[lit-ideas] Re: the values Americans live by?
- From: Eternitytime1@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 23:00:32 EDT
In a message dated 5/6/2005 11:47:04 AM Central Daylight Time,
andreas@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
And the "Many also own a personal computer." was obviously appended.
In Palo Alto, the average home has five computers.
HI,
Well, but Palo Alto has not heard of the digital divide, then.
It DOES exist. Only, not really, as our government also claims that
everyone is literate (both in terms of knowing how to read, to calculate
numbers
[without one of those calculators] and knows how to navigate the world wide
web--not even looking at the numbers who look at a mouse and walk away.
We have one of our library branches in the heart of this digital divide. It
is the only place in that area which provides any sort of public access to
computers. (that area is a part of KCMO--and this part of KCMO is ignored as
it is not part of the KCMO school district--it has one of its own. But, the
city which has gotten money to put computers in various community centers has
not done so in that area's one--though the branch manager and I recently met
the director of it and we are going to see what we can do--)
The statistics in that area's school district are extremely alarming if you
care at all about getting people to read/write/use a computer. (must less
the Internet) None of our other branches have the same problem (all branches
are in the suburban area surrounding KC) A person is allowed what? 15
minutes on a computer--and that is not always enough time to do what needs to
be
done. So there have been fistfights when people won't get off fast
enough...and there are constantly not just busy computers, but lines waiting.
These are
people who actually know HOW to use the computer and have no access. If
they are lucky, they have a phone (many do not) but the cost even of dial-up
is
not something they can do (hey--food? What about the what? 60,000 kids who
go to bed hungry every night? Think their parents are playing on the
computer while their kids are hungry?)
When I was in a conference in Toronto last November I had this same
conversation with people from Washington State, some place in California, some
place
in Canada, etc etc. Then the next day I went to a session dealing with
lifelong learning classes focusing on the digital divide. NONE of the people
who
were adament about how they were no longer going to provide classes on using
the internet or computer software programs were at that program. Yet, one of
the people leading it was from Washington State and was talking about the
digital divide there. Another was from Vancouver. I came home and logged on
to a zillion messages from the two digital divide listservs that I am on...
Sure, you may not know anyone who does not know how to use a computer or
email or the world wide web. One of the woman I am on a board with has no
idea
how to attach something to her email. She's a nurse. She has a brain and
ought to be able to figure this out...so, imagine if you were one of the
people who cannot read directions even if they were to be able to afford a
computer. (who don't exist and that is why 70% of funding for literacy
programs is
being cut...)
The funding and consideration from our administration towards eliminating
the digital divide--well, it does not exist. In fact, the commitment to
making
sure we don't even fall further behind is simply not there. The US has now
dropped to what? 13th? (or maybe it is lower?) in terms of numbers of
households who have even basic broadband service within the 'first world'
nation-state listing. If you look at how most countries provide even better
broadband than what the US generally provides, it is pretty scary in terms of
realizing how much of a digital divide there will soon be even between the US
and
other nations.
Cell phone use? The US lags there, too.
Wishing we ALL had five computers and knew how to use them,
Marlena
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