How to approach a difficult question:
The Digital Divide
At first glance, the solution to the ‘Digital Divide’ (DD) seems obvious: Developing countries do not have access to enough technology, therefore, the developed countries ought to send aid to them to provide the “have not’s” with the technology they are lacking. The problem in theory then, according to the actions many have taken, should ultimately solve itself.1,2 But is that really the the case?
There is no doubt that developing countries3 in fact do lack equal access to technology. Compared to the developed world4, developing countries spend nearly 85% less on technological research and development (R&D) each year. Even if one only considers that disproportionality of expenditures on R&D between the two groups alone, the unbalanced nature of the situation is easily seen. However, if one ventures a little deeper, they will undoubtedly find the disparity to be even more staggering.
In the 1996/975, developing countries had an estimated population of 4.25 billion people. In total, they held nearly 75% of all the people in the world. On the other hand, that only managed to create a third of the worlds Gross Domestic Product (GDP), at 13.4 trillion $US PPP6. More over, they specifically spent only 0.6% of the total GDP on technological R&D, which accounted for approximately 85 billion $US PPP, or around 16% of the worlds total GDP expenditure on R&D (GERD).
Developed countries, in contrast, hold a completely opposite position in nearly every way possible. First, they make up only a quarter of the worlds population, some 1.25 billion people. Yet they produce well over three quarters of the worlds total GDP, which weighs in at nearly 21 trillion $US PPP a year. Out of that amount, close to 461 billion $US PPP is spent on R&D (GERD), or approximately 2.2% of their total GDP. That is a staggering 400% more than was spent in the same time by developing nations, but by only a fourth of the populous per capita.
Another way to think of it is by looking at statistics of how the most basic, and essential types of ICT are distributed amongst the developed and developing countries in the world. For example, in his book “High Noon, 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to solve them,” J.F. Rischard discusses how he has come to realize the DD “is of great concern” because the developed countries have invested in an “unbelievable overcapacity” of the worlds communications system. He says, “If the world’s 6 billion people people were to talk nonstop on the phone for the next year, their words could be transmitted in a few hours through the currently available bandwidth.” “Yet, some 2 billion people have never made a phone call.” “The telephone density (phone lines per 100 inhabitants is fifty to sixty in rich countries but less than two in the poorest developing countries.” He also goes on to talk about how “Information Technology is even more unevenly distributed” in that a large majority of the Internet traffic existing today is made up of transactions between the US and Europe. Even though only “about 10% of the worlds population understands English, [it is] the language of 75 percent of all web sites.” In other words, he recognizes that the content available for the rest of the world online is dismal and that this makes the Internet practically useless to those who do not understand English even if they had ‘access’.10
Although I doubt these statistics are completely accurate,7 I believe the explicit underlying economic and implied technological inequalities make the huge disparity readily obvious, even if there is a significant margin of error. The data tells us clearly that developed countries hold a highly concentrated amount of the worlds wealth and also that they spend a larger percentage of it on R&D. Therefore, the amount of technology they create is grossly larger than that of developing nations, and so, the benefits that come from exploiting technology skews world inequalities even further. Reading the data practically leaves no room for argument to whether or not a ‘digital divide’ problem of some sort is present in the world today. It proves, with near certainty, that there really is a DD to worry about.
What is not so clear though is whether the problem is truly as ‘black and white’ as the term ‘digital divide’ implies; does the problem really lay between a binary division of the “’haves and the have not’s?” Can we really deduce the cause of such a complex problem to one factor alone? More specifically, can providing ‘access’ to enable the ‘have not’s’ to ‘have’ alone really get to the heart of what developing countries need to break the chains of inequality? It would be nice if it was, but I really do not think it is that easy.
Unfortunately though there have already been hundreds, probably thousands of people that were convinced it was that easy and have already spent millions, possibly billions implementing projects that generally address only that one concern2. Because of this, it does not surprise me that many found their projects ending with little success and that today we have yet to come close to bridging the arguably widening DD. It’s frustrating because I can only imagine that most of the people who have addressed the DD are people who have great intentions, people who really want to make a difference in the world, and people who want, just like me, to see the problems of inequity vanish from this world at once. But for what ever reason, may it be tight budgets, corporate agendas, oversights, patience, lack of insight, lack if feedback, or just simply not thinking and haste for ‘results’, many attempts to bridge the gaps of the DD fail to achieve their goals because the organizers are too focused on the ‘quick fix’.
Instead of focusing all their resources on providing ‘access’ to technologies through the provision of equipment (and perhaps even training) alone, they should be working to implement sustainable, long term, multidimensional, politically, culturally and industry supported, community driven projects that are aimed at the absorption, or inclusion of technology into society rather than the ‘access’ to technology by its’ members alone.
Rather than looking at ‘access’ alone, I believe the four general categories one should—at bare minimum—assess before embarking on any socio-economic aid project are as follows: Analysis of physical resources available to the region. This one should sound familiar; for example, access to computers and other appropriate Internet and Communications Technologies , and the need for more or less of them all. Next, one should assess the availability of and need for relevant digital resources, such as content provided in local languages and content that is suited to local needs. The third consideration that should be made is the availability and the need for human resources, such as training facilities, support infrastructure, and increased literacy rates. The last is to address the social resources in a region that might hinder or prop-up efforts to bring about positive socio-economic change. For example, in order to have successful absorption of new technologies into society, and therefore, to maximize the potential gain technology can bring to a developing region, the social, cultural, and governmental structures of a society or region must all fully support and commit to the adaption of the changing environment.8
( More detailed sources that list the interconnected issues and disciplines one should address before taking on a project in a developing country can be found elsewhere. 9, 10, 11, 12 )
With such limited knowledge of the underlying issues involved in creating the DD, I can still only begin attempting to learn more about how best to address the looming issues facing the world regarding the unequal distribution of technology and wealth and the DD. I will continue to learn about what I actions I can take by taking ideas, observations and facts provided by sets of interdisciplinary sources and attempt to reconcile them into a question raising, thought provoking papers and projects such as I have hopefully done starting here with this prose.
I would like to conclude by mentioning that it is my hope to get a chance to turn my words into actions in the near future; I do not want to be just another one of those who has “a lot of talk, but not enough action.”12 as it seems many in the world are. I intend to take my own advice and work on a problem using this approach very soon while I am studying in Merida, Yucatan in Mexico, during the winter of 2004/05.
So before I go jumping into trying to work on the big problems facing us and the DD, or any socio-economic problem for that matter, I will make sure that I am considering as many parts connected to the problem as possible because I recognize that the issues facing the DD are all dynamic combinations of interconnected parts, made up of many different feedback loops and other complex multi-causal relationships that each have different influences on the resulting systems as a whole.
Wish me luck!
References and Footnotes:
1.0) Technological Determinism: A reductionist theory that postulates all social change is pushed
singlehandedly by technology. It “seeks to explain social and historical phenomena in terms of
one principal or determining factor” (1.1).
1.1) Technological or Media Determinism, Daniel Chandler,
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/tecdet/tdet01.html,
Accessed November 14, 2004.
2.0) USAID provides millions of dollars annually to ICT development based initiatives.
Their first priority is to “ICT Access” (2.1).
2.1) USAID’s Approach to ICT Programs,
http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/economic_growth_and_trade/info_technology/usaids_approach.html, Accessed November 16, 2004.
3.0) Developing Countries: World EXCLUDING Developing Countries. Approximately 150 countries.
4.0) Developed Countries:
Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faeroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Holy See, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Slovakia, Spain, St. Pierre and Miquelon, Sweden Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan.
5.0) UNESCO Institute for Statistics 2001, “The state of science and Technology in the world 1997/97,”
http://www.uis.unesco.org/ev.php?ID=4980_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC, Accessed November 13,
2004.
6.0) $US PPP: A ”theoretical exchange rate derived from the perceived “parity” of “purchasing power” of
a currency in relation to another currency.” “The PPP exchage rate is calculated from the relative
value of a currency based on the amount of “a basket” of goods the currency will buy in their
nation of usage.” “The most common PPP exchange rate comes from comparing goods in a GDP
reporting area with with the same or “equivalent” goods in the United States and through that
come up with a PPP US dollar exchange rate” (5.1).
6.1) Purchasing Power Parity, Wiki-pedia, The Free Encyclopedia,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purchasing_power_parity, Accessed November 15, 2004.
7.0) Note on accuracy of statistics: “Despite the fragility of some of the data used in this analysis, we hope
that it will provide a usefull picture of the status of science and technology across the world. Of
especial note is the striking imbalance between the distribution of resources between the developed
and developing regions and countries” (see source 5.0: Preface).
8.0) Warschauer, Mark, “Reconceptualizing the Digital Divide,” First Monday,
http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue7_7/warschauer/, Accessed November 14, 2004.
9.0) World Conference on Science 1999, “Declaration on Science and the Use of Scientific Knowledge,”
http://www.unesco.org/science/wcs/eng/declaration_e.htm, Accessed November 12, 2004.
10.0) Rischard, J.F., “High Noon—20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them: Section on the Digital
Divide,” Basic Books, 2002: 107-110.
11.0) Ed. Ana Maria Cetto, “II.2 Science for Development,” World Conference on Science: Science for
the 21st century, UNESCO 2000, http://www.unesco.org/science/wcs/, Accessed November 13,
2004.
12.0) Peters, Teresa, “Bridging the Digital Divide,” The Evolving Internet: Global Issues,
http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itgic/1103/ijge/gj08.htm, Accessed November 13, 2004
Posted by drpooville_Admin as Linux / Open Source, College Of The Atlantic, Personal Endeveavors at 4:22 PM PST
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Women In Progress
Computer Training Lesson Plans
By Chris Ward
Week 1
Day 1
Focus:
- Knowing the Computer, inside and out
- Working with Microsoft Windows
- Using the Mouse
- Using the Keyboard
Today is the first day of the forthcoming 10 to 14 week Women In Progress beginners computer training course.
Teacher - You should use this first day to introduce yourself to the student (tell them a little about yourself) and have the student do the same for you.
As you are covering the material for day 1, you will be effectively (but unofficially) reviewing the student for all prior knowledge and understanding of how to use computers. So, by the end of the day you should have a good idea of what level your student will be learning at during the following weeks, and what they already know about how to use computers.
With the information you gather today, you should be able to make adjustments to the pace of the course and the material covered based on what level the student is determined to be at.
Eg. This course is designed for students who have never come in contact with a computer in their entire lives. If a student is found to have had previous experience with computers, the course material can be covered more quickly than is recommended.
However, today is not the only day you should be thinking about how fast or slow your students are progressing. You should be continuously assessing the students comprehension and adjusting the pace of the lessons appropriately.
Remember that the women you are working with are also full time business women. Do not be surprised if they are unable to attend classes regularly due to uncontrollable circumstances. If this will be a problem for you, be sure to make it clear to the students how important it is for them to give you an advanced notice any time they will not be able to attend classes. The same goes for you. If you are unable to attend class, please inform the student in advance.
Be patient. Be clear. Be flexible. Be understanding. Be supportive.
And finally, remember that most of the students are very new to using computers. Learning something new and so technical can be quite scary.
Have fun (don’t forget to laugh!)!
As you read through the following lesson plans, take notice of the notes contained within the Asterisks such as ** WIP Pg 10-14 **. These notes explain where you can find the complementary teaching material in the Women In Progress Computer Training Manual.
Student - The student should leave the day knowing that this course is going to be a serious learning experience, but not be all work and no play.
The first couple/few weeks are going to seem overwhelming to them. Make sure they know that they will have plenty of time to learn the things being covered. They should not feel as if they ought to remember every little thing that is covered.
By the days end the student should also understand that basic areas which computers are used in our daily lives and their importance in the world as a whole.
Eg. Why is the student even here? How do computers impact their life, even though they have never used one personally? How will they be able to use them in the future for their own benefit.
Finally, the student should have a basic understanding of how to operate a computer. Such as how the mouse works, and its functional importance when operating the computer and all the other important things of that sort.
But there is no pressure on them. They do not necessarily have to be able to operate it very well at this point. Practice makes perfect!
Outline
1. Learn
* Introduction to computer hardware and basic usage,
general terminology, etc.
– 5 Minute Break —
2. Mouse Control practice - Solitaire
3. Typing - Begin Mavis Beacon class.
* Introduction to MB interface
* Introduction to keyboard
Preparation Steps
Have the Women In Progress computer training manual near by. It has a lot of good information that can guide you through your instruction. Use it.
Ensure the computer you will be using for instruction has Microsoft Word, Solitaire, and Mavis Beacon installed. If not, move to another computer, or install the missing software.
As the teacher, you should yourself be familiar with all materials that are to be instructed in the course of the day. Eg 1. You should know how to navigate the Mavis Beacon interface extremely well (it’s not hard, don’t worry). Eg 2. You should know the importance of the computer hardware that is to be covered, and an example (or analogy, etc) of what the device is used for and how it works.
Because many of the students at WIP are older women, it might be best if you slowed down the double clicking speed. To do this, go to the Control Panel, then open the Mouse properties. Use the scroll bar to change the speed of double clicking. (You might even use the double clicking test area with the student during a lesson directly to test their double clicking skills)
If you want, have the case of the computer readily able to be opened so you can show the inside of the computer to the student as you explain what the main parts are that make it work. Eg. point out the hard-drive, the CPU, etc.
Course Lesson
Learn (1 hr):
Computer is for…can do…
Typing, Internet (communication), math, accounting (among many other business activities), pictures, design, games, etc.
—-
** WIP Pg 2-5 **
Major parts are (show example of using each, perhaps show them what they look like by removing the computer case and exposing the internal hardware)
Mouse (show left click and right click)
Monitor, Keyboard, Computer Case
Hard drive, Floppy drive, CD-ROM drive
CPU
** WIP Pg 2 - 5 **
—-
** WIP Pg 7 - 9 **
Mouse Control Practice
Hold the mouse gently, yet firmly.
Single Left click is used to Select
Explain other jargon terms for Right Clicking something
Eg. Click there, Select that, Hit there, etc
Half Left click, hold and moving the mouse is used to move selected object, then when button is released, the object moves to new location.
Always be gentle, slow and patient.
Jargon terms
Eg. Drag and Drop, Move, etc.
Double Left click is used to execute selection
Again, always be gentle, but quick. Have patience
Jargon terms
Double click, Launch, Open, Run, Execute
Single Right Click
For now, tell student this button will not be used but show what it is used for.
Opens menu for selected object
** WIP Pg 7 - 9 **
—-
** WIP Pg 6, 10-14 **
Desktop
Icons
Explain/Familiarize student with each (as shortcuts) and show eg. of each
My Computer, Recycle, Network Neighborhood, Mavis Beacon, C:\, D:\ , etc
Explain Minimize/Maximize/Close buttons
Explain Taskbar
Start Menu
Explain each important sub-menu choices, esp. Programs, accessories and games
Clock and Date
Show how to change the date and time
Practice opening Programs through Start Menu and double clicking on desktop.
** WIP Pg 6, 10-14 **
—-
** WIP Pg 17 - 18 **
Explain purpose of and show example of
MS Word, Power Point, Excel, Internet Explorer, Calculator, others
Explain/Show Title bar
Explain/Show Standard Tool Bar
Focus especially on File and Edit
Show example of Dialog boxes and explain button choices. Eg. Cancel, OK, Done, Apply, etc)
** WIP Pg 17 - 18 **
—-
– 5 Minute Break —
Mouse Control Practice ( 45 Minutes )
Open Solitare
Teach the game as you go.
Maximize window while playing
Encourage, be patient, help out tremendously for the first few or more hands.
Show Standard tool bar
New Game, Options, Close, Undo
Change/Apply new Card deck Styles
Play a couple/few hands and Close
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing (MBTT) (15 Min)
Start new user
Explain each question in the user registration process.
Teach about the Start Lesson Button.
Explain that if the student ever comes to class and the teacher has not arrived, they should sit down at an available computer and practice their typing with Mavis Beacon.
Teach to properly Shutdown the computer.
Day 2
Focus:
- Using the Keyboard
- Using the Mouse
- Introduction to Microsoft Word
Teacher - Today will be the first unofficial day of review. You should use this day’s lesson to interpret how fast or slow you should be going in the next few lessons to come. You should know how much of the previous days lesson and what specifically out of those lesson need to be focused on in the lessons to follow.
Make sure the student is using the computer with a good posture, for safety’s sake. As well, recommend to the student that they should take advantage of the 5 minute breaks in between exercises. But you shouldn’t force them. Just explain that injuries can result from sitting at the computer for too long (e.g. carpal tunnel).
Iterate the importance of holding the mouse loosely yet firmly, and that one should click the mouse gently, yet as quickly as possible.
Student - The student should know that they must be vocal in their understanding or confusion. As well, they should speak out when they want to explore something further, want to try something new, or if they are getting tired of doing something.
The student should be getting familiarized with the Mavis Beacon interface enough to work independently of the teacher (but not yet actually working without the teacher)
The student should also becoming
familiarized with the Microsoft Word interface enough to work on their journal entries independently of the teacher (but they will not yet actually work without the teacher by their side).
Outline
1. Typing : Mavis Beacon
2. Review
* Mouse control
* Desktop/Start Menu navigation
– 5 Minute Break —
3. Learn
* Word basics
* Create first Journal Entry
4. Mouse Control - Solitaire
Preparation Steps
Try to use the same computer as before and continue to try to use this computer on as many occasions as possible. If one exists, please fill out the Computer Reservation Sign-Up Sheet to reserve a computer for your student on the days that you will be teaching them.
Have a (the) example Journal entry on hand to reproduce as part of the lesson. This can be found on the WIP Course Floppy Disk and attached as one of the following pages.
Course Lesson
Mavis Beacon (30 min)
Make clear the importance of good posture and finger positioning
Review (30 min)
** WIP Pg 6, 10-14 **
Start Menu
Programs (and all important sub-menus), Control Panel, etc.
Desktop
Select Icons, Launch Shortcuts/Programs
Minimize/Maximize-Restore/Minimize Buttons
Taskbar
Standard Tool bar – Especially File, Edit.
** WIP Pg 6, 10-14 **
—-
– 5 Minute Break —
Learn (45 Min)
** WIP Pg 29 - 34 **
Creating New Document - Create first Journal entry, all others will copy it’s format.
Typing into a New Document
Enter (next line)
Backspace, Delete
Arrow Keys
Page Up/Down
Automatic Line Feed when you hit the end of the line like this for example. Where now we are typing on the next line without having to hit Enter. And again… etc.
Bold/Underline/Italics
Change font sizes and Font Type (eg. Times, Utopia, etc)
Tab key
Scrolling
Cut/Copy/Paste text ** WIP Pg 34 - 35 **
Cursor
Text Blinking where letters will appear
Mouse that changes cursor when are is writable
Selecting/Highlighting
Click/Drag, Shift key, Combo with Arrow keys, Select whole line by clicking at the left hand side of the line (after the cursor changes icons) Double clicking a word, Triple clicking a word to select the line
** WIP Pg 29 - 34 **
Solitaire (Mouse control Practice, 30 min)
Week 2
Day 1
Focus:
Using the Mouse
Introduction to Microsoft Word
Working with Microsoft Windows
Understanding File/Folder Management
Using the Keyboard
Teacher - Make sure student is conscience of their posture and are using the mouse properly.
Student - The student will have an overview of working with Files and Folders, and should have a little knowledge into the Windows File system.
They should also be able to navigate through multiple open windows and programs.
Continue practicing mouse control.
Review old and learn new concepts in Word.
Continue practicing typing.
Outline
1. Practice Mouse Control - Solitaire
2. Review
* Word (using previous weeks journal entry)
* Taskbar
* Window Management
– 5 Minute Break —
3. Learn
* Files and Folders (creating new, renaming, launching, moving)
* Moving, Resizing and switching Windows)
4. Practice Typing - Mavis Beacon
Preparation Steps
Verify My Documents is working properly (this usually is not applicable, but check it just in case) because this is were the student should work with their own documents.
Course Lesson
Open and Play Solitaire (15 min)
Review (30 min)
** WIP Pg 10-11 **
Launch/Select/Move Icons on desktop
Maximize, minimize windows
Switch windows using taskbar
** WIP Pg 10-11 **
—-
** WIP Pg 29 - 38 **
Open Journal entry from previous week (Or write the Dear Auntie Mary letter on WIP Pg 35)
Make the first half Bold
Make the second half Italic
Make any three words (that are not next to each other) Underlined
Make the first line font size 22
Change the last line to Font type Courier
‘Save as ‘changes to a new file
Practice with the delete and backspace key.
Change font sizes and Font Type (eg. Times, Utopia, etc)
Scrolling
Cut/Copy/Paste text
** WIP Pg 29 - 38 **
—-
– 5 Minute Break —
Learn (45 Min)
** WIP Pg 24 - 28 **
What are Files / Folders
Extensions like .doc, .ppt, etc
Analogy to File/Folders Cabinet
Create new File and Folders
Create Personal Folder in My Documents
Show Right Mouse and File/New way to create new
Launch Files
Rename Files/Folders
Move Files/Folders – Move the Journal Entry into personal folder
Delete File/Folder (recover from Recycle bin)
Copy/Cut/Paste
Drag and Drop
** WIP Pg 24 -28 **
—-
Finding/Searching for files (simple searches, using exact name and the asterisk wild-card.)
Opening files from within Word
—-
** WIP Pg 13-14 **
Resizing Window
Moving Window
** WIP Pg 13 - 14 **
Mavis Beacon (30 Min)
Day 2
Focus:
- Using the Keyboard
- Working with Microsoft Windows
- Introduction to Microsoft Word
- Using the Mouse
Teacher - Examine the students ability to work independently. They should be capable of operating Mavis Beacon and Solitaire very little assistance. If they are unable to manage, make sure they know it is fine they need assistance, but encourage them to try to do as much as possible by themselves.
Student - Today will be the students first opportunity to work on the computer independently of the instructor (using Mavis Beacon and Solitaire).
Student will learn how to customize the computer to their liking (but unfortunately, will not be able to guarantee the customizations will stay because multiple people also use the same computer….)
Outline
1. Practice typing - Mavis Beacon
– 5 Minute Break —
2. Learn
* Word
* Desktop Properties
3. Review
* Word
4. Practice mouse control
5. Practice Word and Typing - Journal Entry
Preparation Steps
Make sure you know the lesson material. Eg. How to change screen saver properties, what the screen resolution means and number of colors, how to change the background, etc.
Make sure you know how to take a screen shot and paste it into a Word document. And make sure this function works properly on the computer you will be using before you begin the lesson.
If you do not, here is how. Press the button on the top row of keys that says Prnt Scr., which is located above the Arrow keys and Pg Up/Down keys. Then, in word, execute the Paste function. That is all.
Course Lesson
Mavis Beacon (45 min)
– 5 Minute Break —
Learn (45 min)
In Word
Bullet Text (Ordered and Unordered) ** WIP Pg 62 **
Take Screen Shot and paste into document
Resize image (the screen shot) in Word
Find/Replace in Word
Calculator (simple add, subtract, multiply, divide not scientific)
Use 10-key number pad
Desktop Properties
Explain the important aspects of each tab in the properties, especially Background, screen saver and resolution.
Review (15 min)
** WIP Pg 33 - 35 **
Cut/Copy/Paste text
Selecting/Highlighting text
Scroll bars
Using Enter key, arrow keys, backspace and delete keys
** WIP Pg 33 - 35 **
—-
Journal (15 min)
Save As ‘Last Name Journal’ in My Documents
Use this time to incorporate good formatting technique, and to review the Word functions that have been learned up to this point.
Week 3
Day 1
Focus:
- Using the Keyboard
- Introduction to Microsoft Word
- Working with Microsoft Word
Teacher - Access the student’s ability to retain the information they have learned, and their ability to work independently of the teacher (Mavis Beacon).
The Scavenger hunt will be a not-so-comprehensive review of material covered in the previous lessons, but will act as the first milestone in the course.
The result of this ‘exam’ will indicate the comprehension level of the student and will give you a chance to slow down (focus on troubled spots) or speed up (explore new areas not covered in the lesson plan) in your lessons.
But even before the student starts the scavenger hunt, spend a lot of time going over every concept/topic that will be covered in the scavenger hunt. As well, use today to review everything that you possibly can. The scavenger hunt should only be a repeat of the days review. The difference will only be that they should work as independently as possible.
There are no new concepts scheduled to be taught today.
Student - This will be the student’s first test of data retention. It will also give the student another example of what the computer can be used for in the real world. Eg. Creating informational documents with pictures.
Outline
1. Practice Typing - Mavis Beacon
– 5 Minute Break —
2. Review
* Word (Especially taking screen shots and scrolling)
* Navigating the desktop, taskbar and windows
3. Scavenger Hunt
Preparation Steps
Make sure the computer you are working at is able to take screen shots.
Make sure you have a copy of the Scavenger hunt exam. This can be found on the WIP Course Floppy Disk and attached as one of the following pages.
Make sure all the questions on the Scavenger hunt can be answered using the specific computer your student uses. If it can not be, figure out why and fix it, or move to another computer.
Course Lesson
Mavis Beacon (45 Min)
– 5 Minute
Break —
Review (45 Min)
In Word
** WIP Pg 2 9 - 41, 62 **
Cut/Copy/Paste
(Un)Ordered Bullet lists
Insert Picture from file, and clip art
Resize/Move Pictures
How to take a Screen Shot (push print screen *Prt Scn* key and then Paste in Word)
** WIP Pg 29 - 41, 62 **
—-
Using Task Bar ** WIP Pg 6 **
** WIP Pg 15-16, 38-39 **
Scrolling
Using Enter Key
Closing and Saving
** WIP Pg 15-16, 38-39 **
—-
Scavenger Hunt (30 Min)
Day 2
Focus:
- Introduction to Microsoft Word
- Introduction to Microsoft Paint
Teacher - This will be the teachers first official chance at evaluating the students progress. Depending on the outcome of the Scavenger hunt and today’s review of it, you can readjust the speed at which you are covering topics. Don’t hesitate to slow down if the student is having trouble keeping up.
The student will be learning a new application today, MS Paint. The lesson should be tuned to doing something that is applicable to what the students do for work. Eg. If they batik, teach them how to use Paint, and have them try and design a batiking pattern. Or, eg. they could try to reproduce a (or create a new) logo for their business. (It will definitely not be professional enough to actually use as a logo…but will just act as practice.)
Student - The student should be able to vocalize the areas which they feel the do not understand and would like to work on more.
After using MS Paint, they should understand that there are even more things that can be done using the computer that apply to their own needs, in addition to only using Word and playing games.
Outline
1. Review
* Problem areas found during Scavenger Hunt
* Any questions, comments, concerns
2. Learn
* MS Paint
– 5 Minute Break —
3. Journal
Preparation Steps
Determine the problem areas the student faced while working on the scavenger hunt.
Understand what all the buttons in MS paint do and how to use them.
Course Lesson
Review (30 Min)
Go over any problem areas
Go over any Screen Shot that could not be made.
Correct and explain any formatting errors.
Go over any questions or comments the student has.
Learn (1 Hr)
MS Paint
Explain all buttons, fill styles (etc), colors (left click for main color and border color, right click for fill color and eraser color), undo, and other important functions. Have the student use each on the Canvas to show how each work and the differences between them all.
Then, after all these items have been covered, leave the student to themselves to practice.
Request that you would like to see at least one picture completed (it doesn’t need to even be a ‘nice’ pictures, just something).
For example, have them try and design a Symbol of some sort (like Adinkra, smiley, batik pattern, etc) , or abstract art, logo, etc.
Have them save this into their Folder or My Documents
– 5 Minute Break —
Journal (30 Min)
Use this time to incorporate good formatting technique and to review the Word functions that have been learned up to this point. Eg. maybe they could insert the new drawing into the journal.
Week 4
Day 1
Focus:
- Using the Keyboard
- Introduction to Microsoft Word
- Introduction to Microsoft Paint
Teacher - The student should be able to work on some of the review by themselves. Eg. Using MS Paint.
Student - Continue learning new concepts and reviewing old ones.
Outline
1. Mavis Beacon
– 5 Minute Break —
2. Review
* Word
* Finding/Searching for files
* Paint
3. Learn
* Word
Preparation Steps
Nothing special needs to be done except to prepare for reviewing to find/search for files. Eg. Right down the name of a couple files/folders in a few random locations and have the student find them. Or, hide some of the student’s files/folders and have them find them (and perhaps even move them back to where they were at originally).
Course Lesson
Mavis Beacon (45 Min)
– 5 Minute Break —
Review (45 Min)
** WIP Pg 29 - 38 **
In Word
Scrolling
Formatting (Tab, enter key, font attributes, etc)
Selecting/Highlighting
Any other things that have been taught up to this point in word that the student would like to have more practice with.
** WIP Pg 29 - 38 **
—-
File Management
Find/Search for files
MS Paint
Paint one picture/symbol/abstract and save it
Learn (30 Min)
In Word
Change Font Color (if this has not already been taught)
Columns ** WIP Pg 62 **
Left/Center/Right/Justified (show Justified in column context)
Shortcut keys (which apply to many other programs than just Word)
Ctl-A : Seclect All
Ctl-Z : Undo
Ctl-C : Copy
Ctl-X : Cut
Ctl-V : Paste
Ctl-N : New
Ctl-O : Open
Ctl-S : Save
If any time remains, Play Solitaire or more Mavis Beacon
Day 2
Focus:
- Introduction to Microsoft Word
- Using the Keyboard
Teacher - How have you been doing? Can the student work with Mavis Beacon and their journal independently yet?
Ensure they are prepared for next week’s exam!
Student - More Review. More learning in Word.
How comfortable is the student working alone?
Are they prepared for next week’s exam?
Outline
1. Review
* Word
– 5 Minute Break —
2. Learn
* Word
* Find/Searching for files
3. Mavis Beacon
4. Journal
Preparation Steps
Nothing special needs to be done except to prepare for reviewing to find/search for files.
Course Lesson
Review (45 min)
** WIP Pg 29 - 41 **
In word
All shortcut keys
Highlighting
Change Font Color, and other formatting attributes
Bullet (un)ordered lists
Center/Right Justification
Cut/Copy/Paste
Insert/Resize Picture
Screen Shot (review because the first day of the week 5 will be another scavenger hunt)
** WIP Pg 29 - 41 **
—-
Find/Search for files
Learn (30 Min)
** WIP Pg 60 - 62 **
In Word
Header/Footer
Insert
Page Numbers
Date
Text Box
Spelling Grammar Check
** WIP Pg 60 - 62 **
—-
Mavis Beacon (30 Min)
Journal (15 Min)
Remember, practice good formatting technique.
Week 5
Day 1
Focus:
- Introduction to Microsoft Word
- Introduction to Microsoft Paint
- Working with Windows
- Understanding File/Folder Management
- Using the Mouse
Teacher - Today is the last day of the first half of WIP’s computer training course.
There will be some review, and an exam. By the days end, you should have evaluated the student’s course progress. You should ask yourself whether or not they ready to move on to the second half of the course? Or should more time be spent reviewing topics already covered? If more time is needed for review, don’t continue on with the course plans. Instead take a week or more out to go over the course material that needs to be reviewed further.
Student - The student should be capable of working with Mavis Beacon on their own. As well, they should be able to work on most of the exam independently too.
Outline
1. Review
* Word
– Five Minute Break –
2. Scavenger Hunt - Exam
Preparation Steps
Make sure you have a copy of the Scavenger Hunt #2 exam printed out and on hand.
Make sure the student is familiar with taking screen shots and is proficient enough in Word to complete the exam responses in a new Word document.
Also make sure the student is familiar enough with the desktop and file/folder management to complete the exam.
Create one file called FindMe.txt with the words “Hip Hip Hurray!” written really big inside only (cheesy, yes….oh well :-).
Course Lesson
Review (1 Hr)
In Word
Highlighting/Selecting text
Using Enter key
Copy/Paste
Formatting (all, bold, italic, justify, font styles, colors, etc)
Saving Files
File Management
Opening files and folders
Creating new files and folders
Renaming files and folders
Moving Files and folders
Searching for files
Paint
Quick review of the buttons that will be used during the exam.
Line tool
Using Shift Key for straight lines
Paint Bucket
Pencil
Eraser
Choosing/using colors
Undo
– Five Minute Break –
Exam (1 hr)
Word
Formatting and Font styles
File Management
Creating new files/folders
Moving/renaming files/folders
Searching for files and folders
MS Paint
General understanding
Day 2
Focus:
- Using the Keyboard
- Introduction to Microsoft Word
- Introduction to Microsoft Paint
- Working with Windows
- Understanding File/Folder Management
- Using the Mouse
The end of the first half of WIP’s introductory computer training course has come to an end. All today should be devoted to reviewing the material that has been learned through the weeks prior and the previous day’s exam.
Teacher - By the days end, the teacher should have a definite feel for the level of understanding the student has for concepts covered during the previous 5 week term. If you feel that the student needs a lot of additional work with the material that has been covered thus far, do not hesitate to put off moving onto the next set of lessons. But if the student only needs to touch up in certain areas, use the review times in the following lessons to cover that material.
Student - How is the student feeling about the course? Are they enjoying it? Is there anything they would like to focus on? Do they have any ideas that could be incorporated into the class that would personalize the course lessons a little more? Did they feel comfortable taking the exam? Should anything be changed?
If anything is determined to be problematic with how the material is being covered, makes changes where necessary based on student feedback.
Outline
1. Mavis Beacon
2. Review
* Word
* Paint
* Desktop
* File/Folder Management
Preparation Steps
Have the student’s exam on hand so you can walk through it with them step by step. Have an idea of where the student had difficulties and where they had good understanding of topics at hand.
Course Lesson
1. Mavis Beacon (45 min)
—– 5 minute break —–
2. Review (1 hr 15 min)
Cover all exam material and course material in general
Word
Paint
Working with Windows
File/Folder Management
Week 6
Day 1
Focus:
Introduction to Web Browsing
Search Engines
Email
Typing
Today is the first lesson of the second half of WIP’s computer training course.
The first goal is to cover how to use the Internet; specifically, how to use email and search engines.
The second goal for this half of the course is to cover the basics of Microsoft Excel.
The third goal is to review the concepts learned in the previous weeks.
The fourth goal is to improve typing skills.
The last goal is to help the student think of ways to keep them coming back to use the computers and how to put their newfound knowledge to practical and applicable use.
While you are covering the new material, don’t forget to review the areas that the student is having trouble with from the previous lessons.
Teacher - Welcome to the second half of WIP’s introductory computer training course.
By the end of the day, the student should have been introduced to many basic concepts of browsing the Internet.
If the student has never used the internet before, then you will likely find that they are nervous, but perhaps also very exited about this new experience. You should not expect them to remember too much on the first day; just use it to get them familiar with the Internet explorer interface and general concepts of internet browsing.
Student - How are they feeling about using the internet? Are they going to want to (do they want to) use the internet outside of WIP? Do they know where and what internet cafes are?
Outline
1. Mavis Beacon
2. Learn
* Internet Explorer
* Browsing
Preparation Steps
Make sure the computer you are working at for the day has access to the computer. Or, if you are planning to use the computer at the internet cafe, make sure the student has enough money to pay for one hour of computer time. That should be approximately 7,000-10,000 cedis.
Plan ahead a little. Make sure you know the websites you want to show the student. Make sure you know how to use the google search engines different features. Get an idea from your student about what they might want to learn more about, or what type of news you would like to search for. What would they want to use the internet for?
Course Lesson
Mavis Beacon (1 hr)
Learn (1 Hr)
Web browsing
Define Internet terminology/jargon
Web Page
Browser
Search Engines
Email
“Home Page”
Favorites (explain that these are useful only on a computer that you will be using regularly, not at an internet cafe)
URL, Address, domain, (dot)html page, link
Clickable hyperlinks within webpages
Why do we browse?
Communicate (email, chat, announcements, etc)
Work (file paperwork, on-line banking, investing, etc)
Research, Study, News
Entertainment
** Feel free to fill in the blanks…. **
Internet Explorer
Standard Toolbar
Back, Forward, Stop, Refresh, Home, Favorites (bookmarks), History
Status Bar, Spinning World and other indications that the page is loading
Menu Bar
View -> Text Size (ZOOM)
Address Bar
Inform the student that the http:// is NOT necessary.
Describe types of domains (.com, .edu, .gov, .gh, etc)
Web Sites (go direct, or use google without first detailing search technique)
Visit womeninprogress.org, and other affiliated websites like Judiths OneStoneGhana.com or Gifty’s FamilyTraditionsGhana.com
Google.com
Yahoo.com, Msn.com and other search engines optional
Tell the student they can search from any of these engines, but the one that we will use is google.com
Google.com
Why google and not others?
Simple, fast, good results,
Many useful features, easily navigable
Web search
Explain ‘Search’ and ‘I’m feeling lucky’
Simple searches
Keywords
Quotes
Spell Check (Did you mean?)
Google Directory
Image search
Find Adinkra Symbols
And other design ideas
News Search (all news sources in one)
Search for news articles about “cape coast ghana”
Go to a few other websites of interest to the students
Day 2
Focus:
Introduction to Web Browsing
Search Engines
Email
Typing
Purpose
Teacher - Today will resemble the previous day very closely. The student should be able to navigate to google.com and they should now how to do some simple searches. They should also be able to search google news site and access articles online.
Remember to iterate the concepts such as ‘this blue text is a hyperlink, when you click on it, you should be taken to the new page. The way you know you are hovering over a link is that the cursor changes from an arrow to a hand that is pointing.’ But try to tell them as little as possible.
Student - The student should be openly asking questions when they do not understand something. They should also be retaining some of the information that has been gone over all ready. For example, they should be able to do a good portion of today’s work without you having to explicitly point everything out.
They should be taking notes for the important things like their email address password, etc.
Outline
1. Mavis Beacon
2. Review
* Internet Explorer
* Browsing
3. Learn
* Internet Explorer
* Browsing
Preparation Steps
Make sure the student is prepared to take notes. They will need to jot down some specific information about the email address and maybe even takes notes about the steps to accomplishing certain tasks.
Nothing else is different than the previous lesson. Just make sure you have access to the internet and you understand the material.
Course Lesson
Mavis Beacon (1 hr)
Review (30 min)
Internet Explorer
Zoom
Address Bar
Drop Down History
Clickable hyperlinks within webpages
Standard tool bar (back, forward, refresh, etc)
Status Bar, Spinning World and other indications that the page is loading
Search the web using google.com
Keywords, Quotes,
Understanding web addresses (WIP pg 55)
Interpreting your results (WIP pg 56-58)
Learn (30 min)
Internet Explorer
Two ways to save webpages for offline viewing
File->Save As
Show them how to open the webpage from the hard-drive (do they understand the difference between opening from the hard-drive and opening from the internet?)
Copy/Paste bits of useful information to Word documents
Email
Create new account if student needs one (use yahoo or hotmail) (WIP Pg 45-48)
Reading Email
Make note of disk space available (eg 5% of 2MB)
Deleting Email
Sorting; sort by Sender, Subject, Date
Explain what Spam mail is
Composing Email
To, Subject, Body, Send!
Drafts
Explain attachments (send email to self with an attachment) and explain how to open/save attachments.
Reply, Forward
Email Renae and the teacher as examples.
Email self to practice retrieving and replying to emails.
Formatting
Week 7
Day 1
Focus:
Introduction to Web Browsing
Search Engines
Email
Typing
Purpose
Teacher - Today, and this entire week will resemble the previous week’s lessons very closely. Repetition and practice are essential to understanding how to browse the internet. The idea is to get the student familiar enough with browsing that they can go to an internet cafe and browse independently in the future.
The student should be able to navigate to google.com. They should now how to do some simple searches and interpret the results. They should also be able to search google news site and access the articles online. Finally, they should be able to navigate to their email accounts and read and compose simple emails.
Student - They should be able to do much of today’s work without you having to explicitly point everything out. For example, you should be able to say, ‘I would like you to check your email again today’ and they should know to go to whichever, www.hotmail.com, or www.yahoo.com. (Did they take notes??)
Outline
1. Mavis Beacon
2. Review
* Internet Explorer
* Browsing
3. Learn
* Internet Explorer
* Browsing
Preparation Steps
Nothing is different than the previous lesson. Just make sure you have access to the internet and you understand the material.
Course Lesson
Mavis Beacon (1 hr)
Review (30 min)
Internet Explorer
Zoom
Address Bar
Drop Down History
Clickable hyperlinks within webpages
Standard
tool bar (back, forward, refresh, etc)
Status Bar, Spinning World and other indications that the page is loading
Search the web using google.com
Keywords, Quotes,
Understanding web addresses (WIP pg 55)
Interpreting your results (WIP pg 56-58)
Learn (30 min)
Internet Explorer
Two ways to save webpages for offline viewing
File->Save As
Show them how to open the webpage from the harddrive (do they understand the difference between opening from the harddrive and opening from the internet?)
Copy/Paste bits of useful information to Word documents
Email
Create new account if student needs one (use yahoo or hotmail) (WIP Pg 45-48)
Reading Email
Make note of disk space available (eg 5% of 2MB)
Deleting Email
Sorting; sort by Sender, Subject, Date
Composing Email
To, Subject, Body, Send!
Drafts
Explain attachments (send email to self with an attachment) and explain how to open/save attachments.
Reply, Forward
Email Renae and the teacher as examples.
Email self to practice retrieving and replying to emails.
Formatting
Day 2
Focus:
Introduction to Web Browsing
Search Engines
Email
Typing
Purpose
Teacher - Today is exactly the same as the previous lesson. The student should be able to navigate to google.com. They should now how to do some simple searches and interpret the results. They should also be able to search google news site and access the articles online. They should be able to navigate any simple websites. Finally, they should be able to navigate to their email accounts and read and compose simple emails.
Student - They should be able to do much of todays work without you having to explicitly point everything out. For example, again, you should be able to say, ‘I would like you to check your email again today’ and they should know to go to www.hotmail.com.
Outline
1. Mavis Beacon
2. Review
* Internet Explorer
* Browsing
3. Learn
* Internet Explorer
* Browsing
Preparation Steps
Nothing different than the previous lesson. Just make sure you have access to the internet and you understand the material.
Course Lesson
Mavis Beacon (1 hr)
Review (30 min)
Internet Explorer
Zoom
Address Bar
Drop Down History
Clickable hyperlinks within webpages
Standard tool bar (back, forward, refresh, etc)
Status Bar, Spinning World and other indications that the page is loading
Search the web using google.com
Keywords, Quotes,
Understanding web addresses (WIP pg 55)
Interpreting your results (WIP pg 56-58)
Learn (30 min)
Internet Explorer
Two ways to save webpages for offline viewing
File->Save As
Show them how to open the webpage from the hard-drive (do they understand the difference between opening from the hard-drive and opening from the internet?)
Copy/Paste bits of useful information to Word documents
Email
Create new account if student needs one (use yahoo or hotmail) (WIP Pg 45-48)
Reading Email
Make note of disk space available (eg 5% of 2MB)
Deleting Email
Sorting; sort by Sender, Subject, Date
Composing Email
To, Subject, Body, Send!
Drafts
Explain attachments (send email to self with an attachment) and explain how to open/save attachments.
Reply, Forward
Email Renea and the teacher as examples.
Email self to practice retrieving and replying to emails.
Formatting
Posted by drpooville_Admin as College Of The Atlantic, Personal Endeveavors at 12:44 PM PST
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Is it? Sure feels like it has been for a while! Right now it is 25F outside. The windchill makes it even colder. Whew. Mexico here i come!
These past couple days i have been thinking about Mexico a lot. I have not yet imagined myself there yet, but i think that will be the next step. It will come after i have brought everything i am going to need probably.
Today a friend of my spanish teacher, who just arrived from Merida on saturday, came to my class today. She tried to let us watch a movie about the caves and caverns in Yucatan. Something was wrong with the CD though. I thought i was able to fix it for her for after i got it to actually play. Then after about 15 minutes into the movie, the movie froze again like it did when i first got it working. It was really beautiful. I am going to see some really neat stuff in the next few months. Luckily for you guys, you can live it along with me..kinda…i will be writing a journal entry a day for class and i will post up photos as often as i can. The journal entry might come as often as the photos though. I might not have access to the net all the time. Maybe, Maybe not. It’s a good question to ask though.
But, back home now.. I am going to tell a story. Maybe i have told this before, but it’s good so i am going to tell it again.
During the weekend Ryan and I moved into our new apartment in bar harbor. You can check us out on doing it in the photos. I had two friends helping me with the move. Tom and Adam were there names. Without them, and the rip off u-haul, life would have been much more difficult. Thanks guys.
They helped me carry nearly all the biggest furniture pieces and a cases and cases of other stuff. It worked out nearly perfectly with how much stuff we could fit into the vehicle. I wish we could have put it all it, but what ever. That u-hual ended up costing nearly $110; I could not believe that. They charged more than $1 a mile, plus the required you to fill the tank. We got everything we needed there to stay the night comfortably.
Devon slept over that night. We did not know what the parking situation was like at this point. It was pretty late when she arrived, so she just chose an empty spot. The next morning she woke up and found a hostile note on her windshield warning her that she can not park in the parking space she was it. She never parked in the space again.
I do not remember what else happened that day, but right before bed that same evening, ryan turned on a movie to fall asleep to and had the volume up pretty loud. I did not think much of it, and we both feel asleep. I imagine the movie played through because for one he did not turn it off, and two, we got a note from the neigbor that shares a wall with us, telling us that we were being to loud. She told us not to play loud music after 8:30.
Whatever, we made sure then that the music or movies were not to loud. The weekend passed by as i continued to juggle moving things in and doing school work.
Tuesday arrives, and i go to ellsworth for an aids test (EVERYONE SHOULD GET ONE! AIDS IS BECOMING A HUGE PROBLEM! DO NOT RISK IT, GET TESTED. MORE THAN LIKELY YOU CAN FIND A FREE ‘COTTEN SWAP IN THE MOUTH’ TEST NEAR YOUR HOUSE.. thank you) and right as i pulled up into the parking lot i see ryan standing outside. Hmm. That’s strange. And, i can see that he is really pissed.
I got out of my car and he looked away and i asked him if everything was alright. He looked at me and said, ‘!!!steam!!!!no!’ What’s wrong? Well we got a freakin’ lease violation filed on us for infringing on the rights of all residents to peaceful living conditions. That’s not all. It gave something like how we were partying excesively all weekend and had loud music and lots of door slamming as the reason for the infraction. Absurd! And that is exactly what i told the apartment manager when ryan and i walked to her office right then. That is where ryan was going anyway. He tried to shake the event off so he could take a nap before he went and talked with the manager about it, but couldn’t. He was on his way to talk to her right at the moment i pulled up.
Again, i told her these claims absurd! Then it got worse, well, or better. The manager explained to use what else she heard about us that made her so hastly write us up the violation without even questioning us for our side. She said that the plaintifs claimed that they saw us arrive in a large van and unload lots of people and cases of beer. That they believed most all of us were underage. That we had taken up all the parking. And that we partied loudly all weekend.
Yea. What the fuck ever. Absurd. More like I had a couple of friends(not a ton…) helping me move my cases and cases of stuff (not beer…) from a U-Haul (not a van…), with one night of loud tv, and one person taking one parking space. Plus, the parking space complaints all came from one person, and i imagine you could guess who….yup, the lady who put the note on devons door. Can you guess who complained about us partying all weekend and making all the noise. Yup, our siamese neighbor.
After we spoke with the manager, she called her boss and they told her to rip up the violation. She appologized to us for having not spoken to us before.
Yeah, that was not cool. Neither was when the next day another person from the complexe accused me of being a theif because he thought i was looking at his car to see if i could siphon gas from it. Yeah, what ever. I walked by him after looking at his car at night to see if it was devons. Both of their cars look similar and they are both green. They both also parked in the same area which was the overflow parking. After i checked, i relized it was not his so i started hustling it back inside. Then as i neared the house i heard a older man say “hey.”
I could tell right away by the tone in his voice and how he emphasized the ‘hey.’ he was accusing me of something. Then he said, what were you doing at my car? I stopped dead in my tracks, paused, and turned around towards the guy. I asked him plainly, what he thought i was doing at his car. He repeated asking me what i was doing there and then studdered. Telling me he thought i might be stealing his gas. Then went on to tell me how it has happened before and someone also scratched the car up before. Uhh…i said, “why? because i am young you think i would steal something from you?” I wasn’t thinking at that point, that is just what came out. Afterwards i told him that i was looking at his car to see if it was my girlfriends. I then told him that i was extremely offended and dissapointed that he would accuse me of such a thing without even knowing me one iota.
Yea. A little crazy. So after i said that, i said by the way, my name is chris. I am your new neigbor. Then shook his hand and asked for his name. He told it to me and i promptly turned around and went home. It was cold!
End of story. GOOD NIGHT!
-Chris
Posted by drpooville_Admin as General at 2:09 AM PST
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Okay, so, i figured out what i am going to be doing my research on in Mexico. And also, i am looking into the problem right now to write a paper (this one…) on the issue for my Human Ecology class.
The problem I am working on is one of the top 20 global problems that is glaring at the face of the world’s people everywhere. It is mostly known these days to be effecting the ‘have nots’ in the developing world such as in all of Africa, much of Asia and many other third world countries. However, it was originally recognized right here in the US. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration released a study and analysis in 1995 of what the called the Digital Divide, Americans in the Information Age Falling through the Net. Their initial findings and conclusions were that the most disadvantaged populous in the US, whom were most generally of minority status and poor (in both the rural areas and within cities, though in the case of the rural people, the situation is even worse), have the least access to the technology that was benefiting the rest of the people. Yet they are singlehandedly the group of people who could benefit the most from the new technologies. So this population of people not only is the most economically and socially disadvantaged in the nation, they are also the most informationaly disadvantaged. What they do not speak of is that in addition to having the least access, they also have the least amount of useful content available to them, least education to most effectively use the technologies, and gain the least economic benefits from its existence in the first place. Nor does anyone mention the fact that this is not anything new to the world. Anytime in the past that a new form of technology (or what some are now considering as being only a new form of literacy, or the “processes by mean of which culturally significant information is coded” [cited in Recon. DD, Warschauer] ) appears, it is the poor who are left out of the loop in taking advantage of what the innovation has to offer. (i.e. Introduction of written language)
This, the Digital Divide, is obviously a problem, and reasonably so it has since received a lot of attention after those first papers were published in1995. After people started to realize that there was a problem at hand, and after the US government took notice, the world began to notice that it is not only a local problem, but a global problem.
To most people who think about this growing gap of technology ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’, it is considered in the context of the global problem, which in the big picture, is truely the bigger problem. However, it is no less important to solve the problem globally as it is locally because without solving it locally we will not be able to solve it globally and vice-versa (think scale, like looking at atoms and the universe. You can’t understand either completely without understand both completely, they are interconnected and inseparable), but, for now since i am supposed to talk about the issue on a global scale, i will do just that. So the questions are, what are the global issues that are involved with the Digital Divide. How does J. F. Rischard, the author of “High Noon, 20 global problem, 20 years to solve them” see the problem, and what do i think of the issue? For now, this is going to be a mix of my first attempt to attack them all, and it will be done in a rather unorganized manner. Sorry.
The general definition of the Digital Divide (in a global context) is that certain countries or regions do not have access to technology and its’ benefits because the technology can not be afforded nor has it naturally diffused, or trickled into all parts of the world evenly and suffer because they are disadvantaged and are divided from those who can afford the new technologies and who benefit greatly from it.
A few of the ideas for why the digital divide exists are as follows.
Some say the digital divide is inevitable because of the underlying economic inequalities that exist between regions of the world. Furthermore, consciously or unconsciously, those preexisting inequalities are in being increased these days by both sides of the equation and can not be blamed on either.
The rich regions like the United States, European Union and the rest of the 28 regions within the OECD (www.oecd.org) have relatively stable economies, governments, and education facilities, positive trade balances, high GDPs and are fully engaged in technological innovation and scientific research and development. For instance, the developed countries in the world, which had only 22.3% of the worlds population, had a GDP around 21 trillion US dollars, and spent an estimated 461 billion US dollars during 1996 and 1997, or 84.4% of all the worlds expenditure on Research and Development (based on GDP, this is known as GERD).
On the other hand the poor countries are struggling to keep their citizens alive from disease and hunger, corruption and violence; the developing countries generally have low literacy rates regionally due to lacking education systems, poor economies which results in low wage work, bad working conditions and low GDPs; plus because the underlying struggles that exist, many of these regions can not sufficiently invest in technologically innovative industries. This means that they rely on agriculture and on production of petty goods and services. While conversely, they depend heavily on the importation of high-technology products and knowledge from the developed nations so they can even keep the pace they have thus far. In the mean time, the gap widens further between the two and the poor regions not only get poorer, they also get more ignorant too. The developing regions in the world held nearly 77.7% of the entire population in 1996 and 1997, or approximately 4.25 billion people and had a GDP of approximately 13 trillion US dollars. Though they spent only around 85.5 billion on Research and Development all told, all together. Without question, there is a huge gap between what the developed countries are spending on developing new technology and extending the old compared to the developing. (stats from UNESCO Conference on The State of Science and Technology, 1996/1997)
Access to education and the literacy of the regions inhabitants is provided by many people debating the issue as being one of the greatest underlying issues involved in keeping the digital divide from closing. Without an educated public, no amount of access to technology alone could be of any significant positive use value or economical value to the recipients. If the people do not understand the purpose for the technology, how to use it in general, what problems it can be used to solve, how it can be used to solve local and communal needs, how to create effective, productive and minimally invasive uses for it, how to create new technology from it and how to diffuse the technology into society without further exclusion of more people, than the technology has only negative value attached to it and is better off never to have been installed into the region.
As one can see, there is a lot to think about when implementing solutions to bridging the digital divide. And as has been more often the case since the effort to close the gab began 10 or so years ago, more people have attempted to simplify the problem and cut corners, and so, have found themselves at times doing more harm than good.
For example, a very common solution many people try to implement to solve the digital divide problem around the world is to simply drop off as many computers and as much computer equipment as possible and expect the gap to close automatically. This mentality is described by the term Technological Determinism. The idea is that all one needs to do is just provide the needy with what they are missing and everything else will fall in line by itself. However, this has time and time again proved incorrect. The mere fact that technology is present in an area does not mean it will lead to the normal use and application of that technology. Take one of the cases that J.F. Rischard erroneously uses to exemplify this idea. On Page 108 in High Noon, he says “kids learn elementary computer skills by trial and error through ‘computers-in-the-wall’ in Indian slums.” What he is referring to (but fails to reference) is a case study done by Mark Warschauer in the late 1990’s in India where is researched a project organized and supported by a local Telecoms Industry and the Indian government that was designed to prove this point exactly, but failed.
The project, in short was one where five computers were set up in the middle of one of the poorest slums in New Delhi, India. The idea was to let kids have 24 hour, unsupervised and un-mentored access to the computer that was set up in a five-station computer kiosk where a specially designed mouse and monitor were present; there was no keyboard, but there was on occasion access to the Internet through a very unstable dial-modem and some gaming software was installed; and everything was in english, though the children only spoke Hindu. The project was appropriately named the “Hole-in-the-Wall” experiment, and was abandoned after on a short time of operation.
The idea behind the program was to let the children have “unfettered” access to the computers and to “learn at their own pace and speed, rather than tie them to the directives of adult organizers or instructors” (Reconceptualizing the Digital Divide: Case study in India, Mark Warschauer). But the project had minimal positive results, except that they learned that the kids were able to teach themselves how to operate the computer at a
basic level. Relatively quickly, for example, they were able to “click and drag objects; select different menus; cut, copy, and paste; launch and use programs such as Microsoft Word and Paint; get on the Internet and change the background ‘wallpaper’”(Recon. DD, Warschauer). However, the other thing happened was that the “parents in the neighbor hood … expressed concern that the lack of organized instruction took away from its value.” One parent said “My son used to be doing very well in school, he used to concentrate on his homework, but now he spends all his free time playing computer games at the kiosk and his schoolwork is suffereing.” In other words, they realized that technological determinism does not work standalone.
J.F. Rischard made two mistakes here by erroneously using this failed attempt at diffusing technology into a needy part of world as an example to show the success in how “new technologies enable teacher training and networking that raise the quality of basic education” (High Noon, Rischaud, 108). Not to say that I do not believe he is correct in saying that technology can in fact be used as a tool to empower teachers and students both to increase their knowledge and understanding of the world, but his example here was misleading. He has also oversimplified a very complex issue and overlooked other issues that face anyone who is trying find solutions to bridging the digital divide.
J. F. Rischard also talks about how the Digital Divide can be seen by pointing in the fact that only 1 out of every 50 people have access to a telephone in developing countries and how they have 100 times less access to the Internet than those in the US and Europe. And then goes on to ask, “Why should we worry about this?” (High Noon, 108) and describes how those things related to ‘reducing isolation’, ‘improving education’, ‘empowering through e-governments’, ‘medical innovation’, ‘environmental management and ecologically balanced agriculture’, and enterprise connectivity’, and generalizes some more about how ‘new technologies have become one of the most potent ways to accelerate development and reduce poverty” but neglects to mention that even in countries like the US, where nearly everyone has access to a telephone line and the Internet (through public libraries and other locations), there are still millions who are struggling to access those benefits he mentions. Furthermore, he concludes he piece by prescribing his ideas on how we can find a global solution to this global problem. Where, in short he claims that networking and collaboration between people, governments and organizations will have the greatest effect. Which I agree will be very important too, but it is that is then he goes on to say again that financing “aid programs far more towards basic connectivity–including financing … higher computer density and literacy levels” is one of the things which will be a major part of closing the technological gap too. In my opinion, his generalizations correctly recognize the existence of the Digital Divide and that the regions being left behind in fact do need physical access to computers, but he incorrectly portrays the importance of many other factors involved outside of global aid.
I believe we need to take an interdisciplinary look at how the problems came to exist, how is the problem being perpetuated, why we should solve it, the difficulties in solving it, how we should solve it on a local and domestic level with local and domestic solutions, and how we should solve it through creation of global policy and global networks with global solutions.
Pretty much, to end my argument, it’s not the access to the equipment that is important right now, it is all about the education and socio-economic changes that must occur in the region that will make room for the new technologies and give them a chance to be accepted and made use of effectively.
Quickly, some of the other problems are that technology is very limited to white, middle-class to wealthly, english speaking male businessmen. How…atypical? No, not at all.
The biggest problem i see is that because poor regions lack good education systems, and thus, have a science illiterate population, there can be no significant base of locally owned and operated technology centered industry. This means that there is a lack of available markets which can produce sufficient amounts of money for the country to raise it’s GDP and living conditions through exports. So the cycle continues, and they are not able to ever get off the bottom.
Where once, humans had slaves, now the almighty, all powerful, corporation-men own us all as their slaves. The gap lies now in that some of us just have a little more or less access to certain things more or less quickly than others do. :-)~ Corporation-MAN!
Did you know that if you counted the total sales of wal-mart in 2003 alone, and considered them as GDP, it would be the 18th largest economy in the world. Bigger than Saudi Arabia and Sweden, right below Switzerland and Russia!
Yeah, for now, that is all.
Next time, i will have a better, more organized paper ready for post. Draft 1, complete.
-Chris
Posted by drpooville_Admin as Linux / Open Source, College Of The Atlantic, Personal Endeveavors at 7:59 PM PST
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