Digital Divide

Presented by:

Hollie Talbot

&

Emily Bogan

What is the digital divide?

The digital divide refers to the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited or no access at all. It includes the imbalance both in physical access to technology and the resources and skills needed to effectively participate as a digital citizen.

Facts about the digital divide.

In Asia only 4 in every 1,000 people have a PC compared to 585 per 1,000 in the US.

Statistics show that the benefits of the digital economy continue to flow to the wealthy

Examples of Different Forms of Digital Divide

Education: One area of significant focus in the United States is school computer access.

Gender: It has been observed that the digital divide for women is much greater than for men.

Disability: Lack of accommodation for people with disabilities causes a gap in those people's abilities to access to technology .

Global Divide: describes the Infotech disparities between

different regions of the world in relation to generalized rates of social and technological development

Digital Divide IssuesThe high cost of computers create a large divide between the people that can afford them and the people that cannot.

The ability to make full use technically and financially of computers.

Access or lack of access to the internet

Not only an issue in developing counties but also in wealthy countries that face barriers to access, for economic, linguistic, and generational reasons.

How Can We Prevent Digital Divide?

Some countries and organizations are trying to close the digital divide by using free and open source software (FOSS).

FOSS is a good way to turn because it approaches the language barrier issues. Most software can address only 3-4 languages, but FOSS can be adapted into whatever is needed.

Make computers more affordable.

Having computers accessible in the schools for students to become technologically literate.

Prevention Continued

Making computer and internet access more available for the masses versus just the wealthy and developed countries.

There are many more creative and innovative ways being researched to close the gap on the digital divide.

Exam Questions

What is digital divide?

A. gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited or no access at all

B. Just the gap between countries technology.

C. Gap between reading and math scores between China and the United States.

D. The slow process of learning how to use Microsoft products.

Exam Question

Describe an approach to the prevention of the digital divide.

Exam Question

Why is FOSS a good approach to bridging the digital divide?

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide

http://www.bridgethedigitaldivide.com/

http://issues.tigweb.org/digitaldivide?gclid=CLCG5crQg6gCFcfsKgodN3rcqw

Maloy, R.W, Verock-O’Loughlin, R.E, Edwards, S.A, Woolf, B.P. (2011). Transformating learning with new technologies. Boston, MA. Pearson.