Digital Divide

The digital divide is the divide between people who have access to technology, like computers and the internet, and people who do not. As the article says, it also means the difference between people who know how to use this technology and those who don't. After all, even if someone has a computer, it's no good if they can't use it, or if they don't know how to use it to their own advantage. This divide is unfortunate because people without access to technology are often kept from information. Additionally, the article says that the digital divide is especially "prominent" in education, because some schools have lots of computers whereas others do not. Furthermore, the digital divide is somewhat gender-biased, with women having less access to technology than men. The digital divide also leads to discrimination of people with disabilities, since many technologies do not have accommodations for these people.

The second level of the digital divide is a newer divide. It refers to the divide between people who make stuff on the internet and people who use it. As the article says, with the internet, many people have been able to make their own content, like videos and blogs. However, many more people are not able to make this content, maybe because they don't know how. The article says that even though there is so much user-created content out on the internet, it is created by a small number of people. That is the second digital divide.

I think the idea of having more free wi-fi hotspots would help bridge the digital divide. That way, people could access the internet even if they can't afford to have it in their own home. The only problem with that is that they might not have a laptop, computer or smartphone to begin with.

Looking over my old lesson plans, I don't think I do very many of the things on the list, but I guess I do some. For example, I do to only use technology when it's helping learning, and not just use it for the sake of using it. I know that was one thing that always annoyed me in school - when we would use technology just to use it. For example, I had a teacher who was obsessed with powerpoint, and we would use it for literally everything. We were all experts in Powerpoint by the end of the year, but I don't think it helped us all that much. Also, I think if I were in the classroom, I would encourage minorities to use technology, like the list says.

I don't think I would add anything to this list. I think I would eliminate or change number 5 because it doesn't make that much sense. I agree with the part that says technology can't take the place of face-to-face communication, but I'm not sure about the part about "oppressive dialogue dynamics." I'm not sure how these two ideas are related.