The problems of information heterogeneity within the academic community

the article discusses the problem of informational heterogeneity of modern academic community and the ways to overcome it. The concept “informational heterogeneity” suggests that the involvement of scientific and teaching staff in using modern information and communication technologies (ICT) is different. The paper draws attention to a constant digital divide among professors and education researchers. The author analyzes the studies on the use of ICT in the system of continuous education and concludes that the main obstacle for the introduction of ICT in education is psychological and functional unpreparedness of academic staff to use ICT. The article provides numerous facts indicating that the information literacy divide implies the lack of motivation among many Russian teachers to use ICT and improve the methodology. As a result, a digital divide creates a professional divide. The changes in the activity of academic staff associated with the acquirement of a wide range of e-competencies should be focused on the following areas: teaching and research activity, teaching and scientific communication, professional image creation. The most common reasons for the reluctance to use ICT are mentioned in the article. The author suggests the way to lessen the digital divide through practice-oriented, personalized, module forms of advanced training, followed by a mandatory stage-by-stage evaluation of each type of work. The idea is based on the study of modern advanced ICT training and the author's personal experience. This training should enhance teacher's emotional experience by providing the practical benefits of the inclusion into the modern ICT world. Besides, the paper emphasizes the effectiveness of heterogeneous creative groups (considering different age, position in the educational process, teaching specialization, e-competence level), working on specific projects (research, methodological, etc.) based on the use of various multimedia and electronic resources. The conclusions presented in the article are debatable and may give an impulse to further professional discussion.