media sources, such as PBS and Common Sense Media for educational content.

Parents can determine what their families are doing online, and no matter who you are or where you live, everyone should have a chance to harness the power of today's digital world.

We'll be featuring more parent tips and resources on our Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest pages.

Follow us at WQED-_EDU with #iqsmartparent.

Continue the conversation online.

Log onto wqed.org/smartparent to hear more from tonight's guests and to let us know your thoughts.

Thank you so much for joining us, and good night.

(audience clapping) (upbeat music)