Technology Colleagues,

On Dec 28, 2005, Mariann Fedele wrote:

> As we end 2005 how would you say technology has changed the field  

> of adult literacy education?


In the past decade, have we made progress in reducing the digital  
divide in the U.S.?  Does the divide still exist? Has the gap  
narrowed enough so that online learning is possible for adult  
literacy/basic education/ELL students?

In 1995, when the RAND Corporation's two-year study, Universal Access  
to E-mail, Feasibility and Societal Implications, was published (the  
"digital Divide" study) the World Wide Web was not yet a common term  
in the U.S. and on the whole only the well educated and/or well-to-do  
had e-mail. The authors asked:

"What if e-mail were as ubiquitous as telephones, TVs, and VCRs, so
that literally everyone were on-line, accessible by e-mail, and able to
send messages to bulletin boards, news groups, friends, family, and
colleagues?  Is this technically feasible?  If so, at what cost?  What
would be the personal and societal benefits resulting from “universal
access to e-mail?”  In particular, in addition to possible economic
benefits, could universal access help in creating a more aware and
participatory democracy by aiding the formation of interest groups
(“virtual communities”), access to current information, and person-
to-person contacts?" (Preface, page iii)

The authors concluded:

"Individuals’ accessibility to e-mail is hampered by increasing in-
come, education, and racial gaps in the availability of computers and
access to network services." (p. xv)

And they recommended:

It is critical that electronic mail be a basic service in a National
Information Infrastructure.

Policy interventions should give priority to widespread home
access.

The “Web browser” model of user-computer interaction
should at least be considered a candidate for the minimum
level of user interface for e-mail access as well as other hyper-
text-style access to information.

A simple e-mail address provision scheme should be developed
giving every U.S. resident an e-mail address, perhaps
based on a person’s physical address or telephone number.

At the time, universal access to e-mail in ten years was for most  
people improbable; yet, from the NIFL-sponsored study I did in  
1995-1996, ( http://www.alri.org/pubs/teacherfocusgroups.html and  
http://www.alri.org/pubs/learnerfocusgroups.html ) I found that  
nearly all the students and many of the teachers I interviewed knew  
about the Internet, and either already had access or wanted it. As I  
listened to their reasons, which included studying online as well as  
access to airline tickets, online maps and directions, I realized  
that the RAND study prediction of (near) universal access in a decade  
might not be so far-fetched.

Here are the Internet access data today (September, 2005 data from  
Who's Online, Pew Internet and American Life Project, http:// 
207.21.232.103/trends.asp )

72% of all American adults use the Internet:

• Men 75%, Women 69%,
• White 73%, Black 60%, English speaking Hispanic 79%
• Urban 75%, Suburban 73%, Rural 65%

Significant access. However, the digital divide still exists for  
people who are older, poor, rural and especially for those who have  
less than a high school education:

• Less than High school 38%; college education + 92%
• Household income under $30,000/yr 54%;  income above $75,000 94%
• 65 and older 30%; 18-29 year old range, 84%

I wonder how these data compare with the adult learners in your  
classes.  Have you asked your students if they have access to the  
Internet at home and/or work? If so, what are you finding? What per  
cent have access?  Are there differences based on age, gender, first  
language, income?

As I ask  adult education teachers, the trends seem to range from  
high -- often nearly universal access to the Internet from home or  
work for urban ELL students in community colleges vs. very low access  
by ABE (and especially basic literacy) students in rural areas.    
Yet, despite this range, the trend continues toward increasing  
access, and the number of students who have Web access at home now  
seems to warrant an investment in online adult literacy education  
supplemental instruction (supplemental to classwork or face-to-face  
tutorials) and  blended distance education models.

One caution, however, there is access and then there is real access.  
I have found that many adults, especially women, who do have a  
computer at home with internet access, do not themselves use it, that  
we need to pay more attention to helping them -- and other students  
-- feel comfortable and competent in using the technology.

David J. Rosen
djrosen at comcast.net



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