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Michael Furdyk
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Closing the Digital Divide in Canada!
March 11, 2002 - 01:36 AM
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TakingITGlobal is in discussions with several global technology companies that have operations in Canada about the digital divide; (the divide between those who have access to the opportunities that technology presents and those that do not).
Technology has become a great enabler, a tool that allows for expression, collaboration, sharing of ideas and resources. At the same time, it has increased the divide between those with and without meaningful access. How can we help to close this divide?
We are working on designing a few proposals to involve young Canadians in addressing the digital divide and are inviting your input into the process!
What kinds of projects could be designed to help address the digital divide here in Canada?
If you live in or know people living in a rural community, what steps do you think should be taken to incorporate their unique needs?
How can the TakingITGlobal online community be a part of this process?
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Chris Chopik
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Bridging Geographic Desparity in Canada
March 11, 2002 - 01:35 AM
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Taking IT Global is an initiative that will accelerate global access to personal rights and freedoms and education. Here in Canada there are a number of opportunities to accelerate the connectedness between rural Canada and the world at large on line.
There are a temendous numer of Government driven projects that are reaching rural Canadians with technology solutions. For example I am involved in some projects with Indian and Northern Affairs where infrastructure and support resources are being developed to increase the accessibility of the Internet in remote locations.
Taking IT Global gould gain momentum in achieving it's goal by getting involved in initiatives like this one. The PR value alone is worth the investment. Get in touch if you are interested in an introduction to the INAC tech team.
Cheers,
Chris Chopik
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Daniel Charles
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Closing the Digital Divide between Rural and Urban areas
March 11, 2002 - 04:56 AM
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Here are a number of comments and questions in response to the TakingITGlobal initiative to close the digital divide in Canada. It's interesting how the discussion so far has immediately focused on the technology drift between the rural-urban areas in Canada. I suppose it was because mfurdyk's original question asked: "If you live in or know people living in a rural community, what steps do you think should be taken to incorporate their unique needs?" I'm really excited about a project like this to take place, because there is enormous opportunities in this area.
Providing access to technology will provide enormous opportunities for youth, but there are enormous challenges as well. How to guarantee Youth an active role in ICT and give TIG a return on its investment. Surely, it would be advantageous for TIG to forge direct links between this project and its existing networks, which is its knowledgeable, credible, active membership base, its extensive network of partnerships and organisations, and its international recognition, amoung others.
I see this project having two parts, a technical component and a knowledge component. The technical component refers to providing access to technology *(ie. providing computers at low cost as Tinabops mentioned, investing in broadband internet connections as athionus mentioned). The knowledge component refers to the formal and informal education youth receive through partnerships formed with TIG and between youth in Canada and youth elsewhere.
A project like this requires: conducting marketing research, taking a pragmatic approach, and defining who rural Youth are.
If we want to have results in the short term, then specific projects will have to be designed and coordinated. Projects like this will involve more than just providing training and giving subsidized computers to youth. There needs to be effective partnerships formed to motivate Youth to take advantage of what they've learnt and apply it to a certain context. This could be through urban-rural partnerhips in Canada, or even with partners in other countries. For example, on the ICT and Digital Opportunities site of TIG, 'Global Connect' has started a project with the 'Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology' (SCWIST) sponsoring summer IT camps for girls and young women in Canada. The project will enable young women in Canada to connect with young women in Uganda who are also learning IT skills to share progress, dreams and stories of their lives. For more information on this, go to this link <http://ict.takingitglobal.org/discuss/showthread.php?threadid=343> . Partnerships help build knowledge networks and the TIG site could provide the platform where youth can make these partnerships both in Canada and internationally.
Tailoring technology to meets the needs of rural youth is important. To design a project we must first identify the needs of rural youth. Who are they? Are they a homogeous group? How old? What interests, skills, and expertise do they have? We need to explore the youth by conducting research. Perhaps hold a technology event in a rural setting with a poll/questionaire to identify level of interest in ICT. This will do two things: It will give youth initial exposure and develop interest, and also tell TIG about the potential for a project like this. Having global technology companies sponsor such an event would attract youth interest. There are probably some NGO partners who have experience running such events.
Identifying the need of rural Youth is necessary because it appears none of us really know these youth. Yes, we know that they need access to computers and rural ICT training in public schools is poor (as someone suggested), however, what about their level of interest. And why are they interested. If we know why they are interested then we could tailor a project around their interests and needs. This may be too much detail too soon, but we don’t want rural people to take advantage of a project that offers subsidized computers. Ofcourse to can't stop that from happening, but we can design the project in such a way that engages Youth in a more meaningful way, keeping them active, learning new skills, providing benefits where they live, and giving them a sense of accomplishment and participation in a larger project which provide digital opportunities to rural canadians to close the digital divide.
Forming partnerships needs a fair bit of structure *(ie. Make formal arrangements that connect youth together, rather than leaving it up to the youth to do themselves). They also need formal partnerships, roles, and responsibilities to keep them from straying from the project. Rural Youth who are not aware of the digital opportunities may feel marginalised. They will need formal partnerships to kick start their involvement. Something like a formal training and partnership that will guarantee their participation in the project, and they're enthusiasm. This could be with the business sector or NGO sector, but I think this is necessary for the long term success of closing the digital divide in Canada.
I agree with Alila876 that computer access and training should provide through their knowledge centers, like libraries, colleges, universities, and churches. Since for many of them, this is their source of knowledge anyway. By introducing technology in these places, Youth can get an understanding of the opportunities through computers and the internet. Combined with sharing knowledge about the safety mechanisms that protect Youth from harm and accessing harmful material on the internet. I don't think any of these knowledge centers would want Youth to be accessing harmful material on the internet. Plus this would be counter productive to the project anyways.
Do we want Youth to leave the rural geographic setting. By providing ICT training we must realise that there's a good chance that Youth will feel more inclined to leave the rural setting for an urban setting. Is this counter productive to closing the digital divide between urban and rural areas?
Ofcourse we cannot keep rural youth from moving out of the rural areas to the urban areas. People make these choices every day for a variety of reasons including economic incentives. But what if we provided tailor specific training to encourage active computer use in rural settings. There is lots of employment opportunity in this sector. For example, in Manitoba, rural youth come from areas where most of the employment is found in agriculture or agriculture related work. There is an extremely high rate of computer illiteracy amoung the rural farming communities. It would be great to provide youth with a powerful tool like computers to enable them to profit in the rural areas. This would also gain support from the farming community who always complain how the young people want to leave farming for the city. If youth found employment opportunity in rural areas the incentive to move to the urban areas would be less. With computer training, Youth could help farmers find international grain markets, check commodity prices, and help Canadians to become more competitive in the global agriculture market. They could also set up ICT training projects themselves and other ICT business support services for the rural community. Rural youth can also connect online with rural youth in other countries to share stories, share progress, and find out more about other rural youth living in other countries.
I'm going to send this now, while my fingers still work..
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Michael Furdyk
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Wow!
March 11, 2002 - 05:15 AM
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Thanks for the huge reply Daniel  All of these responses and ideas are excellent!
I just wanted to clear up that we are not just concerned with rural areas as the only areas of disadvantage -- I got a great e-mail that arged the opposite -- that rural areas sometimes have the MOST access, and that low-income urban areas are the ones that need the most help.
I want to make sure that we also address urban communities defined by cultural, racial, or income differences -- what are the unique solutions that could potentially be used to help to bridge the digital divide with these groups?
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Dave
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Didgital Divide or Just Poor Marketing?
March 11, 2002 - 05:44 AM
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It is my view that the "digital divide" is more than merely a question of accessibility, but rather of practical application; different communities demand different services from the technology sector, whereas Torontonians can make great use of the Blackberry technology, a farmer in rural Ontario has little to no need of such gadgetry. Targeting this need will encourage average people to become more willingly connected and technologically aware.
To this end I believe that in order to bridge such a gap the best course of action would be patience. Good, old-fashioned, pragmatic and uninteresting patience as the next generation learns the idea that technology is not just a part of life, it is central to it. Boom, problem solved, as those consumers will decide what they want from technology and purchase accordingly based on need. But, that kind of kills the discussion with a number of adjectives that are unpopular in this arena, and besides, it doesn't really do anything in the short-medium term, nor does it mould and shape the habits of the aforementioned long-term consumer group, who conceivably have the most to gain from genuinely useful technology.
I believe that the key idea in solving this problem lies in the term "meaningful access", and therefore, one must understand who it is that isn't finding such connectivity and simply target-market them to death. If granting the masses universal broadband access would be all that was necessary I would suggest that you invest heavily in fibre-optic stock and be done with it, but alas, it is not so easy. Technology is a great enabler, a wonderful tool and all that, provided you are familiar with its application and comfortable with its use. Technology has, as far as I can tell, divided its customer base into two categories, the Corporate and the Private Market. The former are another creature all together but who happily just throw copious amounts of money at IT mysteries so therefore nobody wants to change their habits anyway and I'll more or less ignore them here. Now the prime market of the latter, which I will say are generously between the ages of 12-29, basically need and want faster internet access and new gadgets, as this group will try new things, champion "fringe" technologies like Napster or Peer-to-Peer into the techno-mainstream and so-on. These are by and large the type people who will buy the hub-device like the Sony Vaio and then progressively, as they and their wallets mature, invest in the host of costly periphery devices that make electronics execs drool. These are the people Technology love: gamers, digital photo enthusiasts, DVD/Home Entertainment junkies, "Techno Monks". No commitment in regards to technology, are forward thinking, with disposable income and the inkling to spend. These are the people who would take their CD collection of 300 CDs, "burn it" into the MP3 format and ditch the disks, simply because MP3's are the latest - or "better" - thing. But they're not the focus group here, which, by the process of elimination, means everyone else; the very young, and the older, more staid family consumer.
My father, for example, lives in an urban area, owns a reasonably new computer, and uses email, wireless technology and the like for both home and office use. Nonetheless, he fails to see why he needs to pay more for something like broadband access, when his current dial-up connection is "just fine".
"But dad", I implore. "With broadband you can download movies, music, apps, EVERYTHING for free! Think of the time you'd save!"
"Why would I want to do that?" he asks, somewhere between puzzled and annoyed. "Look for this or that for hours, maybe find it and then deal with its shoddy quality? Or just go to the store and in 5 minutes get the original, high-quality CD/DVD, for all of 20 dollars. I don't need it, and on the contrary, it's not worth my time."
"Meaningful access" means altering the technology to suit the person, not the other way around. I feel that many people are either simply baffled by the apparent "wizardry" of new technology, or just can't easily see how/why their lives would be better having it around. Rectifying this problem will be a medium-long term project involving education of primarily the next generation of consumers while target-marketing specific demographic groups that are currently unpopular with IT marketing teams. For example, convincing older people to get into the techno-culture would have to be based first on demonstrating that their new device will be secure against the evils of the outside world, or less-dramatically, free the technology from the unknown glitches that plague the technological sector and install an anti-virus app. In the process you make the "new" unimposing, easy, and simple. Then, show them the practical use for such a device, the daily and mundane, grocery lists and movie times, and in doing so, I feel that you would be making meaningful inroads into bridging the digital gap. Not as easy or as much fun as target-marketing a 2.0GB processor with a "wicked" graphics card and a "kickin'" sound system to the 20-26 age group - where new lasts for 6 months on the outside and there's plenty of "quan" for new toys and such - but this will be the reality for bridging the digital divide.
Nor will it be as profitable, which is why a Digital Divide has been allowed to develop in the first place. Neither Microsoft, HP nor Intel individually are about to spend the advertising dollars needed to woo such a segment of the population, when they have a smaller but more willing demographic at their disposal. However, if each company – and others like them – were to invest jointly, say though TIG, not only are the costs and risks minimised, but the project can then be justified as “Market Research”. Imagine, TIG with proper funding, connections and focus, helping to install the 300 computer-network Microsoft-Compaq jointly-donated to the Toronto Public School Board, a TIG in the community, active, and “giving back” to the city that nurtured them. Imagine a TIG which, with the capital to pay IT students to teach more mature pupils how to use PC’s, especially those ageing Baby-Boomers that everybody is always talking about. How many of those Boomers are really, or would really be, travelling to Nepal in their retirement years, if they could just “surf” there on the latest HP model? And if other industries are any indicator, it would seem that the older you get, the more you're willing to spend on "comfort", hence, making technology that is suited to such needs of the individual - and priced accordingly - can be very profitable indeed. Bridging the Digital Divide is as much about reaching out and tapping into previously neglected market segments as it is improving the quality of life through technology, or in a rosier sense, the former is an end to the means. TIG with its current technologically-inclined membership base, as well as being able to attract new and community-oriented youth could easily forge a corporate-private alliance and truly “give back” to any area in which it operates.
Hence, I feel that the IT sector should focus its efforts in a 2-pronged approach; firstly on promoting general technology within the public/private school classroom, at the elementary level, and particularly in the rural districts. Not only is this great PR and a wonderful tax write-off, but it gets children accustomed to using technology - that they may not otherwise get exposure to - at a very young age, creating the foundations for a technologically-conscious society; and secondly, the IT sector should promote security, reliability and practical usefulness, in that order and in the present tense - too often we hear about what the IT sector "will do well" in the future, as opposed to what they "do do" well in the now. I believe that addressing these issues will create a society more interested in becoming techno-saavy, and in doing so, will be key in bridging the divide between the eager and the apathetic technology markets globally.
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Umi A.
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Hmmm...digital divide eh?
March 11, 2002 - 09:25 AM
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Well, the first thing is, I do understand athionus's analogy of evolving paradigms when it comes to the area technology encompasses. However, I don't think some rural communities are provided with the knowledge to apply this technology to their lifestyles. For example, before I moved to this area, I went to a very old school that lacked technologically based utilities. The only technology course offered was a course entitled "Business Studies" where all we learned was typing skills on Windows version 3.1 ( I am dead serious). Now I have moved here to Mississauga and I go to a new school with possibly the best technological utilities in the province. There are over twenty different freshmen level technology courses offered. I know this does not apply to the rural communities perspective since the situation involves two schools.
Here is what I think: the youth of Canada needs to be introduced and sufficiently exposed to technology. The onloy way to execute this change would be to intergrate in something all Canadian youth have access to. I think that the provincial education system is a perfect example of this. Instead of having certain schools that completely lack technological resources, and others that are more technologically advanced, shouldn't there be a certain amount of technological education made available to to everyone. I am not talking about specialty schools like Gordoy Graydon that are based on IBT (Internation Business and Technology). All I am saying is that public schools need to be equipped with a wider curriculum that encompasses more of technology. An example of this is the fact that my school is planning to have credited curriculum courses experimentally conducted online next year, for which some students are currently developing software.
Any thoughts?
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Christina
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closing the divide in rural areas
March 11, 2002 - 09:49 AM
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Perhaps a government-subsidized program that gives families with low incomes (that have maybe less than $1000 per family member per month to live on, or whatever is reasonable) a computer that can access the internet, and do basic word processing. Lord knows computer parts are cheap enough to do something like this and still give the families a good computer (no one actually NEEDS top of the line equipment, except maybe designers/videophiles).
Cable and bell sympatico access should be available in rural areas. I have quite a few friends who live in those places and don't have access to these amenities. It seems unfair, because they have to tie up their phone line when people in cities don't have to worry about that.
As to *how* they'd provide acces in rural areas, I'm not too sure. Perhaps the same way they provide satellite? Maybe a combination between satellite tv and internet, like the way cable can combine tv and internet, would be a good solution (I know a few of my friends have satellite.
As for the ones who would want bell sympatico and cable, I guess something will have to be worked out.
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Azim
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Creating the Digital Need.
March 11, 2002 - 11:27 AM
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Where can knowledge be found? In libraries, colleges, universities, churches at work and over the Internet. These examples are institutions that most of us interact with on a daily basis. It may also be the best place to start introducing digital technology to the community at large. Libraries, churches, work places etc. can teach introductory courses to people perhaps for free or for a nominal fee. Why not? If we are to help close the gap between the have knot’s and the haves, then public initiatives should start close to home.
In the instance of Air Canada two years ago, employees received free laptops with Internet accessibility. Air Canada wanted to promote its employees skills and motivate them to gain new computer skills. If my memory serves me correct General Motors initiated a similar program to its employees. However, free computers, free public access in universities, libraries and churches will not close the gap completely. There are many people who just refuse to learn and gain computer skills. My father for example is a case in point. He needs more than free services to motivate him, he needs more than encouragement to get started, he needs to have a need. Let me explain, my father does not have a need to use a computer despite explaining the benefits of downloading, reducing redundant work such as filing a tax return or keeping accounts up to date. I believe that when people attend church, school, work they need to be encouraged be the ministers, the teachers and the bosses and supervisors at a local level. And when your friends, your superiors are all learning and sharing their motivation and encouragement, then and then only will people feel the need to learn a new skill. The power of the community, of social interaction should not be underestimated.
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Huss
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Education is key!
March 12, 2002 - 04:34 AM
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When we think of the digital divide, we usually assume that it results from much larger inherent inequities in the society, such as the gap between the rich and the poor, industrial cities and rural communities, advanced countries and Third World nations, etc. Although these are all apparent examples of the challenges in the world today, they all stem from a common problem: lack of education.
I recently had the opportunity to interview the Canadian Minister of Finance and ask him some questions regarding the effects of globalization such as the issue of digital divide. We both shared the same sentiment that information technology is to be understood as a tool crucial to human survival and well-being in the twenty-first century. It is a challenge for the educators in this country and beyond to convey this message to their students and make them aware of the challenges of the future.
Organizations such as TIG are doing a fantastic job in this area. By demonstrating how individuals not only can consult one another with a click of a mouse but also taking steps to improve their communities, TIG has assumed an indirect (and very effective, I might add) role as an educator in the global community. It is this new form of education that, in my opinion, would be most effective in tackling much broader issues such as the digital divide in tomorrow's world.
HB
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Daniel Charles
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Identifying key problems to close the digital divide
March 12, 2002 - 04:58 AM
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A lot of my comments yesturday apply to the process of designing this project. It is very important that we understand who the Youth are, what are their interests, skills, expertise, and how we can motivate them to play an active role in this project.
One of the things I struggled with since yesturday was identifying the problem(s) that cause the digital divide. I don’t know about you, but I think better when I know what the problem is. Perhaps we can explore what these are in Canada. Some suggestions already have mentioned it’s a problem of access to technology, poor marketing on behalf of computer companies, security concerns, poor computer training in public schools. Any others
One of the joys in my current job with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is that I work with members of the Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP). Some time ago they identified three main causes for the digital divide. They include:
1. Access to technology - building infrastructure
2. Empower Youth to choose - requires participatory processes
3. Governance to make choices about access and knowledge - Who makes the decisions
At the GKP conference in Mmarch, 2000, they accepted that any strategy to close the digital divide had to focus on addressing these three problems. Perhaps they will help us think about creative solutions to close the digital divide in Canada.
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Umi A.
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a possible cause for the digital divide...
March 12, 2002 - 05:56 AM
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Well, you already mentioned the fear of security. Many people feel overwhelmed by the mass of "incomprehensible" knowledge that is thrown at them when they try to accept and embrace technology. I think that, for this reason, the education you mentioned above should be easier and understandable by the common layperson. When people turn to technology, they are looking for simplistic ease. Therefore, I think the education provided should meet the needs of these individuals.
The other thing I wanted to mention is that some people still consider technology and the digital revolution to be a luxurious trend, rather than a growing need of society. They can easily steer clear of the technological influence present today in society. Therefore, I think businesses should take the initiative and integrate technology as a more prominent aspect of their marketing strategies, etc. so that people can learn to accept technology as a part of society.
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Leo Wong
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Knowledge? Need content!
March 12, 2002 - 06:23 AM
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Ok, I've been reading about all this Digital Divide stuff and how we can bridge the 'gap' and so on. Are we missing something here though? I like the comment earlier about the knowledge component and how we need to educate youth more about technology in order to enable and empower them to use it effectively. I'd like to add to that...
The Internet, specifically, needs better packaged content so that youth who do first get involved with it, can get involved in a meaningful way, and not just as a passive user who may or may not feel empowered to do something about the opportunities that present themselves. The case of engaging rural youth is a good example of how we can use geographically-specific youth sites to empower youth in various areas to get involved and start sharing their knowledge and helping each other.
There is a simple method to this madness, get youth involved in a meangingful and relevant way, and the direction that will take will be positive. If we merely focus on the 'hard' issues of the Digital Divide, we will suffer from a lack of participation and understanding when everything is up and running and we hold our breaths to see who's there to use it.
So, my suggestion would be to start focusing on content-related projects that focus on specific regions of Canada to make the Internet more relevant and empowering for youth there.
my two cents,
leo
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Jason Robinson
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Re: Closing the Digital Divide in Canada!
March 15, 2002 - 12:08 PM
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Thanks, Leo for that segue...
My organization focuses on developing content that we hope is meaningful for youth. Focusing primarily on web-based content, we try to "package" knowledge in an interactive manner from a youth perspective. More importantly, we try to connect with youth organizations and work with them to tell new stories in ways they may not have been able to do on their own. This is what we believe is key.
Let youth tell their own stories...but provide them with the tools to tell these stories. Provide a platform for them to collaborate and share their knowledge. This could be via the web or in traditional learning centres like schools, churches and community centres. TIG is doing a great job in that it provides that platform both through this site and through off-line projects like courses and seminars. What is important to remember is that this is a dialogue, a conversation if you will-- one where we share and listen. In the our experience, sometimes what we offer is a home run, sometimes an initiative falls flat. In either case, we are learning and listening. We don't have all of the answers. TIG doesn't have all of the answers. That is why leaders of youth organizations need to assess what their technology needs are for enabling their respective communities. Once this has been assessed, we need to voice it to TIG and this community! This is how the gap can be reduced -- by opening the lines of communication between organizations and the communities they serve.
On another note:
Canada is fortunate in that we have programs such as CAP (Community Access Program) to help provide some of the infrastructure needs of Canadians w/o computer/internet access. It is important to note however that the digital divide doesn't stop with the internet. As technology becomes more digital in nature, our citizens will need to be saavy with all types of technology. We might want to include or at least be aware of other communication technologies (e.g. cell phones, dv, software, etc.)in our discussion. For example, nations where land line infrastructure is next to impossible to implement will inevitably move toward cellular communication systems--or we hope so? What are the Bells of the world prepared to do about one of the lowest-tech needs of our citizens: making a phone call? Food for thought.
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Jason Robinson
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Re: Closing the Digital Divide in Canada!
March 15, 2002 - 12:13 PM
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I just realized that we have a lot of talk about a the digital divide but no real ideas. I'm guessing this was supposed to be a virtual brainstorming session of sorts. Can the good folks as TIG share what's on the table so far? Maybe this will help spark some ideas.
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Justin
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greediness & un-willingness
March 27, 2002 - 01:33 AM
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Digital Divide...
there r many words 2 describe this butt whut I call it is:
Un-Willing-ness & Greediness.
The only reason y these things r now BIG problems iz because we have made it this way! If technology were free to every1 around the world... NO PROBLEM! FIXED! well there wouldnt b a problem 2 fix now would there? butt we can't do that cuz us humans r 2 greedy & 2 not ready 2 revolutionize technology escpecially with slave labor that makes our technology n tha 1st place.
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