Graphics By: Jonathan Alonso

Digital Divide: The Cure

For years computers remained to be huge whirring machines that took up rooms of space and were used commercially, but all that changed in one mans garage in 1976, where Steve Jobs built the first ever Home Computer or rather said “PC”. And thanks to the earlier developments of ARPANET, arguably the first established operational “Internet” everyone could now own a computer and connect to this new concept of the internet. Fast forward 37 years into the future and look where we are now. No doubt has the internet changed our lives for the better, now grandchildren can connect to their grandparents via video and sound, and consumers can save that long search for an item and simply buy one from the ever-expanding buying websites. Now people can share videos from thousands of miles apart in seconds. We are growing together thanks to the internet and breaking down social barriers, not to mentions the educational achievement, children can learn thanks to games and these “Brick and Mortar” schools are becoming ever common.

The Internet: The Revolution Begins

We have advanced more and more and created more complex computers, but how many of us can use it? And more importantly do we even need it? The answer is simple, YES! As we look back at those 37 years we have seen nothing but innovation, if we look 37 more into the future no doubt that’s all we will see, so why should we not learn to use these wonderful machines? Technology will not cease, it will continues and die but be reborn inside another device, so if we don’t learn now we will be stuck in a technological world but we will know nothing of how to use it, so all in all we will be basically handicapped in this new world. And we will be missing out on all the amazing things that come along with it.

Technology, Yes! Can We Use It, No?

Now you have seen the power the internet beholds, but not everyone has this, we live in a “Digital Divide” where not everyone can own a computer, mainly in poorer areas where it is a luxury to own a computer. Recently a philanthropist launched an experiment named “The hole in the wall” where he stuck a computer in a wall in a poor Indian village and in no time the kids swarmed it and taught themselves how to use the computer. He expanded it to other areas and they all had the same results, and soon enough the children learned how to read and write better, they became more literate than many adults who had never learned how to read and write.

Breaking Down Barriers

Now you see what the effect of one computer is, it can change the lives of those who have it, and it can help everyone do what they need. Now upon hearing about your idea to bring this concept to those in need and essentially break down this “Digital Divide” I knew one of the areas you should visit would be my county. This county is one of the poorest counties in the America. To be exact Polk County ranks 5th in the poorest counties in America1. This in turn impacts the education in Polk, the teachers themselves are doing a good job, but the students have no ambition to learn, Florida being the State that initiated the “Letter Grading System” which has been respected and adopted by many other states is certainly not a good thing that Polk not only has failing schools but is also getting worse, compared to last year the grades for schools have fallen and only the prestigious Private Academies are prevailing, but I believe that by letting children here use computers to learn in a new and exciting way we could bring up the ambition these kids have lost, and in turn we could raise the education level here and in the long run help improve the economic crisis in Polk County.

My Proposal

“Mind map” :  Georgia Institute of Technology; Paul ForemanTedEd “Sugata Mitra”: egwestcentre.com; TedEdHole In The Wall: http://rachelpadula.edublogs.org;  Jeff WheelerCites:1 http://www.theledger.com/article/20100411/news/4115034

Credits (Order Of Appearance)