I chose to look into the digital divide for this post. Here is what I found:
The Article:
J. Cooper (2006)
The digital divide: the special case of gender
Journal of Computer Assisted Learning 22 (5)
http://pkp.sfu.ca/ojs/demo/present/index.php/jce/article/view/180/65
This article talks about the digital divide in the sense of gender. The article displays results of studies done in the past as well as now. It is basically showing that girls and women aren't reaping the benefits of technology as easily as men. There are several reasons they suggest. The main is because girls and women just don't feel as comfortable around technology. They also suggest this because it has become a stereotype that men and boys are suited for technology better. Thus this affects the mental process of women and girls.
The Video:
This video is short but does have some good points. It tells us that there is a large group of people who don't have access to a computer or technology in the sense of broadband internet. The video shows us that people making money can afford broadband and therefore are acquainted better with the internet and have access to more jobs and it's creating a viscous
circle.
The Website:
Wikipedia
I chose to look up the digital divide on Wikipedia to see what it had to say about it. There is a lot of information about the digital divide but I looked closer at the divide in education. While the government has done a great job of allocating money to schools to provide not only computers but also internet access, there is still a problem with a divide. This divide is showing up between children of higher income and children of lower income. While the higher income children have access to computers and internet at their home the lower income children don't. This is still creating problems because it's about your overall experience with technology that is key to closing the divide.
What it all means:
Until we break the stereotypes and provide equal access to technology for all, the world is still going to experience the divide. Perhaps within a generation or two technology access will have gone down in cost and therefore it will be easier to access. As for the gender issue, I believe that this will quickly fade away within the next generation. Already I've encountered a number of females that are completely comfortable behind the mouse and keyboard. In some cases they've known about different aspects about technology than I have. We all have something to learn.
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Good Job, I like all the information that you have found. I like how our government is starting to provide schools with computers but if they do so they should give internet access to all of them. There is a digital divide and we need to do something about it as humans... but let us not forget how we used to do it in the old days because technology can not always be relied on. (IN MY OPPINION). I think one day it will all crash and that one day we all might be doomed.
ReplyDeleteCory I think you bring a new perspective to the term digital divide. Most of us would think about the younger generations to the older generations when considering who uses technology more, but you've brought in men to women. I think this is correct when saying most females don't feel comfortable learning the new technology. I experience this everyday at my job.
ReplyDeleteCory, good post. You did well discussing the different kinds of digital divides. I agree with what you've said - especially about how women's role in the digital world will change in the next generation.
ReplyDeleteCory good job, you found lots of good information. We talked about the digital divide in class, but seeing websits and videos about it makes it seem so much more important than just reading about it in class. I do agree that some females do feel more uncomfortable than males when it comes to technology. I think we should make it so that everyone has an equal chance to work with technology so that everyone feels comfortable with using it. It is becoming more and more important to use technology in everyday things so we need to make sure everyone is getting a chance to learn to use it.
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