The Beauty of Passing on Knowledge

 How blessed we are that we are able to know enough about technology to be in this online class! Some people would not know the first thing about what to do if they were introduces to a computer and yet here we are, getting college credit without even sitting in a classroom. This is why it is important for us to teach others about how to use technology. One person at a time we can change our nation to become a technologically savvy people who gain information from incredible source of the internet. Of course we need to be active in this desire to pass on our knowledge of how to use technology. One way  to teach others is by starting with children! At a young age children learn quicker and easier and they are amongst their peers which could encourage friendship. It would be best to implement this teaching in elementary schools with either computers, iPads, or tablets. Any introduction would be incredibly beneficial and provide that knowledge necessary to aid them in the future. Lets get started!

The Digital Divide in the Land of the Free

The digital divide is very prevalent in the nation of America. Our economy and culture has evolved so that no one can function with out some form of technology; it is as though if a person does not have access to the Internet, their education will not exceed past elementary school. More and more teachers are giving assignments that involve the computer, such as typing essays and doing research online, and yet there are still children who have absolutely not access to a computer. Should they fail an assignment merely because of their lack of money? That is not how this country works. At least that is not how this country should work. And yet this digital divide is continuing to contribute to kid's suffering grades and lack of knowledge. Because this is out of people's control, it should be the responsibility of the states to contribute to the needs of the people. This includes the function of libraries in assisting the mending of this gap. This includes the libraries giving out free wifi and computer usage as well as classes on how to  navigate and use a computer. For those who are recently introduced to the concept of the computer, to them it is a whole different language. That is why there needs to be classes for them. This is the responsibility of the library because it is a community place that cares for the people and the knowledge that should be available to all peoples in this Land of the Free.

Local Library Assistive Technology

I visited my local library which is the Murrieta Public Library. It is a very nice library and is well organized and clean. They also provide computers to the public in a separate room to ensure a quiet atmosphere. Each time a person uses the computer, they are under a one hour time limit. At the end of the limit the time can be extended to up to 30 minutes. This is to control the amount of time people spend on it to give everyone a fair chance to use them. Also, in the library there are desks that have access to an outlet for people who have their own computers but need internet access. The Library offers free wifi throughout the building. Finally, they have a specific section within the children's books area that has a few rows of computers just for children. There are lower to the ground for their specific use, and there are enough to fit a whole classroom of students. They offer educational programs on there that have games that aid the students in learning certain material. All of this technology they have made to the public is great, and I am sure they have aided a lot of people; however, in my opinion, they could probably add more computers to assist even more people. Other than this, it is a great place to do homework on the computer.

I absolutely believe in the digital divide as my family and i have experienced it. Back in the 90s our family seemed to be one of the last to join the computer age (at least among my children's friends). Raising five children and having them attend the Bonsall/Fallbrook school system showed me so many gross inequalities that i still cringe when i think about it. This is a school system where you have the children of multi  millionares going to school with children of migrant workers. Though our family did not fall into either category, i was not working. I had no job skills at the time so it almost didn't make sense for me to work and pay someone for childcare. My point in all this, is that we came to computers very late in the game. I know it probably hindered my children by not having one for homework assignments and research. Though we have had a computer and internet access for many years (so hard to imagine life without it now) the reality is that many still do not and if it wasn't for libraries and the services they offer a lot of the population would simply be cut off. I believe it is everyone's responsibility to know that the digital divide exists and it should be a concern for everyone. I think that libraries are doing a great job in helping to bridge this problem, but still there is usually a wait and a time limit. Libraries need more computers and to be open more hours. I still hear people making stupid and uninformed comments such as "since there is Google and the internet" libraries are going to become a thing of the past. ugh! i just want to shake them.    

Search Bar

Hey everyone! I was finally able to add to the blog!! I added a search bar below the title.

Background

Hello I changed the background, I hope you guys like it.

I created the blog and added a picture to Sari's post.