week 12

•Jaeger et al. (2006) found that 99.6% of all public libraries provided Internet access on their public terminals. However, there were still things related to that access that continued the digital divide. What were the issues?

- sufficient of connectivity: ex: broadband access
- main point: how gov't is now becoming internet and digitally inclusive.......counting how many people are on the internet as opposed to not on the internet.....this drastically effects funding!
- number of work stations in public libraries
-CIPA banning content deemed as unsuitable to minors--> this leads to less internet freedom and could decrease access.

olpc

ahh! Sorry I forgot about this one! After reading everyone's responses, I would have to say that I agree with the majority of people's concerns like the issues of access, what if the kids grow out the computers, will they know how to use them and doesn't Africa have more important concerns on its mind. However, I would like to say that we are being too negative about this great initiative and step in the right direction. I don't think we are giving kids enough credit when it comes to learning how to use the computer. I think that as long as there is someone to guide them through the first steps of turning it on and opening it as well as using the other programs then they will be able to figure out the rest- kids are a lot smarter than we notice. Secondly, I think that they will be grateful enough to have a computer that even as they grow up they will still use it. However, I think that a lot of the issues we have with the program are future ones, not present. I think that while this project could have a positive influence on the kids receiving the laptops there are bigger issues at hand. I really feel that if these laptops were delivered to people in starving areas of the country they wouldn't really care about them, they would be more worried about where their next meal is coming from. I would expect that most of them would sell the computers in exchange for food or other necessities, and to be honest, who wouldn't? People's lives are a lot more important than having a computer. As Compaine said in his article, "a society that has more important issues, such as feeding and housing its people, providing safety and security, and creating general well-being would place access to entertainment and information well down on the list of priorities." I would totally agree with the African government being skeptical about these computers because they have real, pressing issue to deal with. Although this idea is a valiant one, it might be better for people in stable environments that can make use of the computers.

Exam Review: Servon, Chapter 8

Which Seattle residents were less likely to have access to computers (page 201)? Compare these statistics with the Collins family. How many of these characteristics did the Collins family share?

African Americans in Seattle had significantly less access than compared to Caucasians and Asian-Americans. 35% of African Americans did not have access to the Internet at the time of the study, and only 52% of African American respondents had a computer at home. More than half of the people without computer access were over the age of 65, 68% had low incomes, and 36% had a high school education or less. These statistics go along very well with the Collins family -- they were African American, low-income, and the parents had a high school education or less.

Be able to describe some of the solutions that various organizations in Seattle designed to help close the digital divide. Would any of these solutions benefit the Collins family in Chicago? If so, which ones?

• Citizens' Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Board: use money from the Citizens' Literacy and Access Fund to create a citywide IT planning position within the Department of Information Technology (formerly Department Technology Division). This made Seattle the first city to have a community technology planner.
• The Citizens' Literacy and Access Fund also includes a Technology Matching Fund, which gives money to increase access, support IT training, and/or "encourage IT applications that support neighborhood planning and action" to organizations that provide their own volunteer labor, materials, professional services, or want donations matched.
• Information Technology Indicator Project: aims to build a "technology healthy community," in which technology enhances the local economy, is equitable and affordable, meets needs and solves social issues, promotes relationship-building and community development, and supports the "sustainability of residents' quality of life."
• NNC: helped establish more than fifty CLCs (computer learning centers) in Washington. The long terms goals are to provide each center with internet access, to form alliances with small businesses, to make all centers accessible to the elderly and disabled, and to establish a software clearinghouse.

The Collins family likely would have benefitted from the Information Technology Indicator Project (meets needs, solves social issues, supports residents' quality of life), the CLCs started by the NNC (with internet access, finding jobs or getting a GED/college degree would have been easier), and possibly the different projects supported by the CLAF (like the IT training).

Legacy

If anyone has not seen or wants some more information on Legacy, there are some good things on the PBS website about the documentary and how it came to be made. 

http://www.pbs.org/legacy/documentary/index.html 

Study Guide

•Jaeger et al. (2006) found that 99.6% of all public libraries provided Internet access on their public terminals. However, there were still things related to that access that continued the digital divide. What were the issues?
o Insufficient bandwidth and broadband
o Rural libraries have less access to workstations, non-filtered workstations, high-speed connectivity, and wireless Internet
o Public libraries are running out of space to provide sufficient workstations
•Significant disparities exist as to whom has access and where adequate public access to the internet is possible. At issue are
o The degree to which it should be national policy to reduce these disparities and work toward providing equal access to Internet information and services
o The rights of citizens to adequate access of the Internet and the range of information and services the Internet allows
o The societal or financial costs associated with being digitally inclusive versus digitally exclusive

Seattle

1.) Providing a summary
This article dealt with how Seattle combated the digital divide - they were deemed most successful of any town by the author and should be an example for other successful works against the digital divide.
2.) Defining key terms
Although more than 75% of Seattel residents have a computer in their home, groups who do not tend to be older, low-income, low-education and African American or Latino.

The city established public workstations with access to the web in neighborhood and community centers across the city, provides free hosing for community organizations online. The Technology Matching Fund provides resources to neighborhood and city organizations for citizen-driven technology literacy and access projects.

They still have a problem with maintenance for CTC’s, and there is a group working to increase public awareness about the digital divide. They established indicators to measure success of their plans and then have collaborated with the corporate sector and a community college to get support.

3.) Analyzing potentially weak points in the author’s argument.

I think the argument was solid, especially because the author addressed how far Seattle still has to go and how things still aren't great even though they are sufficiently improved from where they have been.

Bishop Article Review

What were the information needs of members of this community?

• Community Services - Organizations
• Resources for children
• Healthcare
• Leisure activities
• Employment information and resources
• Education
• Crime and Safety

What barriers did members of this community face?

The members of this community who partook in this study found information barriers in:

• Cost
• Lack of informational and technological knowledge
• Lack of convenience

Many members of this community expressed the need for IT access in more convenient and applicable locations.  Many felt that to have the only public access in libraries was not very convenient.  Suggestions were made to have terminals in places where they could be used more purposefully such as stores, hospitals, schools, and courthouses.

How were these issues similar or dissimilar to to those faced by the Collins family in Legacy?

This study did not deal with members from the community facing mental barriers; participants in this study were very optimistic and excited to use information technologies and gain information.  This is a big contrast with the family in Legacy; especially Nicole's mother was very apprehensive to seek any sort of information and faced many mental barriers of fear and distrust.  Some of the other barriers did exist in both this study and the documentary.  The Collins family faced the barriers of cost and definitely lacked informational skills and knowledge.  

Another important point of Bishop's study was outlining reasons for seeking access.  These included self-improvement, fear of being left out, the desire to advance, and desire to obtain educational information.  We can see many of these same desires in the Collins family, especially in Nicole.  We can see how Nicole overcame many of the barriers her family was stuck behind to obtain the information and life she desired.