Bridging the digital divide
May 10th, 2004A great article at CIO about using technology in education and bridging the digital divide between the technologically rich and poor.
Placing computers in classrooms is essential, but it is just the first step. Technology must become an integral part of teaching and learning in all our schools.
A positive example is the Friends Association for Children in Richmond, Va., a nonprofit organization that focuses on getting preschoolers excited about technology. Under the visionary guidance of John Purnell, Friends concentrates on providing an educational head start for children from low-income families with music, Spanish and technology classes to enrich the curriculum. I am personally involved with this program, and I would like to see this kind of head start for computer literacy adopted nationwide. It will take money and will. But it can and should be done.
Early exposure to technology is critical. We cannot tackle the digital divide too late in a child's personal evolution. Kurt Landgraf, CEO of the Educational Testing Service, says that technology is the fourth basic literacy-after reading, writing and Arithmetic. He points out that to succeed in the classroom, workplace, home or community, students need to know how to efficiently find, use, manage and evaluate information resources so that they can create and effectively convey information and ideas. As a significant harbinger, ETS is considering standardized testing for computer literacy.
Did you enjoy this article?
