The Digital Divide is a manifestation of the tendency of technology to follow those with the access, and the skills to use it. Over time, this can lead to imbedded assumptions that tend to exclude people who lack capability to respond in appropriate ways.
For instance, the assumption that everyone who is eligible to work at a certain company has core IT skills may drive an employer to post job openings, accept resumes, schedule interviews, and extend offers only via the Web and e-mail. This could prevent individuals who lack these core skills or who lack access to IT infrastructure, from even learning about potential employment opportunities or the skills needed to gain employment with the firm.
In our public schools, the good news is many states have been very active in building out infrastructure – financing statewide networks and installing cable and fiber. I’m proud to say that in Washington state, thanks to a good technological employer base, excellent schools, and a healthy state budget, the K-20 network ensures that every grade and high school has high quality Internet access, and all 33 community and technical colleges, and the public 4-year universities all have at least one T1 connection.
However, other states have further to go, and even with infrastructure, most states have serious problems in attracting and retaining the necessary technical support personnel, and in training teachers and students in the uses of technology in ways that both groups become naturalized to technology.
We’re all encouraged by the occasional stories of “whiz kids” making $60 Grand per year while still in high school, designing corporate Web sites – and we have indications that computer penetration in homes in the US will equal penetration of televisions and radios not too long after the new Millennium.
While that’s pretty good news, it applies to North America. The figures for Europe are comparable. I had occasion to host a visit from China that came to NWCET to learn about technical education in the Washington community colleges – they have leapfrogged the infrastructure problems in many cases – remote villages that don’t even have running water are talking on cellular phones! Yet, much of the world still lacks infrastructure. And the two major drivers of Web expansion – commerce and information transportation – may not be too useful to populations still struggling with basic human needs.
We face the prospect of a country and a world differentiated by access to and facility with the digital domain. Information technology literacy is the “3-Rs” of the new millennium.
Telecommunications technology promises to make high quality connections available to virtually every point on the globe – so we will build this high speed highway to even the remotest points on t he planet – what wonderful possibilities – if we make sure everyone knows how to drive!
Copy right :
Speech of Peter Saflund to the Rural New England Information Technology Project at Greenfield Community College, Greenfield, MA, August 6, 1999.
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