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From: "Jones, Karen" <jonesk@sosmail.state.mo.us>
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Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:24] Digital Divides and info
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Cindy (and everyone else) - have you seen the text of this digital divide
speech? It makes good points about literacy being the most basic of access
mechanisms I think, as well as offering cautions we have already heard about
what the library world sometimes calls "an information underclass."
> <<Beyond Access Understanding the Digital Divide.htm>>
> http://www.benton.org/Divide/thirdact/speechold.html
Catherine K (and others) - The American Library Association has initiatives
agreeing with some of your thoughts about information, education and
democracy. If you haven't seen their stuff you could start at
http://www.ala.org/kranich/initiative.html and click your way to other
statements from there.
O yes - I'm Karen Jones from the Missouri State Library. I try to help
libraries with literacy efforts in our state. It's generally small scale,
low budget, and hands on, but I'm convinced that ripples move outward and
seeds grow...
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<H2 align=3Dcenter>Beyond Access:<BR>Understanding the Digital =
Divide</h2>
<h3 align=3Dcenter>By <a href=3D"mailto:andy@benton.org">Andy =
Carvin</a></h3>
<h4 align=3Dcenter>Keynote Address<br>NYU Third Act Conference<br>=20
May 19, 2000</h4>
<h4 align=3Dcenter><a href=3D"home.html">View the presentation =
slideshow</a></h4><p>
Thank you -- thank you very much. Good afternoon. Now if the tech folks =
could turn the screen on, I've got a little slide show to show you. The =
slide show isn't simply a cheat sheet for my own benefit -- many of you =
often have to take a lot of notes when you go to a presentation, and if =
you're anything like me, I have a hard time taking detailed notes and =
participating at the same time. So once we get the slideshow on the =
screen, you'll notice an URL at the bottom of the page. With that =
address, you'll be able to find a <a href=3D"home.html">copy of the =
slideshow</a> on the Web, including links to all the projects and =
initiatives I'll talk about. <p>
(projector suddenly turns on)<p>
There we go.... A similar slide will also be on the screen at the end =
of the presentation, so if you can't copy the URL now, you'll be able =
to get it later. So put your pencils down, put your laptops down, put =
your Palm Pilots down, and just listen. If you feel the urge to stand =
up and ask a question during my speech, please do -- even though I'm =
standing behind this podium, I don't intend this to be a one-way =
lecture. One-way lectures can be somewhat passive for the audience, to =
say the least, so I want you to be able to think and talk as much as =
listen. So if you feel the need to ask a question at any time, by all =
means please do. Otherwise we'll hopefully have some time at the end =
for questions as well.<p>
Now Andrew Rasiej joked in his introduction to me that I've been on the =
Net for 16 years even though it's been only around for 15 years. =
Actually, the Net's been around a lot longer than that -- The Internet =
as a popular medium has only been around for a few years, but the Net =
actually evolved out of a much older network named ARPANET, which was =
developed in the late 1960s. In the beginning, it was really basic -- =
literally just a couple of networks connected together by a common =
technology. Here on the screen is one of the original diagrams used in =
1969 to describe this early network. <a href=3D"birth.html">(Slide: The =
Birth of the Net)</a> You've got one network scribbled on the left, =
another one on the right, and a communications medium connecting them =
in between. That medium -- that line drawn here -- would grow up to be =
the Internet.<p>
As all of us know, in 30 years the Internet has progressed a lot. <a =
href=3D"nettoday.html">(Slide: The Net Today)</a> If you look at the =
Internet today, there are so many access points around the globe you =
can no longer display them point-by-point on a map. In fact, if you see =
these big purple circles dotted on the map, each purple circle =
represents one million Internet nodes. These aren't even the number of =
users -- these are the numbers of entry points through which users can =
access the Net. It almost looks like you're looking as something from =
Wargames or some other nuclear holocaust film -- the world map is =
cratered with hundreds of these circles. There are also smaller circles =
representing smaller numbers of access points -- 100,000, nodes 10,000, =
etc. But as impressive as all this appears, one of the first things =
you'll notice is the plethora of circles we have over western Europe, =
North America the Pacific Rim, and to a lesser extent, South America. =
Compare that with what you see over Africa and the majority of Asia. =
You can detect a huge disparity, even in something as simple as a map. =
Keep this image in mind for a while.<p>
The map clearly raises the question of Internet equity. <a =
href=3D"equity.html">(Slide: Internet Equity?)</a> A lot of Americans =
are getting connected to the Internet, for sure, but the process hasn't =
happened across-the-board in an equitable manner. <a =
href=3D"http://www.doc.gov">The Department of Commerce</a>, for the =
last few years, has done an <a =
href=3D"http://www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/digitaldivide/">annual =
survey</a> that tries to get a handle on this Digital Divide -- in =
other words, what is our current state of access to computers and the =
Internet? What they've found has been somewhat disconcerting. <p>
For example, if you've got a household earning $75,000 or more each =
year, you're 20 times more likely to have Net access at home than those =
at the lowest income levels. Only 6.6% of people with an elementary =
school education or less use the Internet -- that's barely one in 20 of =
them. In rural areas, if you have a college degree, you're 26 times =
more likely to have Internet access than those folks with an elementary =
school education. One last example: those people with college degrees =
or higher are 10 times more likely to have Internet access at work than =
people with only some high school education. Numbers like this suggest =
that we've got a digital divide based largely on education and income =
levels. Certainly there are also racial and demographic aspects of the =
digital divide, but we're finding a lot more general agreement on the =
digital divide in regards to income and education issue when it comes =
to access.<p>
Now let's compare this briefly with Internet access in American =
schools. <a href=3D"schools.html">(Slide: Schools and the Net)</a> In =
the last few years we've made a lot of progress, especially when you =
factor in national programs like the <a =
href=3D"http://www.benton.org/e-rate/">E-Rate</a>, which has allocated =
over two billion dollars a year to subsidize Internet services in =
schools and libraries. We're now at the point where about 63% of U.S. =
classrooms have Internet access. Two out of three -- not so bad, I =
suppose. It sounds even better when you look at where things stood five =
years ago, when classroom Net access was under five percent. But if you =
take the current numbers and break them down based on a school's =
community income level, you'll find serious disparities. Seventy-four =
percent of high-income classrooms have Internet access, whereas only =
39% of low-income classrooms have Internet access. <p>
That's not good news, but even worse, when you compare these levels =
with last year's levels, you'll find that there's been no progress =
whatsoever when it comes to low-income schools. Two years in a row: =
39%. The statisticians who worked on these surveys checked their =
numbers over and over but the data remained the same. Stagnation. Even =
though all of this money is flowing into schools for Internet access, =
something's been getting in the way of low-income schools rolling out =
access in individual classrooms. There are plenty of suspects -- budget =
constraints, old buildings, and so on. Whatever the culprit may be, it =
still leaves us with the fact that there isn't equitable Internet =
access in our schools yet. Maybe a few years down the road, but there's =
still a lot of work to do. <p>
Based on everything I've said so far, you might sit back and say to =
yourself that this digital divide thing is basically an access issue. =
<a href=3D"divide.html">(Slide: Equity and the Digital Divide)</a> =
Certainly when we hear about the divide in the popular press, it's =
always about the "haves" versus the "have-nots," the technology gap, =
the computer gap -- I've got Internet access and you don't. Access, =
access, access! Sure, access is an important piece of it -- if you =
don't have Internet access, there's pretty much no contest determining =
which side of the digital divide you're on. (laughter) <p>
But the whole reason I'm here in front of you today is to get you to =
challenge yourself with this question -- Is the digital divide really =
just an access issue? I'd like to posit that the divide is only =
partially about access. There are several other factors that are just =
as important, and I'd like to spend my time up here examining some of =
these factors. <p>
<a href=3D"bigpicture.html">(Slide: The Digital Divide Big Picture)</a> =
<p>
First, we've got literacy. By literacy, I mean everything from basic =
reading skills to cyber fluency, where you're able to utilize all the =
tools and interpret all the content you might find. Second, we've got =
to examine content issues. And by content, I don't mean just the =
ability to receive information relevant to your families and your =
communities -- but also the ability to create the content that's =
relevant for you as well. Third, we'll take a look at the importance of =
fostering strategic local digital divide initiative that directly focus =
on community development. We're not talking about initiatives that =
simply give people Internet access for the sake of giving them access =
-- it's developing a technological infrastructure that's appropriate =
for your community, creating the skills to use it and getting it to =
work well in order to raise the quality of life for your citizenry. =
Unless we're able to consider the divide from multiple perspectives, =
we'll only be tackling the issue in a limited way. Access, access, =
access will not solve the digital divide. <p>
<a href=3D"literacy.html">(Slide: The Literacy Gap)</a><p>
Let's take a closer look at literacy. If every single person in your =
school and community had Internet access at home tomorrow, would that =
really solve the digital divide? Not necessarily -- if you're not truly =
literate with your language skills and your technology skills, having =
Internet access sitting right in front of you won't do you much good. =
Take for example adult literacy. The <a =
href=3D"http://www.ed.gov">U.S. Department of Education's</a> <a =
href=3D"http://nces.ed.gov/naal/naal92/">National Literacy Survey</a> =
suggests that nearly 25% of all adults in America are functionally =
illiterate -- they may have basic literacy skills but they can't apply =
them effectively in their day-to-day lives. Unless we're able to =
overcome basic as well as functional illiteracy, the digital divide =
will have no prospects of ever being solved. <p>
Also, we have to recognize that literacy isn't as simple as effective =
reading and writing. There's a whole spectrum of literacy skills that I =
would need to develop in order to harness the potential of the =
Internet. On one end of the spectrum are the literacy issues we're all =
familiar with: basic literacy and functional literacy. Beyond that, you =
also have to consider technological literacy. Take this computer =
sitting here at the podium with me. Once I've turned this laptop on -- =
assuming I even know how to turn it on -- would I have the =
technological literacy skills needed to use it effectively? Am I going =
to know how to use Netscape in order to go on the Web? Do I have any =
clue how to use a search engine successfully? Can I use Microsoft Word =
to create that resume I've been meaning to get done? These are the =
types of technology literacy skills we need to think about. Lastly, we =
need to consider the issue of information literacy -- can I take the =
content that's out there on the Internet and analyze its value to me? =
Will I be able to judge its value and apply it to my needs =
successfully? <p>
<a href=3D"profdev.html">(Slide: Techno Literacy and Professional =
Development)</a> <p>
As educators, of course, you've been dealing with basic and functional =
literacy issues throughout your careers, so for the sake of time I =
won't go into much more detail on those points. Instead, let's briefly =
concentrate on the other two issues: technological literacy and =
information literacy. Now we all know there's an important link between =
technological literacy and the state of professional development in =
schools today. If you as teachers don't have the skills to use the =
technology effectively, how on earth can you be expected to integrate =
the technology into your lessons and have the students utilize it? It =
just doesn't make any sense. <p>
As it is right now, the most recent data coming from the <a =
href=3D"http://www.ed.gov">Department of Education</a> suggests that =
only one-third of educators feel qualified to integrate technology into =
their teaching. As low as that is, it's actually progress -- a similar =
survey one year earlier suggested that only 20% of educators -- one in =
five -- felt their tech skills were high enough to give them confidence =
when developing technology-integrated lesson plans. But even with this =
progress, that still means two out of three teachers don't feel =
comfortable with technology. Forget about student's technological =
literacy for a moment -- it most cases, they know a lot more about =
technology that you do. There's still a lot of learning that needs to =
be done on the teacher's side as well. <p>
It certainly pays off when you have robust professional development: =
Teachers with 32 or more hours of tech training are twice as likely to =
use computers than are teachers with no training. And if you talk to =
many experts in technology planning, they'll often recommend that 30% =
of a school's technology budget should be spent on professional =
development. In other words, almost one-third of your tech spending =
should be dedicated to in-service opportunities. Unfortunately, the =
national average is only three percent -- just one-tenth of what's =
recommended. Let's face it -- current in-service is inadequate. =
Teachers on average receive less than 13 hours of tech training per =
year, and that's just not enough to cultivate the technological fluency =
needed. On top of all this, 40% of all teachers have never received any =
kind of professional development regarding technology. <p>
There's so much work to be done -- especially when you consider how =
many new teachers will be coming into the profession over the next =
decade. Most estimates expect no less than a shortage of two million =
teachers in the next ten years. A significant percentage of today's =
teachers will be retiring soon, just when we're getting ready to feel =
the impact of what's sometimes called the Baby Boom Reflection -- in =
other words, the grandkids of baby boomers will soon be entering our =
nation's schools. <p>
In many ways, it's almost a no-brainer to say that we need to put a lot =
more effort into pre-service technology professional development. =
Schools of education are beginning to address this more -- for example, =
we have this national <a =
href=3D"http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/PPI/teachtech/teachtech.html">PT3 =
program</a>, which stands for <a =
href=3D"http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/PPI/teachtech/teachtech.html">Prep=
aring Tomorrow's Teacher to Use Technology</a>. It's a federal program =
that's been funding $75 million a year for schools of education to =
create replicable edtech professional development for pre-service =
teachers. The only problem, though, is that even though the current =
administration is trying to double PT3 funding to $150 million a year, =
recent congressional appropriation activities have potentially nixed =
the program altogether for the next fiscal year. We'll have to wait and =
see what happens next. <p>
<a href=3D"infoliteracy.html">(Slide: Info Literacy: When Pol Pot Goes =
to Stolkholm)</a> <p>
Let's talk about information literacy. We all know that it's important =
for us to be able to analyze and use the content we find on the Web. =
But what if I don't know how to recognize fact versus opinion, truth =
versus lies, or biased versus unbiased? What if I just assume that =
everything I find online is true -- what sort of effective citizen or =
student would I be? It's vital to be able to judge your sources, to =
gauge their biases or veracity -- and this includes all of us, =
including students and teachers. Just to give you an example of what =
can happen when you accept Internet content at face value, let me tell =
you a story. <p>
You may recall that in the summer of 1997 that Pol Pot, the leader of =
Cambodia's <a href=3D"http://edweb.gsn.org/sideshow">Khmer Rouge =
regime</a> in the 1970s, reappeared out of nowhere. Some people had =
thought he was dead. Others though he was hiding in the Cambodian =
jungle, or in the dense hill country of Thailand or Vietnam. But then =
word came from the Cambodian jungle that he was indeed still alive. No =
journalists at this point had seen him in person, but word began to =
flow out of northwestern Cambodian that Pol Pot was on the run from =
both Cambodian authorities and Khmer Rouge soldiers who had turned =
against him. <p>
One day during that summer, a Swedish PR firm with a Web site called <a =
href=3D"http://www.tass.net">Tass.net</a> decided to test a design for =
an online news service. Now <a =
href=3D"http://www.itar-tass.com/">TASS</a>, you may know, is also the =
name of the <a href=3D"http://www.itar-tass.com/">Russian national news =
agency</a>. As part of its mock-up site, the folks in Sweden posted a =
fake story on the site with the headline "Pol Pot Reconfirms Presence =
in Stockholm." In other words, the site suggested that Pol Pot had =
successfully fled from Cambodia and had been granted exile in Sweden. =
To top off the text of the story, they also decided to post a photo of =
a short man with glasses. He might be Asian, but who can really tell? =
-- nobody's seen this guy in public in over 20 years. <p>
Unfortunately a couple of wire services stumbled onto the site and =
picked up the story. (Even today, if you <a =
href=3D"http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=3Dtass">search for Tass on =
Yahoo</a>, you'll find the fake site listed alongside the real TASS =
site.) It was as if the <a href=3D"http://www.itar-tass.com/">TASS =
Russian news agency</a> had actually been the real source of the =
"news." Spread the word: Pol Pot's in Sweden, he's been granted exile. =
(laughter) Well, I read about the story and thought it was pretty =
interesting. I happened to be at a conference when this was going on -- =
the <a href=3D"http://www.neccsite.org">National Educational Computing =
Conference</a>, or <a href=3D"http://www.neccsite.org">NECC</a>. Since =
there were so many teachers attending the conference, I thought it =
would be fun to put on my own little unscientific experiment to see how =
they reacted to the site. NECC is one of those huge conferences with =
thousands of teachers and lots of major sponsors, so when you're there =
you're pretty much guaranteed Internet access -- rows of Macs and PCs =
set up for you to check email and so on. So I planted myself in front =
of one of these rows of computers and logged onto my email account. I =
then reached over to the empty computer next to mine and quietly opened =
up the <a href=3D"http://www.tass.net/">Tass.net</a> Pol Pot site. <p>
Within a few minutes a teacher approached the computer and was getting =
ready to check her email account. Before she could log on, she saw the =
<a href=3D"http://www.tass.net/">Tass.net</a> headline. Soon I heard =
her mutter to herself, "Oh my God, I can't believe it." <p>
"What is it?" I asked her innocently. <p>
"Pol Pot's gone to Sweden," she exclaimed. "It's on this <a =
href=3D"http://www.tass.net/">news Web site</a>. He's in Stockholm of =
all places."<p>
"Well that's amazing," I replied. "What's the source? Where are you =
getting this from?"<p>
"Oh, the <I>TASS news service</I>."<p>
"You mean that <a href=3D"http://www.itar-tass.com/">Russian news =
agency</a>?" I continued.<p>
"Yeah, <a href=3D"http://www.tass.net/">Tass.net</a>," she explained. =
"I'll have to write my husband about this...."<p>
Eventually the woman left, having let her friends and family know about =
what she had learned. I might have left as well but I was having so =
much fun with this experiment I decided to hang out for another 45 =
minutes or so. (laughter) In that period, 12 teachers visited the site, =
and only one of the 12 expressed any skepticism. The one who did, =
though, raised a good question: "If this is <a =
href=3D"http://www.itar-tass.com/">TASS</a>, why is it in English and =
not in Russian?" (laughter)<p>
Now I know this is an extreme example that doesn't happen every day, =
but it still raises an important point. If we as teachers are going to =
expect our students to develop strong information literacy skills, we =
too have to be on our toes at all times. We ourselves must know how to =
go to a site and judge its veracity, judge its potential biases. If we =
don't set a good example in front of our students, we'll effectively be =
encouraging them to go out on the Web and accept content at face value: =
"It has to be true -- I found it on the Internet."<p>
One of the beauties of the Internet is that anyone with HTML skills can =
create a Web site that looks just as good and just as authoritative as =
a professionally-designed Web site. In many ways this is great -- it =
empowers all of us as content authors. But it also makes it all to easy =
for some to create content that's meant to manipulate and deceive =
people. Unless we're able to teach our students and ourselves the =
skills to be mindful and vigilant when it comes to content, it'll mean =
there's a whole aspect of literacy skills we'll be neglecting. <p>
<a href=3D"content.html">(Slide: The Digital Divide and Content)</a><p>
Next we've got the issue of content. The Internet is truly as powerful =
as the content that's available on it and the people who are sharing =
that content. Earlier this spring, a group known as <a =
href=3D"http://www.childrenspartnership.org">The Children's =
Partnership</a> came out with <a =
href=3D"http://www.childrenspartnership.org/pub/low_income/index.html">a=
major report</a> that examined the digital divide in relationship to =
content. They surveyed citizens of underserved communities to find out =
what their content needs were, and compared these needs with the =
resources currently available on the Net. What they found out was that =
content often was not meeting the needs of these citizens. There just =
wasn't enough content appropriate for their job interests, appropriate =
for their language or education level, etc. In contrast, we all know =
it's not hard at all to find Web sites with content like, "There's a =
sale going on at JC Penney's" or "Print this coupon and get a second =
latte for free when you buy one at your neighborhood Starbucks." So =
much content is consumer oriented, seeing people as consumers instead =
of citizens.<p>
<a href=3D"http://www.childrenspartnership.org">The Children's =
Partnership</a> found four specific barriers to quality content for =
underserved communities. Among these were the lack of local =
information, literacy barriers, language barriers and a lack of =
cultural diversity. <p>
<a href=3D"local.html">(Slide: Local Information)</a> <p>
Let's consider the need for local information. It's pretty common for a =
big city like New York or Chicago to have commercial community =
services. <a href=3D"http://www.citysearch.com">CitySearch</a>, <a =
href=3D"http://www.digitalcities.com">Digital Cities</a> and other =
dot-coms have created services which say, "We've got a Web site where =
you can find everything related to your community -- where to shop, =
where to eat, where to learn about the local schools...." These sites =
are full of interesting information that's been made available for you. =
In many ways these can be powerful services, but because they're =
market-driven, it only makes sense for a dot-com to select communities =
that have sizeable populations. If you grew up like I did in <a =
href=3D"http://www.indialantic.com">Indialantic, Florida</a>, =
population 2800, I doubt you'll find an eager dot.com that'll come in =
and say they're going to focus all their efforts on building a Virtual =
Indialantic. That would be really nice, but it's not exactly realistic. =
Towns like Indialantic just don't have the population to attract =
for-profit community services. So despite the success of CitySearch and =
other services, they don't have the capacity to reach every community, =
every neighborhood in America. Of course, there are other ways =
to....<p>
(audience member stands up to ask a question)<p>
AC: Yes, jump right in with your question.<p>
Q: With this being the case, doesn't it make sense for communities to =
create the content themselves?<p>
AC: You must have seen Slide 13, I guess. (laughter) Yes, absolutely. =
We'll get to that in just a moment.<p>
If we can continue with a look at commercial services for a moment, =
there are also commercial directory services like <a =
href=3D"http://local.yahoo.com">Yahoo! Get Local</a>. These services =
don't create local content on a community-by-community basis. They =
create a directory template that can highlight anything on the Internet =
that's already been created for a particular community. So if we take =
another look at my hometown of Indialantic, Florida, population 2800, =
you'll actually find an <a =
href=3D"http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/U_S__States/Florida/Cities/Indiala=
ntic/">Indialantic Yahoo! Get Local site</a> But all of the content =
inside this page have been created and collected by other sources, most =
of whom have no connection with each other. Yahoo! is serving as a =
disinterested directory of community content, but they have no direct =
interest or experience in the communities themselves. They're not able =
to put a true community perspective on it themselves. <p>
On the nonprofit side of local content, we've got community networks to =
consider. These initiatives go directly to your point -- letting the =
communities themselves create their own content. In hundreds of towns =
around the country, they're creating free community web content because =
they know there's little chance of a commercial service coming in and =
creating quality content for them. I'll go into more detail on =
community networks when I talk about local initiatives in a few =
minutes.<p>
There's one last thing regarding local content I'd like to mention. At =
<a href=3D"http://www.Benton.org">Benton</a> we recently learned about =
a new commercial service called <a =
href=3D"http://www.Out2.com">Out2.com</a>. As their name would suggest, =
they're a dot-com, and what they're trying to do is create free =
community newspaper Web sites for around 8500 communities around the =
country, with populations as low as 2,500 per town. These are the towns =
that are too small to attract major community online service companies. =
Out2.com is creating a simple newspaper template, not unlike a free =
community newspaper you might pick up each Sunday morning. It's not =
very high-tech, it's not very snazzy, but it's a medium through which =
anyone in that community who's online can share information on what's =
going on. The town's citizens determine for themselves what types of =
information they want to share with their neighbors. The company makes =
its money through targeted advertising that keeps the community =
publishing tool free to all citizens. It'll be interesting to see in a =
year's time how successful this service will be, because it could serve =
as a model for allowing citizens to create relevant community content =
without having to invest in starting up a full-size community network =
service.<p>
<a href=3D"litbarriers.html">(Slide: Literacy Barriers)</a><p>
Literacy barriers -- if you're creating content for a particular =
audience, it also has to be understandable to that audience. The =
Internet, as we all know, is still very much a text-heavy medium. Sure, =
it's getting more multimedia-friendly, but for the most part, I would =
be the majority of Web sites you use on any given day are almost =
completely text-driven. As long as text-driven sites are the rule, in =
order to take part in the Internet you'll need to know how to read =
text, how to write text. If you don't have the skills to do this well, =
you'll be left out. <p>
If you look at lots of Web sites, the content that's currently out =
there is often written for people with higher levels of education. =
Think about the history of the Internet -- its early years were =
dominated by tech geeks. (laughter) These were folks who were mostly =
researchers, grad students, professors -- people who had graduate-level =
educations and were sharing information with each other. The Internet =
then caught on among those people who could afford access to it -- =
better incomes, better education level. The overall demographics of the =
Internet have begun to come closer to mainstream America, but the =
majority of the content you find on the Internet is still written with =
an educated audience in mind. If you go to a community in which its =
citizens have been unable to achieve a certain level of education, they =
may simply not have the literacy skills to take advantage of the =
Internet. If we really want to provide content that will be of use to =
underserved communities, we need to recognize that the language used in =
this content will be as accessible and as easy-to-understand as =
possible. <p>
Some people might point out that the Internet is evolving rapidly, that =
streaming multimedia may soon solve these issues because you'll be able =
to visualize and listen to content instead of read it. Of course, we've =
got a certain level of these media online today. It'll be a wonderful =
time when we all have the bandwidth to take advantage to robust =
streaming media, but the irony of it all is that that citizens who =
could truly take advantage of streaming media -- people with low =
literacy skills -- are the least likely to have the bandwidth necessary =
to use it. Streaming media takes up a lot more bandwidth than text, and =
for now, bandwidth is still expensive to many of us. <p>
<a href=3D"language.html">(Slide: Language Barriers)</a><p>
Language barriers -- the Internet is in many ways an English-only =
environment. Surveys suggest that around 87% of Internet content is in =
English only. Whether you're visiting Web sites that have been created =
in Bombay or Bangkok, there's a good chance that the creators of the =
site will have developed it in English in order to reach the largest =
audience. There's no doubt that English is the lingua franca of the Net =
- but does that leave room for all the other languages of the world? =
What do we do about the billions of people who don't speak English? The =
folks at <a href=3D"http://www.childrenspartnership.org">the Children's =
Partnership</a> found that only two percent of the Web sites they =
surveyed were multi-lingual, which means that 98% of the Web sites they =
reviewed would be of little use to immigrants or others whose native =
language wasn't English.<p>
There's also an issue regarding languages and fonts. The majority of =
Western European languages are based on a Latin script, so even if =
French or German doesn't dominate the Web, you can still easily post =
content in those languages. When you take a look at all the variants of =
Arabic script, Indian scripts and other Asian scripts, you find that =
some languages have been forced to represent their scripts in graphical =
format since there aren't fonts that easily display them as Web text. =
Graphics, of course, take up more bandwidth than text, so it takes more =
bandwidth to have a Web site that uses graphics to represent Mandarin =
or Turkish than it would to have a translated site in English. What =
kind of incentive will a particular culture have to go online if no =
one's bothered to create a simply way of displaying their language? <p>
Of course, there are some languages that aren't written at all, many of =
which are dying off because their native speakers are dwindling. =
Whether it's one of the many Native American languages or the oral =
cultures of Africa and Southeast Asia, we've got to consider just how, =
if at all, these languages might be spoken eventually online. If you're =
living on the Rez in the Southwestern U.S. and your tribe doesn't have =
a written language tradition, will your community be able to take =
advantage on the Net in your native tongue, or will it have to resort =
to English? <p>
It's possible to make the argument that the number of Web sites in a =
particular language is a function of the number of tech-savvy =
individuals that happen to speak that language. English is dominant on =
the Web because there are millions of English speakers with HTML =
skills. If you go online, you're now more likely to see content =
originating from South America, from India, the Pacific Rim or the Arab =
world, because these regions have produced enough technology-literate =
individuals to pioneer language-appropriate content. They all have =
increasing numbers of young people graduating with IT skills, who in =
turn go off and become IT entrepreneurs or online community leaders. =
Countries that lack the critical mass of tech-savvy citizens will find =
it much harder to find content directly relevant to them. <p>
<a href=3D"diversity.html">(Slide: Diversity Issues)</a><p>
Lastly in regards to content I'd like to mention cultural diversity. =
Just a couple of weeks ago, <a href=3D"http://www.pcdata.com">PC Data =
Online</a> came out with its latest report on Internet demographics -- =
in other words, who exactly is the average Internet user today. Based =
on their research, the average Internet user in May 2000 is 33 years =
old, white, with a college background and a family income of $67,000 =
per year. Now how many of you happen to be this person exactly? =
(laughter - one person in 300+ raises her hand. Andy waves at her.) <p>
Congratulations for being average! (laughter) Now you'll also note the =
data didn't say whether the average user was male or female -- that's =
because so many women are now online, we're just shy of achieving =
gender parity, just short of 50-50. Beyond that, when it comes to age, =
when it comes to color, when it comes to education and income levels, =
the Net's not even close to becoming a truly diverse place. Now some =
progress, indeed, is being made -- several recent reports have =
suggested progress in America's Latino community, for example. If this =
is the case, that's good news. <p>
When it comes to creating content for different cultural groups, =
though, businesses will naturally prefer to target groups in the =
aggregate -- in other words, content targeting the entire =
Spanish-speaking population or African American population. If you've =
got a group of people numbering in the many millions, there's a chance =
you'll be able to create a service for them and make some money off of =
it. This is why we're finally beginning to see content targeting large =
demographic groups -- <a href=3D"http://www.bet.com">BET.com</a> for =
African Americans, <a href=3D"http://www.quepasa.com">Quepasa.com</a> =
for Latinos, and so on. It takes a lot of work to produce robust, =
marketable content, so it makes sense to create content with the widest =
audience. <p>
But approaches like this mean you're only looking at demographic groups =
in the broadest sense. It's much more difficult for a commercial online =
service to market content for a specific subset of a larger group. For =
example, there are several major online services targeting Latinos as a =
whole, but they don't necessarily differentiate between different =
groups of Latinos. A third-generation Cuban American family has a =
different perspective and different needs that a family of recent =
Guatemalan immigrants working as migrant farmers in the Pacific =
Northwest. Different groups have different needs, even if they're in =
many ways part of a much larger cultural unit. What can we do to make =
sure the particular content needs of these unique communities are =
addressed?<p>
<a href=3D"techforce.html">(Slide: Technology and the Workforce)</a><p>
Lastly, I'd like to talk a bit about what's going on with the digital =
divide at the local level. In many ways you can make the argument that =
the digital divide is a community health issue -- in other words, =
increasing involvement in the IT sector can improve the overall =
prosperity and education level of an entire community. From 1995 to =
1998, eight percent of our total national economic output came from the =
IT sector. However, in that same period, IT represented over 1/3 of our =
total economic growth. Innovations in the digital world have been the =
juggernaut driving our recent economic prosperity. Additionally, by =
2006, 50% of all US jobs will be in the IT sector or will require =
information technology skills. As it is right now, high-tech workers =
make 78% more money than that overall working population average. IT =
skills will continue to become more important to economic success. The =
more skills you have, the more advantage you'll have in the digital =
economy.<p>
<a href=3D"chickenegg.html">(Slide: Community Development)</a><p>
Here's an easy way to think about it. I like to call this Carvin's =
Community Infrastructure Chicken & Egg Theory. (laughter) In a =
nutshell, IT success begets success in communities. If you've got a =
community with a critical mass of high-skilled workers, they'll be able =
to attract new businesses. As these new businesses begin to grow, they =
in turn will attract even more high-skilled workers. The more skilled =
workers you have, the more likely you'll be able to bring in new =
businesses and even more skilled workers, adding up to more local =
prosperity. Unfortunately there's a flip side to this theory as well. =
Communities that have few high-skilled tech workers are much less =
likely to attract new businesses that rely on skilled workers. And if =
you don't have a successful business base, you're also less likely to =
attract additional skilled workers. If I'm a kid from a poor community =
who manages to get strong IT skills, am I more likely to stay locally =
where there are few businesses, or will I head out to Silicon Valley or =
Seattle, where they can't hire people fast enough? I'm gonna head out =
west. That's where the money is. That's where the IT economy is being =
driven. It's difficult to attract new business to a community that =
lacks the skills and the entrepreneurial base to support it. <p>
<a href=3D"partners.html">(Slide: Local Initiatives)</a><p>
What can be done to help improve the prospects of our communities? One =
major thing you can do is forge local strategic partnerships that bring =
opportunities, information and skills to your citizens. Admittedly, =
there are some wonderful programs happening at the national level. At =
the same time, though, much of the work has to happen at the local =
level, because communities themselves know best what their needs are. =
Here are some examples of the types of activities we're beginning to =
see out there. <p>
<a href=3D"ctc.html">(Slide: CTCs)</a><p>
First we have community technology centers, or CTCs. These are =
neighborhood centers that offer free Internet access, tech skills =
training and other opportunities that allow the members of their =
community to come in and develop their skill sets. There are around 350 =
CTCs currently affiliated with <a =
href=3D"http://www.ctcnet.org">CTCNet</a>, a national network of =
technology centers, and many more that probably don't even know there a =
part of a growing national movement. CTCs are usually non-profit and =
sometimes have full-time staff, though often volunteers are necessary =
to keep their programs sustainable. You find them at libraries, at =
YMCAs, you find them at church centers -- they're in a diverse range of =
community environments. <p>
A couple of examples worth looking at: in Washington DC, not too far =
from where I work, is the <a =
href=3D"http://www.dclibrary.org/mlk">Martin Luther King Public =
Library</a>. They received money a few years ago from Bill Gates to =
create an Internet lab that's earmarked for student use after school. =
Of course, it's also important to offer parents a chance to utilize the =
technology, so the library offers a range of IT training opportunities, =
from how to use Word to create a resume to how to make PowerPoint =
presentations. They've created a place where everyone in the community =
can come together and learn how to use technology effectively. =
Similarly, here in New York, you've got the <a =
href=3D"http://www.playing2win.org">Playing2Win</a> program up in =
Harlem, which has been a very successful technology program. They work =
closely with <a href=3D"www.ilt.columbia.edu">Columbia's Institute for =
Learning Technologies</a> and offer numerous IT opportunities to local =
youth and adults. <p>
<a href=3D"workforce.html">(Slide: Workforce Training)</a> <p>
Very much related to this issue are workforce training programs. These =
are neighborhood programs that focus on technology skills training; =
they're meant to serve as a place where people can come to gain new =
skills and find out about potential job opportunities in their area. =
For example, in Washington DC there's <a =
href=3D"http://www.ByteBack.org">Byte Back</a>. What they've done is =
partner with neighborhood community technology centers, including =
several local churches. Anyone in these neighborhoods can come in and =
take classes introducing them to computers and Internet, as well as =
learn how to create Web sites, Excel spreadsheets, and other skills =
that can potentially improve an individual's job prospects. Up in =
Boston, there's a program called <a =
href=3D"http://www.CitySkills.org">CitySkills.org</a>. Cityskills, like =
Byte Back, offers a range of training opportunities, but they're also =
trying to serve as "infomediaries" -- in other words, they serve as a =
broker for not only job skills, but job placement as well. Employers =
can come in and describe what their IT needs are. Cityskills can then =
frame their training opportunities to fit these needs, and then help =
match recently-trained citizens with the jobs that are out there. <p>
One last example of a successful workforce training program: in =
California's there's <a href=3D"http://www.bavc.org/mlk">BAVC</a> =
(pronounced Bay-Vac), or the Bay Area Video Coalition. As the name =
suggests, the history of BAVC is rooted in video production. Since the =
1970's they've offered cutting-edge video facilities for independent =
producers and nonprofits. But they've also become leaders in advanced =
multimedia training for the general public. The Bay Area may be at the =
cutting edge of the digital economy, but there were still lots of =
citizens who didn't have the skills to benefit from it. BAVC offers =
over 350 hundred courses each year in multimedia and video, with over =
5000 people a year taking part in the programs. By completing this =
training, many citizens are finding themselves getting jobs of $40,000 =
a year -- well above the minimum wage salaries they might have made =
previously. BAVC and these other programs are all pioneers in their =
communities. We all need to pay serious attention to them in order to =
understand the impact they're having and what we can do to encourage =
their further success.<p>
<a href=3D"comnets.html">(Slide: Community Networks)</a><p>
<a href=3D"http://www.afcn.net/">Community Networks</a> -- as I noted =
before, these are organizations, usually nonprofits, that have =
developed spaces on the Internet where community members can come =
together, work with each other and share their ideas online. They have =
a long history -- the idea's been around since the bulletin board =
services on the 1980s, which were slow and text-based, but offered =
robust community content. Some of these services were also what were =
called FreeNets -- in other words, free networks, services where =
members of the community could access the Internet for free. Today, =
there are hundreds of community networks around the US. Most of them =
are now Web-based, and many still maintain an emphasis on community =
activism and civic participation. In other words, the community network =
becomes a virtual space for community action, where people can come =
together and discuss their local needs, both online and offline needs. =
Citizens can then create content and services that they deem are =
locally important.<p>
In Austin, Texas, for example, the <a =
href=3D"http://www.afn-neighbor.net/eacn/">East Austin Community =
Network</a> works with the local <a =
href=3D"http://www.austinfree.net/">Austin FreeNet</a> and area CTCs in =
order to offer citizens the chance to create their own Web content. =
Many of the pages you'll find are in Spanish as well as English, and =
they give citizens the chance to express themselves and share what's =
important in their lives. The network also offers information on the =
neighborhood itself, including its history, its current activities, and =
the organizations that serve the community. <p>
Another example worth visiting is the <a =
href=3D"http://bcn.boulder.co.us/">Boulder Community Network</a>. One =
of the oldest and most active community networks, BCN offers its users =
virtual "centers" on a range of issues. If you want to learn about =
local job opportunities, you can visit the employment center. If you =
want to learn about public safety, you can visit the emergency services =
center. If you want to get involved in elderly issues, go to the senior =
center. The network gives the residents of Boulder a place where they =
can get access to information and engage each other. As great as it is =
to attend the local city council meeting or school board meeting, these =
are still discreet events that only happen at a certain time and place. =
Virtual community centers allow citizens to remain engaged in the =
issues whenever they want to be engaged. <p>
<a href=3D"schoolcomm.html">(Slide: School-Community =
Initiatives)</a><p> <p>
The last type of local initiatives I'd like to highlight are =
school-community partnerships. What can schools do to raise technology =
involvement and technology skills locally?<p>
First, let's look at what can go on inside the schools themselves. Up =
in Olympia, Washington, you've got the <a =
href=3D"http://genwhy.wednet.edu">Generation Y program</a>, where =
students are trained to become technology mentors for their teachers. =
This helps prevents teachers from scrambling to figure out how to use =
the Internet on their own. Students apply for the program and are then =
given a course in technology skills, and also learn how to be a =
successful and diplomatic mentor with an adult. (laughter) Once they've =
mastered these skills, they're sent back out into the classroom where =
they partner with teachers and help them with their technology needs. =
This helps the teacher to concentrate on teaching while the student can =
concentrate on technology needs. And over time, the teachers become =
more comfortable with their own technology skills, while the students =
hopefully become a bit more understanding of what a teacher has to go =
through on a daily basis. (laughter)<p>
We should also keep in mind the growing number of opportunities where =
students are becoming serious content producers. The <a =
href=3D"http://www.lightspan.com/common/pages/linkout5.asp?loc=3Dhttp://=
gsh.lightspan.com/cf/&setInternal=3Dtrue&_prod=3DGSH">CyberFair =
program</a> is a great example. It's an online competition that =
encourages students to create Web sites about their communities and =
what makes their communities special. Students work with community =
leaders and local organizations to highlight local history, cultural =
activities and attractions, and so on. For smaller communities with no =
previous online content, CyberFair serves as a major breakthrough, =
where students become the driving force for creating content relevant =
to local life. They become pioneering Internet citizens for their =
towns. <p>
We should also consider the question of what can be done to encourage =
schools to become education technology centers (ETCs) -- a school's =
answer to a CTC. Now if you think about what's going on in our schools =
when it comes to the Internet, we're spending over two billion dollars =
a year in <a href=3D"http://www.benton.org/e-rate/">E-Rate</a> =
subsidies to connect the schools and billions more to supply them with =
hardware and software. This investment means that schools are becoming =
significant technology hubs within their communities. In some =
communities, this just means that schools are finally catching up with =
the rest of the area. But in many other places, schools are fast =
becoming the only place in the community that has a high level of =
technology, Internet access and IT training. Yet too many of these =
schools still lock their doors at 3pm and throughout the weekend. Too =
many of them don't offer technology opportunities to parents and other =
local adults. <p>
What can we do to facilitate schools to become Education Technology =
Centers for their communities? What steps need to be taken to ensure =
that schools can indeed be open for their communities? It's not easy, =
of course -- communities in which such programs have developed are =
unfortunately few and far between -- but we've got to make an effort to =
identify them, to understand how they've succeeded and how they've =
overcome obstacles like staffing, liability issues, etc. If for =
whatever reason schools can't host it themselves, can their =
infrastructure be leveraged in some other way that can help the =
community? We've put so much time and money into turning our schools =
into high-tech centers, it would almost be a crime to not try to =
leverage these resources for the rest of the community. <p>
Well, my time has run short, so before I go, I'd just like to let you =
know that if you want to learn more about the digital divide, I would =
encourage all of you to visit the <a =
href=3D"http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org">Digital Divide =
Network</a>. It's got all sorts of useful information regarding the =
digital divide, including news, research, case studies, information on =
initiatives and grant programs. We also have a <a =
href=3D"http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org/list.adp">DIGITALDIVIDE</> =
listserv</a> that I'd encourage you to join. There are currently over =
700 members from around the world, all discussing the divide from =
different points of view. Feel free to give me a business card with =
your email address and I'd be glad to sign you up.<p>
So I thank you for your time -- I know I've taken up a lot of it. =
Thanks again....<p>
<a href=3D"credits.html">(closing slide: Credits)</a>
<P>
<hr>
<P>(c)Benton Foundation, 2000. Redistribution of this online =
publication - both internally and externally -- is encouraged if it =
includes this message.</P>
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