The Digital Divide from east to South Dakota: Sunday 12/4 New York Times Opinion Article Reflects TET 732 Concerns
In the Sunday New York Times today there is an article on the opinion page titled The New Digital Divide by Susan Crawford. Looks like she is a professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Interestingly, her article doesn't reflect an opinion served up through her specialized knowledge of law. Her opinion highlights the concern expressed by us in TET732 that not all students have access to high speed internet, or even computers for that matter.
Cyber Monday teaches about more than American spending habits
She introduces her opinion by stating the high dollar sales online on Cyber Monday - the online shopping version of Black Friday. 1.25 billion in online sales that day - far greater than the sales on Black Friday at brick and mortar stores. She then states, "Such numbers may seem proof that America is, indeed, online. But they mask an emerging division, one that has worrisome implications for our economy and society. Increasingly, we are a country in which only the urban and suburban well-off have truly high speed Internet access, while the rest - the poor and the working class - either cannot afford access or use restricted wireless access as their only connection to the Internet. As our jobs, entertainment, politics and even health care move online, millions are at risk of being left behind."
I think the digital divide is a huge problem. For many computer access at their libraries have allowed them to access online resources. However, in budget times, libraries are often put on the cutting block with means fewer services and one less place for individuals to have access to computers and all other types of resources.
ReplyDeleteLoraLee
ReplyDeleteThanks for the blog post on "Digital Divide". Many take for granted that technology is ubiquitous, when in fact there are many that do not have on-demand technology available. I think that this is important when, we as teachers have expectations of our students connectivity and access to emerging technologies.