Kai Dup� 

Kai Dup� 

In Conclusion

Well here we are. My last entry for the semester. I must say writing this blog and researching this topic has been enlightening for me. The subject of the digital divide is something that I have been thinking about for years. Over the years I have read many articles regarding the digital divide, and after reading Cooper's work in "The Inmates are Running the Asylum", I decided to revisit the subject.

Initially, I believed that many people of color, who do not have access to technology, would suffer in the world economy. This belief continues, however my reasoning has been somewhat reshaped regarding the reasons for this condition. My thoughts are that very soon technological literacy will be just as important as reading and writing (traditional literacy), Cooper's ideas notwithstanding. But things have changed a great deal over the last few years regarding this issue. Many efforts have been made by people like Tavis Smiley (http://www.tavistalks) and his Blacks in Technology (BITS) forum, and the efforts of Bill and Melinda Gates, who have donated millions to the cause of getting computers to urban youth. In fact, Microsoft has teamed with Tavis on his BITS forum.

This brings me to my conclusion on this issue. I now believe that though, much of this problem has to do with economic disadvantages, I am no longer totally convinced that it is only an economic issue. My current belief is that we need to change the way people think regarding technology. I remember a line from the Spike Lee classic 'X', which chronicled the transformation of Malcolm Little to Malcolm X. While he was still in prison, one of his prison mates was trying to convince him to read and learn his history, Malcolm'x response was "What the hell for man?". I believe many in the Black community has taken this stance regarding technology. They don't see the point

This is my cue. After interviewing several educators, and leaders in the community as part of my leadership project, I posed this question to many. The responses confirms that this may indeed be the biggest aspect of the problem. Many of these educators say their school is full of computers, but some teachers have to be convinced to use them, and that certainly affects the attitude of the students regarding technology use.

I intend to help them see the point. Just as Malcolm could not see the point to reading and learning, many in the Black community, do not see the point in learning about computers and technology. While there is still much poverty in the Black community, the community as a whole is not poor. There are plenty resources. The problem is where do we spend the money. Do we spend it on books. Do we spend it on computers and learning about technology? Are teachers in communities of color being persuaded of the importance of learning about and using technology for instruction. One thing that I would like to see is for all educators to read the work of Dr. Claud Anderson, Powernomics. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0966170229/qid=1134746716/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-7466459-5360164?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)

The solution to the problem has come full circle. This problem can be solved through education. I am so glad to have discovered this, since that is exactly why I have endeavored to study education, so that I can be an agent of change, and provide the leadership needed to solve a plethora of problems, and erasing the digital divide just happens to be one of them.

Race, Rhetoric, and Technology

As part of my doctoral studies I recently became a member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). I will be attending their conference next April in San Francisco. As part of my membership I have received two publications. One of these publications is the Research Journal. Enclosed in this journal was a brochure of a new book being published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. The title of the book is “Race, Rhetoric, and Technology. The book is authored by Adam J. Banks. I absolutely intend to purchase this book and get Mr. Adams take on the digital divide in America.

In this book Adam Banks use the concept of the Digital Divide as a metonym for America’s larger racial divide, in an attempt to figure out what meaningful access for African Americans to technologies and larger American society can or should mean. He argues that African American rhetorical traditions—the traditions of struggle for justice and equitable participation in American society—exhibit complex and nuanced ways of understanding the difficulties in the attempt to navigate through the seemingly impossible contradictions of gaining meaningful access to technological systems with the good they seem to make possible, and at the same time resisting the exploitative impulses that such systems always seem to present.

The above is from the brochure that I received in the mail. I have to admit even though I have sort of thought of the digital divide as relating to socio-economic conditions, I had not quite made the parallels that Adams’ eludes to in this book. I now understand the software apartheid that exists in this country and in the world as being more of a symptom of larger issues that face people of color around the world. The software apartheid has just become more apparent as the popularity and visibility of technology has increased over the last decade. When minority communities become more integrated into the mainstream of American society, perhaps all divides digital and otherwise will be eradicated.

Scratch - A Step In The Right Direction

A couple of weeks ago in Boston, as part of my work doctoral work at Pepperdine we were granted the opportunity to visit the MIT media labs. My cadre mates and I were treated to several demonstrations of what may emerging of the the most recent research in education, learning, and technology. The demonstration that made the biggest impact on me was the demonstration of a piece of software known as scratch. I was able to talk with one of the principal developers of this program. Scratch will be used as a great tool of instructional technology.

Scratch will allow students to learn while working in an environment that has been designed with the latest techniques of learning research built right in. However, the most important aspect of this wonderful new tool is that it is slated to be given to many poverty stricken areas in the world such as South America and other countries that have many children living in poverty. This was very pleasing to me. As we have learned much of the digital divide is based on socioeconomic factors. The kind of work being done by the good people at the MIT media labs with such efforts as scratch is a great start to eradicating the digital divide.

Digital Divide PBS Site

PBS has a series devoted to the issues of the Digital Divide. The PBS series is actually named Digital Divide. I found this website online that is a counterpart to the pbs series. I have never seen the series, but I intend to check it out and report back on what information I glean from the series.

http://www.pbs.org/digitaldivide

Until Next Time,
Kai Dupe

Rural Libraries

I read an article today that was based on a study of libraries in rural areas as well as poor areas. The article stated that less and less of the riches of the Internet will be available to these libraries unless they are able to invest in broadband. For students who live in these areas their only access to the Internet is via the library. This was very interesting to me. Since, before reading this article, the digital divide for me was always due to an economic condition. However, reading this article has taught me that some are left behind simply by virtue of where they live.

Digital Divide Defined

When I think of the term Digital Divide, I think of an economic disparity. I have often heard the term used to describe a condition whereby lower economic rungs of society do not have the means to be able to take advantage of technology and/or the Internet in their lives. So, usually when I hear digital divide I think the solution is an economic solution. However, as I dig more deeply into this term and recognize that the Internet and even computers for that matter have become relatively inexpensive items. One can use the Internet now in almost any public library for free. One can purchase a notebook computer for less than $500.00. While that still may be a substantial sum to many, it is huge reduction in price from merely a few years ago. The term digital divide now is defined more in terms of skills and literacy, training people in computer skills, which often entails teaching them to read and write first. Cooper suggests that the way software and technology is designed plays a huge role in said literacy. It has even got me to thinking about how cultural differences may even play a role in how naturally one finds using computers. Can technology and computers have a bias in their design in the same fashion as standardized tests such as the SAT?

Stay Tuned,
Kai Dupé