Well, it's interesting to think about digital diversity, because I feel like I'm half the reason the world is being technically separated. Well... not ME, personally, but my generation. When I (well used to) sit at my computer, I never actually thought about how there may be other people out there may not be doing the same thing as me. Selfish as that may seem, it always felt like technology was available to everyone, regardless of age, race, location, income, etc. What a silly teenage, eh?
Anyway, Andy Carvin argues the fact that technology needs to stop being so "HEY! I'm perfect, check me out!" and it really needs to come down to the fact that not everyone has the means to make technology available. The statistics he points out are pretty interesting, however, not really surprising. The digital divide is about content, literacy, and pedagogy. This again, comes down to my generation in the United States. I feel, the only reason I'm attached to technology and the internet by the hip, is because I grew up with it. I found things that really interested me, especially games and shopping (content), literacy was not a problem for me, and computers were everywhere in schools, look at how we (as students) can't even take a class without Blackboard or ePortfolio involved.
Is this why the digital divide hasn't really phased me yet? I feel like such a spoiled brat saying that. Who knows.
2 comments:
You are getting at what I talked a little bit about in my post. It's not only you who could obliviously think that people all over the world are doing exactly what we do - sit in front of a computer. Or maybe we haven't even thought about it at all, it's just been an assumption inside of us. Well, like i said in my post, many people still don't even question the issue of access and just go about assuming that others are doing what we're doing. And it's true. We are all spoiled and can't really comprehend the digital divide completely. And I say that because my English teacher just informed our class that just being here attending a university puts us in the top 10% of elite in the world. And believe me, I don't feel rich or spoiled so if i'm in the top 10%, I can't imagine what its like for others..
Your blog is similar to what I feel. How can we have a world wide web if it doesn't even touch many parts of the world. We are very lucky to have the things we have...I see people who have close to nothing but have the internet. We are naive to think about the how peole don't want to learn or plainly want to have anything to do with it...simply we all have the ability to learn, we just need the resources to reach out to those who have nothing and give them a head start for their future!
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