The Digital Divide The digital divide refers to

The Digital Divide The “digital divide” refers to the gap between those that have (or lack) access to computers and the Internet. § 2005, 70% of Americans use the Internet at work, school or home §Home broadband penetration =59% of adults §Digital Divide data collected by land-line phone “Digital Divisions”, Report of the Pew Internet & American Life Project, October 2005 The Digital Access Project

Digital Inclusion focuses on how information and communication technology (ICT) affects individuals, communities and countries The Digital Access Project

Digital Inclusion The Objective: Social Inclusion The Strategy: Individual and Community Empowerment The Tools: Enabling Technologies > computers, networks, software, the Internet The Digital Access Project

This Approach Asks: n What social and political barriers to technology access and literacy exist? n How does technology affect human rights, civic participation, and social inclusion? n How does technology affect economic development? The Digital Access Project

Digital Inclusion Assumptions n Technology should combat social exclusion, not reinforce it n “Access” is not about computers and the Internet--it’s about social inclusion and equity n Technology can have a profound economic and social impact on communities-“one cell phone” The Digital Access Project

Why is Digital Inclusion Critical? Economic & Social Realities: n Participation in the global, knowledge-based economy requires the ability to access and manage information n Underserved, marginalized communities have the most to gain, the most to lose n Technology literacy, like literacy itself, is an essential prerequisite to social inclusion The Digital Access Project

Critical Drivers of ICT Use ICT = information & communication technology n n n n n E-mail, Search, Maps News Access to online job listings, applications Educational use, online learning Online transactions (travel, e-bay, banking, etc. ) e-government services (taxes, licenses) Health information (Medicaid part D) Civic engagement & e-democracy User generated content-blogs, websites, music sharing The Digital Access Project

A Nation Online? • 70% of Whites • 57% of African-Americans • 38% of Americans with disabilities • 37% of Hispanics • 29% who have not graduated from High School • 26% age 60 or older “Digital Divisions”, Pew Internet & American Life Project, October 2005 The Digital Access Project

What About the Other 30%? Persistent barriers include: • Limited technology literacy skills • Anxiety, fear of technology tools-16% are “hard core resistors” • Limited education, low literacy levels • Language & accessibility barriers • Irrelevant content • Affordable broadband service • Cost of entry (hardware) The Digital Access Project

Digital Inclusion Strategies n Improve Access/ Connectivity Provide broader access to the Internet, lower cost of entry (municipal wireless? ? ) n Develop content that is accessible, relevant and contextual n Increase Technology Literacy Help groups and individuals use technology to do what THEY want to do, address underlying social factors The Digital Access Project

Off-line in America U. S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, A Nation Online, 2004 The Digital Access Project

“Don’t Need it. Not Interested in it. ” n 18% of those not online answered: “I am not interested in anything on the Internet. '' n This exceeds the 12 percent who said they either weren't sure how to use the Internet or couldn't afford a computer. * Pew Internet & American Life Study, 2005 The Digital Access Project

Too Much (useless) Information? A Children’s Partnership report on online content reveals “not interested” usually means “content/information is not designed for ME, or my family, or my community” Wendy Lazarus and Francisco Mora “Online Content for Low-Income and Underserved Americans: The Digital Divide's New Frontier” The Digital Access Project

Content MATTERS Content Barriers Cited by Low Income Adults n Lack of local information u n Literacy Barriers u n Develop information at a basic literacy level Language Barriers u u n Provide practical information focusing on local community Online translation tools Information in native languages Lack of Cultural Diversity u Provide Relevant health, social and cultural information The Digital Access Project

e-Lingua Franca? n 70% of website pages are in English --70% of the worlds population doesn’t speak English as their primary language n 2000 U. S. census: 18% of residents report English is not the primary language spoken at home The Digital Access Project

Literacy and Accessibility n 48% of Americans have low literacy skills, most online content is written at a 10 th grade level, should be 6 th grade level n 8 -10% of Americans have some kind of disability ( +30% of seniors), few sites meet Section 508, ADA accessibility guidelines n Limited vision is the most common disability The Digital Access Project

Technology Literacy Is… The ability to responsibly, creatively, and effectively use appropriate technology to: §communicate; §access, collect, manage, integrate, and evaluate information; §solve problems and create solutions; §build and share knowledge; and § improve and enhance learning in all subject areas and experiences. The Digital Access Project

Improving Technology Literacy Human mitigation is critical to improving technology literacy skills. Best practices include: §Demystify technology §Provide time and space to experiment §Build knowledge through incremental successes §Create relevant, project-based workshops §Encourage peer learning, mentoring §Involve learners in program design The Digital Access Project

Social Networks & Technology Literacy n Weak social networks=low tech literacy within communities n CTCs (telecenters) address both ACCESS and TECH LITERACY gaps --and create social networking opportunities n Neighborhood-based community technology centers, not labs or computer rooms The Digital Access Project

Digital Inclusion <is linked to> Social Inclusion Both require n Civic & Social Participation n Access to Education, Literacy n Economic Self-Sufficiency (individual) n Economic Development (community) The Digital Access Project

21 st Century Civic Engagement n Small groups look BIG on the ‘net-new opportunities for citizen groups n Easier access to elected representatives, more opportunity for public discourse (e-democracy) n Greater access to government information and legislation, increased transparency The Digital Access Project

Social Inclusion & Democracy “To communicate in the post-modern society is the power to interact with networks of information. It is not sufficient to have a free mind, if our words cannot circulate like the words of others. ” --Sergio Amadeu de Silva E-government director, San Paulo Brazil The Digital Access Project

Education Information + Access + Literacy = Knowledge? n Educators are faced with hypermedia-conditioned learners n Youth have better technology literacy skills than adult teachers and parents The Digital Access Project

Coming Soon! Better Brains? n Human brains like stimulation, more synapses firing!~!! We seem to enjoy multi-tasking-are we evolving? ? n We have a generation of multimedia readers and writers who prefer a combination of – Audio – Visual – Text The Digital Access Project

Left Brain, Right Brain, New Brain n The Internet is nothing less than the equivalent of a phonetic alphabet n The human brain is once again evolving to a new level n Students are acquiring new, desirable skills • • • Networking Associative Logic Graphic Literacy Information Space Multi-tasking Rodney Riegle, P. h. D http: //www. coe. ilstu. edu/rpriegle/wwwdocs/evolution. htm. The Digital Access Project

Good news, or? n This could be good news in terms of global or cross-cultural collaboration --reducing language barriers n Multimedia can accommodate diverse learning styles, how our individual brains receive and process information (“I’m a visual learner”) n Students learn best from projects they “present”, multimedia enhances project based learning The Digital Access Project

“Producers Not Consumers” “Media” should not compete with literacy, it adds layers n n Media projects reinforce critical thinking & media literacy skills n Youth and adults can learn how to use complex technology--but only if it’s relevant The Digital Access Project

Collaborative, Contextual Learning Students collaborate and present work internationally-- via PODCASTS and Blogs Radio Willow Web: http: //www. mpsomaha. org/willow/radio/ u Room 208: http: //www. bobsprankle. com/blog/ u Educational Podcast Network: http: //epnweb. org/index. php? openpod=16#16 u The Digital Access Project

Too Much Media, Not Enough Literacy? n We respond to computer screens more like TV than a book or newspaper n We SCAN web pages--looking for a link! n On-screen text is hard to read -- too much overwhelms even the most determined readers n Have we, and are we teaching children to become scanners instead of readers? The Digital Access Project

HYPERCULTURE n How does hypermedia, coupled with ICT, influence writers? n As VIEWERS, we seem to want complexity (and can process a lot of information) --Popular screenplays and TV now contain multiple/ simultaneous plot lines. (e. g. CRASH, Amazing race, Lost, Alias, etc. ) n Do READERS want this same experience? The Digital Access Project

Does Hypermedia Threaten Literacy? Q. If ICT provides new opportunities for knowledge creation, should we expand our (centuries old) definition-and revisit our assumptions about literacy? The Digital Access Project

From Hypermedia to Hip-Hop “A hip-hop duo called Gnarls Barkley has risen to the top of United Kingdom music charts without selling a single disc. "Crazy" went to number one with 31, 000 download sales, before the song became available on a physical medium. ” (And why do we care? ) The Digital Access Project

How to Become a Rock Star (circa 2006) §To score their #1 hit, the Gnarls didn’t need a record deal to pay for production, recording, duplication, promotion and distribution §To reach a world-wide audience, they didn’t need to tour §They didn’t need to make and get a video on MTV The Digital Access Project

All Gnarls Barkley Needs is a My. Space Blog. §THEY GET TO KEEP ALL THE MONEY §They maintain creative control over their work §They can make as many “albums” as they want The Digital Access Project

The Internet Changes Everything §The speed of change, and the scale of change is intimidating §“Many-to-many” online publishing replaces few-to-many (print) model? • Email is one-to-one • Web is one-to-many • Blogs are many-to-many The Digital Access Project

Network Theory & Behavior If artists/creators understand how networks function, both socially + technically, we can create new audiences for our work, and maybe even new kinds of work. Do not be afraid. The Digital Access Project

4 Tools for Writer/Publishers n Blogging software n RSS Syndication n Creative Commons Licensing n Content Aggregators (gather. com) The Digital Access Project

Don’t Fear the Blog §By the time you finish reading this sentence, 3 new people will start blogs § 70, 000 will begin writing blogs for the first time today §Since you started this paragraph, 83 new blog entries were added to the Internet Is this article junk? (or: finding the good stuff in the blogosphere) by Tom Gerace November 13, 2005 The Digital Access Project

Beyond the Rant (e. g. “Power. Line”) §User-driven media is exploding around the globe--this is not a western fad §Blogs are being created in places like China and Singapore, where traditional media is restricted §Human rights and indigenous (democracy) movements benefit from instant, international attention The Digital Access Project

Blogs: An Enabling Technology? §Technology is neutral, not good or bad §Content management technologies reduce friction between creators and markets (audiences) §Blogs promise diversity, yet the 100 most popular blogs are by white male authors (blog popularity is accorded by links to and from site--the online world is pretty ”clubby”)* *March 21, Newsweek “ Blogging Beyond the Men's Club” The Digital Access Project

Shameless Promotion http: //ctepmediavlog. blogspot. com/ The Digital Access Project

User Driven, Content-On-Demand §My. Space has passed the NY Times, AOL and CNN in reach and page views §Community evaluation creates credibility §User-driven content is redefining how we use the Internet §Syndication has a new name, RSS The Digital Access Project

Real Simple Syndication (RSS) §RSS provides content creators with a new means of online distribution §Simple programming code is added to your webpage or blog §Users subscribe to your “feed”, using an RSS “reader” to grab and display content §RSS readers are being integrated into browsers, My Yahoo!, etc The Digital Access Project

You Can Take It With You §Portability §Mobility §Flexibility Let me have my < music/books/poems/radio shows/videos/weather reports/pictures/news clips/short stories/CONTENT> when it’s convenient for ME. I will pay for this convenience. The Digital Access Project

Protecting & Sharing Creative Works Creative Commons defines the spectrum of possibilities between full copyright — all rights reserved — and the public domain — no rights reserved. CC licenses help you keep your copyright while inviting certain uses of your work — a "some rights reserved" copyright. The Digital Access Project

Creative Commons Attribution. You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your copyrighted work — and derivative works based upon it — but only if they give credit the way you request. Noncommercial. You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your work — and derivative works based upon it — but for noncommercial purposes only No Derivative Works. You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform only verbatim copies of your work, not derivative works based upon it. Share Alike. You allow others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work. The Digital Access Project

Creative Commons The Digital Access Project

Emerging Business Models Writers sharing in profits? What a concept! §“Gather. com” §Content is rated by readers §Developed by APMG/MPR §Revenue is shared via Gather Points™ §Popularity/page reads drives author revenues The Digital Access Project

Cultivating Networks ICT provides new opportunities for broader participation: §Content §Voices §Readers §Writers The Digital Access Project

Digital Inclusion -ensures greater social, civic, educational and economic participation -expands (improves)& diversifies networks The Digital Access Project

www. Digital. Access. org www. Technology. Power. org www. Gather. com www. creativecommons. org http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/RSS_(protocol) The Digital Access Project