Addressing The Digital Divide

Addressing The Digital Divide


“The future arrived; it just wasn’t equally distributed.” William Gibson


In the 1998 U.S. Department of Commerce report, Falling Through the Net II: New Data on the Digital Divide showed that more people had computers they did not necessarily have access to online and certain groups so do not own computers (ED Home Technology, 2006). The lack of this access causes some students to lack the ability improve learning through utilizing educational software, adults the ability to improve technological skills and the advantage of families to stay connected.


Therefore, as an educational technology leader it is essential when discussing or utilizing emerging technologies that I take a global perspective on emerging technologies and the effect they may have on various cultures. In order to make emerging technologies valuable to others, while maintaining gender, cultural and economic sensitivity, as Dr. Thornburg states one must understand what valuable means, “Valuable means understand a culture well enough to help people incorporate new ideas into their culture” (Thornburg, 2009). Therefore, we implementing these emerging technologies into other countries it is essential to consider the culture and what would be appropriate given their actuality. Another way to bridge the gap of the digital divide is to receive funding from government programs for communities and schools to reduce inequalities in educational technologies and internet access. The final way to make emerging technologies valuable to others while considering gender, cultural and economic issues is by providing support. Dr. Elliot Soloway mentions how it is not only money, but support and services. “If you get technology that’s emerging, sometimes it doesn’t work so well and you need support structures” (Soloway, 2009). Therefore, as a leader in educational technology it is essential that we prepare our students to utilize these emerging technologies, but we first must understand how to use them ourselves and their impact in the classroom so that we can support our students with implementing these emerging technologies in the classroom.



References

ED, Home Technology, (2006). ED programs that help bridge the digital divide. ED Home Technology, Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/Technology/digdiv.html

Soloway, E. (n.d.). The digital divide: Leveling the playing field. [Podcast]. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4199715&Survey=1&47=5797856&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1


Thornburg, D.D. (2009). Diversity and globalism. [Vodcast]. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from
http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4199715&Survey=1&47=5797856&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1




Additional Websites

Falling Through the Net: Toward Digital Inclusion Report

http://search.ntia.doc.gov/pdf/fttn00.pdf


Caught in the Digital Divide

http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech041.shtml

Red Queens and Increasing Returns

Red Queens and Increasing Returns

Responded to http://janedewitt.blogspot.com/
and http://everythingeducational.blogspot.com/


When we had to obtain a DVD for the science fiction assignment, I went to Blockbuster to rent a movie based on Philip K. Dick book. However, after renting the movie at a regular Blockbuster store I remembered the Blockbuster Express kiosk machine which I could have rented the movie for only a dollar, whereas in the store I had to pay over five dollars. My final thought was I could have stayed home and located the movie online for free, but with such a busy schedule I went to the Blockbuster store, since it was on my way home from working in my classroom.
Dr. Thornburg defines Increasing Returns as, “when two innovations hit the market at about the same time and by chance one technology gets locked in and drives the other to extinct” (Thornburg, 2009). On the other hand he defines Red Queens as a force that drives emerging technologies when, “huge competition between two technologies and in the process all other competitors are left behind” (Thornburg, 2009). Therefore, when regarding the competition between DVDs and video on demand and deciding the force I that drives these emerging technologies I would say the competition is an example of Red Queens. There has been a continuous competition between videos on demand and renting or purchasing a DVD. Most people tend to either watch movies on demand or rent DVDs from a kiosk because of convenience and low costs. With on demand and free movies online you no longer have to travel to purchase a movie and the movie is instantly available to you and your family. Although you have to travel when renting movies from a kiosk machine you only have to spend one dollar to rent a movie which is a reasonable price and many of the machines are located in grocery stores and other convenient locations. A website that is available for watching free movies online is http://www.letmewatchthis.com/ .

I believe that both DVDs and video on demand have both enhanced the way we watch movies. However, I believe that many of the free on movies online resources and videos on demands will obsolete renting DVDs, which I believe is currently occurring with the closing of several video rental stores. The use of DVDs and videos on demand has rekindled family time in the household. Nevertheless, I believe that in the future the viewing and purchasing on movies will occur on line because many sites offer free movies or a lost cost to view movies.

Thornburg, D. D. (2009). Increasing returns. [Vodcast]. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4199715&Survey=1&47=5797856&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Thornburg, D. D. (2009). Red queens. [Vodcast]. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4199715&Survey=1&47=5797856&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1