Digital Divide 2.0 "Generation M" and Online Social Networking sites in the composition classroom

This article focuses on the digital divide (socially) between Generation M and teachers today. Students, known as 'Generation M' are capable of multi-tasking and are media savvy and have adapted to technologies in the world around us today. While students are digitally able to make videos, use computers and navigate around social networking systems, they are not able to incorporate computers and technology in a productive method for school usage (i.e. correct grammar usage and even writing a paper correctly.)

Based on the “Information and Communication Technology Literacy Test” made by ETS, it was found that few students displayed key information literacy skills or show mastery of higher-order rhetorical skills, which is worrying as this is a key component of essay writing skills. This is because instructors are trying to incorporate technology into their pedagogy, but have not researched what sites actually have on them today.

As a future teacher, do you see using computers and technology within classrooms a beneficial process, or something that could actually take away from lessons within your class?

For more information on this article, please following the following link: "Digital Divide 2.0 "Generation M" and Online Social Networking sites in the composition classroom."

Bridging digital divide: Efforts in India

This article starts out by introducing the concerns India has in Information Technology, which is widening the gap between the privileged and underprivileged population. A claim being that internet capabilities are far and few between and that while 429 million people are online globally, with 41 percent being those in America, with Canada and Europe falling not far behind. The digital divide exists between educated and uneducated people, developed and developing counties as well as economics contributing to those who have internet capabilities.

People need to be aware that there are societal implications when dealing with the digital divide, such as computer literacy, the use of electric data interchange, uses of information (gathering), working knowledge of English and tech savvy operations. It is written that the digital divide is an 'amplifier of economic and social divides that exist universally.'

When focusing on India and the reasons for such a vast digital divide compared to other countries there are numerous of reasons like electricity (lack there of), internet industry, IT penetration and telendensity. India has put methods into action, issuing government policies, technology options, satellite technologies and wireline technologies.

It is certain though that if we as a whole society wish to close the digital gap that the world needs to collaborate as whole to help countries that are behind with internet capabilities to make sure that no one is left out of some of the benefits that are attained from using technology and the internet.

Do you believe countries that do not have technology or the internet, should be given internet capabilities to close any societal gaps, as well as academic gaps? And if so, who do you think should step in and help developing countries attain the internet?

For more information, please read the following article, Bridging digital Divide: Efforts in India

Websites!

For more information on the digital divide, check out the following websites!

Bridge the Digital Divide

The Digital Divide

At a Glance

Wikipedia

Edutopia

The Digital Vicious Cycle: Link between social disadvantage and digital exclusion

The article, The Digital Vicious Cycle: Links Between Social Disadvantage and Digital Exclusion in Rural Areas, aims directly at the gap between the digital divide and how some rural areas are at risk of being disadvantaged in the media world. It speaks about the impact of the current situation from an abuse of the internet point of view. It talks about how most of us who are lucky enough to be able to access the internet abuse it by purchasing goods and services instead of putting pressure on the government or doing “greater” things.

The article also takes you through factors that are affecting the digital exclusions, social exclusion, and the rural dimension to it all. Overall the article is stating that the internet may be making us less social through the vicious cycle. The vicious cycle is the way the technology is creating social exclusion, which is creating digital exclusion, which leads to more inequalities, which in turn creates another social exclusion. It’s an interesting theory.

Is the internet and social network sites affecting the youth when it comes to direct and personal face to face communication? Is it really creating social exclusion?

View this article: The Digital Vicious Cycle

Assessing the Global Accessibility of the Internet

This article, Assessing the Global Accessibility of the Internet, does just that. It finds the differences in internet availability from different countries. It not only evaluates the level of availability but also touches on if the country would find the internet beneficial. It breaks down the connectivity infrastructure and service costs for each region. This is important because each region needs an infrastructure to operate on and it needs to know the cost to run the internet for a particular region.

The results were gained through questionnaires and background research done. They show not only how a particular region gains access to the internet but what they are using the internet for. Social e-mails were the most popular in all areas. It also gains results for hours per week spent on the internet per region. Europe surprisingly spends the most time on the internet. The last aspect that the study surveyed was overall experience using the internet and if has improved the way things are done. 95-100% of countries surveyed said yes.

What does this say about the growth of the internet and accessibility throughout the world? Why do you think this is?


View this article: Assessing the Global Accessibility of the Internet

Mobile Internet Use Shrinks Digital Divide

The website that I took my next information from was the New York Times and was written by Jenna Wortham. This article mainly talked about how the stereotypical internet user was a white man but now the usage has been shifted to younger African-Americans. According to a survey that Wortham studied it was “conducted in April by interviewing 2,253 Americans, found that while accessing the Internet via a mobile phone was increasing, the swell was reflected most sharply among African-Americans.” This is important in the digital divide because it shows that the gap is narrowing and usage is spread widely across all kinds of people.
This article also pointed out that “nearly half of all African-Americans and English-speaking Hispanics (the study did not include a Spanish-language option) were using mobile phones or other hand-held devices to surf the Web and send e-mail messages.” Only about 28% of white Americans are using their phones to use the internet. About 10-12 years ago computer and internet usage was only available to white people who were middle income or higher which left out a large population of African-Americans.

To read this article you can go to www.nytimes.com and in the search box type Mobile Internet Use Shrinks Digital Divide.

My final question is, how has internet usage on cell phones affected you, if you do not have internet usage on your phone why not?

Leadership + Mobile Technologies = Educational Benefits

The Journal that I read was by Cathleen Norris and Elliot Soloway. Almost always cell phones are seen as a disruptive technology that can easily frustrate school faculty. Norris and Soloway argue that cell phones need to be seen as a learning device and be taken advantage of instead of treated as an annoyance. Once educators start thinking of cell phones as a computer their purpose will begin to turn around. “We need to use the tools of the 21^st century to teach 21^st century skills and content,” says Norris and Soloway. The digital divide is growing less and less because of the now conceivable thought that every American has a cell phone.

In July the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, said that “Yes, K12 needs to integrate cell phones into its classrooms.” One example of education using cell phones is in the College of Nursing here at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Once accepted into the program all students are required to have a blackberry. This is just one step toward the greater picture of cell phone usage in schools. Cell phones are an important part of daily life and majority of people could not imagine life without it. Norris and Soloway make a point to state that “Teenagers in the United Kingdom prefer to spend their money on cell phones rather than cigarettes.” That is a staggering statement that technology plays such an important part of our lives.

This article can be viewed by visiting www.districtadministration.com and then typing Leadership + Mobile Technologies = Educational Benefits in the search box.

My final question is, as a future educator how do you feel that cell phone usage in the classroom will have an impact on students and on the teacher?