Computer and Internet Usage
April 16, 2008The article “Measuring Digital Opportunity for America’s Children” (pages 20-36), that was emailed to everyone, illustrates the importance of computer and Internet access. There are countless vital ways in which people use computers and the Internet for both personal and educational purposes. Those who do not have access to computers miss out on all of the opportunities stated in the article. Do you understand why the digital divide is such a serious issue? What points in the article interest you? How important is Internet access to you?
That article really showed shocking statistics that contribute to the digital divide. As I first read the article, the only thing that stood out to me the most was the very first statistic which was under the educational achievement (obviously the most important topic in this case)sates, “Percentage of children in school ages 7–17 who use a home computer to complete school assignments:
■ Annual household income of less than $15,000: 29%
■ Annual household income of $75,000 or more: 77%”
That 29% is a pitiful percentage and illustrates how many students are seriously left behind in the digital world. Unfortunately this limits their opportunities to participate in things like blogs, wikis, and podcasts which are all great tools to enhance learning. This divide also creates problems for teachers who want to incorporate technology in their class room. I know that there are great people advocating for each child to receive a computer, but what about internet access? Couldn’t internet companies make this available to low income households at a discounted price if it was being used for educational purposes? I understand that this is probably a farfetched idea, but why not? Low income families get assistance in other ways so why can’t they receive aid for something that will help further their children’s education as well as possible future? I feel as though this digital divide is a HUGE issue and I understand that people are advocating for students to receive computers, but I feel like more could be done to help further this assistance for the students who are left behind by this gap.
The digital divide is definitely a serious issue, as everything in the world is slowly but surely being taken over by computers. Those who are computer illiterate will ultimately be disadvantaged.
Personally, I do not think that I could live without the internet or computers. There is no way that I would be able to do most of the things that I usually do throughout the day. I cannot imagine.
Krystina
Like I mentioned before, I am only now fully understanding the seriousness of the issue of the digital divide. I know that, personally, I don’t think id get half the things done with the ease that I have without the internet or computer.
Like Ashley mentioned-The 29% of students whose families probably can’t afford a computer is substantial. As we’ve all said before, these students can use computers at school but they still are still missing out tremedously and certainly don’t have the advantage as other kids.
Even as far as group projects go now a days, so much is colaborated online. Even the wiki team projects we have done in this class have been organized through the internet. It’s hard to imagine, especially as we enter the future of more technology what is going to happen to the kids who don’t have computers.
I found this website:
http://www.consumerlaw.org/initiatives/e_commerce/digsig_sample.shtml
intersting. Although it doesnt neccesarily pertain to students, it shows the disatvantages of people who don’t have computers and some of them are extremely serious!
A couple years back the digital divide would not be that big a deal, but in recent times nearly everything is done or can be done via computer. If we don’t increasing our efforts in decreasing the digital divide we’re going to get left behind in this flattening world.
Personally, internet access is vital to me. Thanks to my laptop, I’m basically on it 24/7. I use it to shop, do work, watch shows, listen to music, etc… Even when I’m watching TV I’m usually looking up topics that are being talked about on whatever I’m watching. The internet was really shoddy the past few days and I had a lot of trouble making my schedule because of it (how am I supposed to know what classes to take if it takes like 5 minutes just to look up one teacher on ratemyprofessor.com??) I don’t even know what to watch on TV because the TV guide won’t load on my computer…
This was definitely a very informative article which I really liked because it truly provided concrete evidence to back up their statements. One important aspect of the digital divide which I honed in on was its relation to disabled students.
When I saw that, “For the estimated 6% of young people
ages 5 to 20 who live with a disability (4 million),
ICT devices can, for example, help those with vision
impairments read, or provide those who are hearing impaired with simultaneous on-screen translations,
or allow the physically impaired to work or take care
of themselves at home”, I realized that for many the digital divide is not just an inconvenience but it is a danger.
Seeing this makes it apparent that this issue is one that society really needs to take on. I thought that some of the ideas which Ashley proposed earlier make a good point as to how assistance programs need to be established in order to address these disparities; whether it is through government programs or private organizations.
This is just one example of many which shows how computers and technology are a much bigger part of our lives than we may think. For some this technology is a necessity required to maintain a manageable life.
-Frank-
I honestly never really thought about the huge gap that there obviously is. It is a major issue that as teachers we might have to face. I’ve taken it for granted that almost all of my friends and myself have internet access now.
I agree with the others that in families with annual incomes of 15,000 or less to complete school assignments at 29% is shocking. But what I find more worrisome is another fact. In the article it states “Almost all schools are wired with high-speed internet, only 36% of children ages 7 to 17 from households earning less than $15,000 annually say they use the Internet at school compared to 63% of children from households earning 75,000.” It is unfortunate that those children don’t have internet access at home but as future teachers we should be making sure that those students are exposed to the internet and how to use it to better themselves to make more than 15,000 dollars a year. We obviously can’t give all the students a computer & internet at home, but while at school we definitely can make sure that they are learning how to use such a valuable tool in their lives. Exposing students to use the internet to their advantage I think is a key in a classroom. Even if the students don’t have internet at home a library and school should and they can go there to feel less left out and know how to use it.
Yes, when I’m around a computer with internet access it is a major part of my life. But I know I could survive without it (things might just take a little bit longer). A few times throughout the summer (for a week or so) I go to my cottage where there is no internet or cell phone service and I absolutely love it. Having access to the internet does make my life easier, but sometimes it becomes overwhelming. Sometimes it’s nice to listen to a radio, answer a phone, read a newspaper or receive an actual letter in the mail.
The issue of the digital divide is an extremely important issue. This divide is helping this nation maintain its unequal class structure of advancement for the rich and unstability for the poor. It is also important for people to be aware of, because it basically defines what is happening to our nation. The shocking statistics in the article help the digital divide become a reality for many people. It is often an issue that is ignored. I understand this important, because I use the computer almost everyday. I use it for social networking, school assignments, etc. The computer has become a big part of my daily routine.
I completely agree with Ashley and some of our other classmates who have said that the most shocking piece of the article was the statistic about the percentage of children in school ages 7–17 who use a home computer to complete school assignments: 29% for an
Annual household income of less than $15,000 and 77% Annual household income of $75,000 or more. I can’t believe how HUGE this divide really is. The article really put it into perspective for me.
I also found this article:
http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_College_Report.pdf
It shows how much college students use the internet. Did you know that 72% of college students check their email at least once a day?!? Did you also know that 66% of us have at least 2 email adresses? Do you find these statistics surprising?
Stacia
This article is incredibly interesting and the statistics, regarding the economic deparities, really opened my eyes to the seriousness of the digital divide. I really enjoyed the part in which the article speaks about the low-income individuals, when granted with the opportunity to internet acces, will use the internet more frequently for academic and medical information than those of a higher class. This statistic just underscores how fortunate people really do take things for granted. This public attitude plays a large role in the digital divide because the average internet user is not even aware of how useful & essential comptuers and internet access really is. This topic is definitly a great concern of my own for the upcoming presidental election and what our candiadates have proposed in efforts to improve the divide. An unfortunately, it seems to be on the the bottom of the”to-do list” according to the Washington Post article I found when “Our presidential candidates may all have BlackBerrys, but they have no vision when it comes to bringing all our citizens to the 21st century” Here this article provides a story about a family in South Carolina suffering uder the divide:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/22/AR2007072201278.html
This article really exemplifies all of the reasons why we should be concerned with the digital divide. The statistics shown for the percentage of children from different ethnicities with access to computers at home is pitiful, “Percentage of young people ages 7–17 who use word processing or desktop publishing programs on the computer at home:62 Native American: 21% Asian American: 41% African American: 22% White: 45% Latino: 23%.” I can honestly not imagine what my high school years especially would have been like if I didn’t have access to the internet or computers at home for assignments. Not only assignments but also just for applying for loans for college as well. I use the computer everyday to receive mail, write papers, converse with friends, keep in touch with my family, and research for papers and other assignments. I just think it is such an important aspect of my life and it is unfair that some students are not offered those same advantages.
All students deserve to have affordable high speed Internet access. It is too much of a disadvantage to be without. The Communications Workers Of America have a project called Speed Matters that addresses this issue. Check out our website for more information on how we can make this a reality at http://www.speedmatters.org