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ERIC Number: EJ776133
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Mar
Pages: 5
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1053-6728
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Inside the Divide: Despite Progress, It's Still a Tale of Missed Connections
Salpeter, Judy
Technology & Learning, v26 n8 p22 Mar 2006
It has been slightly more than a decade since the U.S. Department of Commerce's NTIA division published its first major report on home computer access, "Falling through the Net: A Survey of the "Have Nots" in Rural and Urban America." Published in July 1995, the report focused on serious gaps in the levels of technology available to different households in the U.S. It revealed that white and well-educated households were far more likely to have access to telephones, computers, and telecommunications than Native American, Latino, and African American households, or those whose residents had lower levels of education. At first the focus of discussions was on access and infrastructure issues. This gap, which became known as the "digital divide," became a central issue for political, business, and education leaders in the years that followed. Several initiatives, ranging from corporate grant programs to grassroots organizations like the Digital Divide Network, attempted to address this issue. It became apparent that, while it is possible to have access to this technology, there still exists a gap in technology literacy or the availability of meaningful content, creating a "knowledge divide" as well. Over time, digital equity leaders began drawing attention to a variety of other divides, including a generation gap that made it less likely for older people to access computers and the Internet, a lower level of connectivity in many rural areas, a gender gap in many classrooms, and a lack of access for an alarming number of disabled Americans who had a vital need for adaptive technologies. In addition, the focus gradually shifted from a national to an international one, with many current initiatives designed to eliminate the divide between countries that have plentiful high-tech resources and those that do not. (Contains 18 resources.)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A