Digital Divide
There was a time, not long ago, when the so-called digital divide was perceived and illustrated as a huge canyon or a mile-wide river. On the one side stood the technology-rich, happy because they had access to computers at work, school, and home. On the other stood the technology-poor, unhappy because they had no access at all. The digital divide is possibly the single, largest, segregating force in today¡¦s world. The lack of access, knowledge and understanding of digital capabilities that are changing the world is shocking. These capabilities are mainly focused upon the personal computer, Internet access and the skill to navigate and effectively utilize these technologies. Due to the relatively high costs and relatively low priority associated with addressing this issue, a generation of children and families will mature without these tools that are proving to be the key to the future. An estimated 429 million people are online globally, but even this overwhelming number is small when considered in perspective. Of those 429 million, 41% are in North America and they only represent 6% of the world¡¦s entire population. According to the Digital Divide Network, global Internet statistics include: . . .
In summary, a few technology leaders have stressed their opinions in a somewhat opposite direction on educational technology. Major American corporations are giving away computer technology to the digital have-nots. 00-per-month web subscriptions to its domestic and overseas employees. Retrieved February 19, 2002, http://www. The E-rate program is important because these institutions are a primary means of gaining access to what the new technology has to offer and to the dramatic changes made in the education of our nation¡¦s children through educational technology. Department of Commerce on the perspective of the digital divide in the United States include: „« 51% of all U. Public Schools Building Out Their Networks. 7% of households headed by persons with less than a high school education have Internet access „« Rural areas, though still lagging behind urban areas, has surpassed inner-cities in Internet availability and use: o Urban 42.
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