Reflective Post #8: Digital/Participation Divide, OLPC

The New Literacy: Scenes from the Digital Divide 2.0 Summary

Part One:  The article first looks at the original definition of the “digital divide,” where people were separated by access to technology.  Now, the digital divide has evolved to be those who are “at home” with technology and those who are not.  The article compares the divide to past controversial divides, like printing the bible, and explains how the divide will grow wider for people on the “wrong” side.

Part Two: Part two looks at research done by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation into the realm of digital learning.  Connie Yowell, the director of education, looked at numerous factors, including gaming to see how it impacts learning.  Studying an 8yr. old boy led her to see how he was using technology for Pokémon and looking at the websites a 14 yr. old girl would visit, helped support Yowell’s statement that “the classroom is no longer the primary learning site.”  The article concludes with Yowell’s final thoughts on students and teachers collaborating with technology.

Part Three: The reader is introduced to Howard Rheingold, an author and professor, who advocates the use of social media to increase understanding of digital literacy.  Rheingold promotes the use of Web 2.0 because of its ability to “mobilize new, powerful forms of collective action.”  Using social media and manipulating the available tools (Wikipedia, YouTube, etc.) can lead to problems being solved faster than they’ve ever been.  Rheingold finishes by saying that this new approach challenges the thought of the teacher as the authority and students memorizing facts for “regurgitation” on a test.

Part Four: Here we meet Mike Wesch, a Kansa State University professor.  The reader is taken through his viral video and the thought process behind it.  Mike shows us the information available online, and some sites used to collaborate and share that information with one another.  He presents his point of people collaborating to achieve a common goal by arranging/organizing information online into our own personal “web page.”

Part Five: Part five takes us back to the digital divide and a “deeper” look into its history.  We see the different time frames as the divide evolves from people not having a computer to people not having access to internet, and how this impacted jobs, schools, etc.  We meet the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration) and what their purpose was, as well as how their organization ceased during the Bush Administration.

The Participation Divide: Content Creation and Sharing in the Digital Age Summary

The article starts by showing how people are now able to share their works without limitations online.  They can provide access to others and collaborate to promote their creations.  The dilemma is, women are under-represented when sharing their works online.  The article tries to investigate what the cause of the dilemma is, whether it is lack of sharing from women or if people take women’s creations less seriously.  In the end, we find out that certain individuals are more likely to create and post their works online, depending on key factors such as socioeconomic status, gender, etc.  The digital media is making it easier for people, but the participation divide is clearly separating those who are posting their works, and those who are not.

Finding a Place in Cyberspace: Black Women, Technology and Identity Summary

In this article, Michelle Wright, researches the impact race and gender have on the use of technology.  Wright looks at the digital divide and discusses how factors like income, household, race, etc. effect/impact it.  She had interviews with three separate women to learn their experiences in the field of technology and how they see these limiting factors effecting the growth of African American women using the web.  Wright also presents us with the percentages of internet use per month and shows us that Latinos and African Americans are number 1 and 2, respectively.   Wright finishes by showing the rise in African American women who hold jobs/attend universities focusing in technology.

Slamming the Closet Door and Taking Control: Analysis of Personal Transformations and Social Change as LGBT Podcasting Blazes a Trail of Democratization of the Media Summary

The article shows us the use of podcasting, what it is, and what can be done with it.  Podcasting is available for anyone with access to a microphone, internet and a computer.  People can record their cast and upload their audio for all to hear, respond to, etc.  The article looks at the “podcast revolution and how it was used to give LBGT adults a “voice.”  This movement allowed anonymous users to express their feelings, beliefs, etc. and share their values with the general population through podcasting.  Podcasters gained a sense of community and acceptance through the sharing and collaboration of their beliefs and ideals. 

One Laptop Per Child Videos Summary

In part one, we learn the mission of the OLPC to provide one laptop for every child to use worldwide.  We are introduced to the XO, a cheap, functional, and rugged laptop given to all students to help them grow in their education.  We also learn the 5 principles of OLPC: 1. kids keep the laptops, 2. focus on early education, 3. no one gets left out, 4. connection to the internet, and 5. free to grow and adapt.

In part two, the question “Why?” is asked.  We see how the XO can help students around the world gain an education, to better their lives and solve persisting problems.  We learn that the laptop has solar power capabilities to deal with low-power areas, they are rugged, and kids can use the laptops for music, drawing, pictures, etc.  We also see how students using the XO learn and how they are beneficial.

Can One Laptop per Child Reduce the Digital Divide and Educational Gap? Evidence from a Randomized Experiment in Migrant Schools in Beijing Summary

OLPC looks at how the laptops they’ve already donated are affecting children around the world.  We see that math scores have risen in areas, students are more focused and have higher self-esteem in school work, computer skills, and other positive effects.  The OLPC is trying to eliminate the digital divide, and working toward worldwide computer efficacy.  Although progress has been made, the OLPC points out that more data/research is needed before more schools and/or governments invest in this program.

Response:

  After reading through the articles, I have changed my view on the digital divide and feel it is a bigger presence than I thought.  I never really thought about race or gender as factors that would impact collaboration online, and I didn’t think about the participation of online users as part of the digital divide until reading the article.  Looking back now, I can see the participation aspect in other areas of technology, not just creating/sharing original works.  If you look at the world of gaming, you can see the same types of participation divides arising and it is similar among other online topics.

The OLPC is doing great things to help lessen the digital/participation divide.  I hope that their goal is one day met to provide every child a laptop that can connect them to other children around the world.  They would gain computer skills and enhance their classrooms like the examples given in the videos.  This would also give students access to vlogs and podcasts online. 

I have mixed feelings on podcasts in the classroom.  I do listen to podcasts from time to time on iTunes.  However, at times I get bored with just listening to a voice talking to me, and occasionally I stop the recording before it’s over.  I know students who would love to listen to a podcast on a topic rather than do a hands-on activity or watch a slide show, so they can be very useful in the classroom.  Giving students podcasts as an option could help engage students who aren’t normally engaged.