Call Publisher, Rowman & Littlefield
Publishers, Inc. at
Phone: 1-800-462-6420
Fax:
717-794-3803
http://www.rowmaneducation.com
About the Book, "From
Digital Divide to Digital Opportunity"
"In this information age, education and Internet
are apt equalizers that empower the disadvantaged. At a time when
we need to provide digital opportunities for everyone, this book
lays out a game plan that blends wisdom, compassion and practical
experience."
-- Jack Kemp, Former HUD Secretary and Co-Founder, Empower America
"This important book highlights ways the 'digital divide' goes
well beyond issues of access. The authors provide insights into
interactive media that empower the dispossessed and aid all people
to 'find their voices'."
-- Chris Dede, Harvard University Timothy E. Wirth Professor of
Learning Technologies
"I applaud Drs. Kuttan and Peters for their emphasis
on comprehensive, strategic approaches. As this book makes abundantly
clear, the challenges are simply too great for piecemeal solutions."
-- Mario Morino, Chairman, Morino Institute
"The authors should be congratulated. This book
represents an important contribution in the search for answers
to how all people can benefit from the technological changes now
rapidly underway, not just the most fortunate."
-- Major R. Owens (D-NY), US Congressman and Senior Member of
the House Education and Workforce Committee
is the founder and chairman of the
National Education Foundation CyberLearning (www.cyberlearning.org),
a national and global leader in bridging the digital divide. He
is the creator of many concepts, such as "CyberLearning," "Management
By Systems," "Total Tennis," and "Holistic Executive," has advised
many world leaders, including Rajiv Gandhi, and has helped develop
many young celebrities, such as tennis champions Andre Agassi
and Monica Seles and U.S. Presidential honoree Roger Kuttan .
directs the Mid-Atlantic
Regional Technology in Education Consortium (MAR*TEC) at Temple
University. He teaches at the University of Maryland and is also
president of Edusolutions123, an education consulting firm.
Book
Summary
Amid all of the talk about the digital divide, there
is little to point to in the way of effective solutions. Putting
computers in classrooms without adequate teacher training, Internet
access, and courseware doesn't solve anything. School/community
center administrators, communications/information technology experts,
and policymakers need a broader understanding of the issues surrounding
the digital divide debate in order to formulate policy and implement
viable solutions. This book approaches the problem from an historical,
political, and global perspective. It presents a comprehensive
discussion of the problems and provides workable solutions, potential
model approaches, and country-by-country analysis. Unique in scope
and structure, this work is both a policy guide and reference
book, providing solutions and resources that will help to build
a digital community and foster the exchange of information and
best practices. Anyone serious about bridging the digital divide
or providing digital opportunities will want to read this book
and explore the accompanying CD-ROM for probably the most extensive
set of references, web sites, materials and resources on digital
divide.
Chapter
One: What is the Digital Divide?
This chapter sets the debate about the digital divide in context.
After tracing the evolution of the digital divide and its relationship
with other technological divides that have occurred in our history
since the development of the telegraph, telephone, radio and television.
The authors explore some of the unique features of the Internet
and draw some comparisons between analyzing the Internet through
the prism of Universal Service as opposed to Universal Access
principles and traditions. The authors highlight the emerging
"broadband divide" and how that issue affects a number of groups
including low-income groups, African-Americans, Hispanic Americans,
individuals with disabilities, rural population and women.
Chapter
Two: Why is the Digital Divide an Urgent Problem?
The authors make their case as to why the digital divide is
more than a divide amongst income groups. Evidence is presented
as to why the problem will not be simply resolved when technology
prices fall low enough for lower income groups to afford. The
issue is made more complex because unequal access is intertwined
with cultural, social, historical and economic factors, and it
is this mix of factors, not unequal technology access alone that
is dynamically reshaping our society. The authors show how the
digital divide impacts a number of key institutions such as education,
access to jobs and training and lifelong learning and may be closing
window of opportunity for social and economic betterment for today's
disadvantaged groups. From this analysis, the authors provide
a glimpse into why the first part of the 21st Century will be
significantly different from the last part of the 20th, as new
evidence suggests that the digital divide presents a danger to
the health of America's economy and some of its most treasured
institutions.
Chapter
Three: The Digital Divide in the American Education System
This chapter describes a core issue with relationship to the digital
divide debate-the pivotal role schools need to play in overcoming
issues of access to technology and skills. The authors make clear
that despite federal leadership in the area of improving school
capacity to provide both computers that can access the Internet
and subsidies for telecommunications usage, poor schools have
a long way to go before they can begin to help most of their students
gain the skills necessary to perform in the 21st century economy.
One of the major problems is the lack of teacher training and
expertise to effectively integrate technology into the school
curriculum. Another problem is that suburban schools are moving
much faster ahead in their efforts to capitalize on broadband
technologies so that poorer urban and rural schools are destined
to play "catch-up" for some considerable time period as these
more technology sophisticated schools make more effective use
of multi-media (particularly video) applications for learning.
The chapter will also present a more detailed review of the E-Rate
program's successes and shortcomings, the prospects for distance
learning and the future of K-12 schooling.
Chapter
Four: The Global Digital Divide
This chapter provides in-depth analysis of the digital divide
from the global perspective and examines what we can learn from
the number of countries that have created effective policies to
cross the digital divide. First the authors describe some of the
current contrasts between the Industrialized and Developing Nations
and the specific divides within nations and regions.
Secondly, some of the mold breaking exceptions among developing
countries is examined. For example, what can the success stories
such as that represented by the rapid high-tech led economic growth
of a Singapore, teach the developed and developing world? The chapter
spotlights some of the key challenges ahead for the developing
world. Is it possible to create a policy to cross the digital
divide if you are a Third World country where most of your population
exists on a dollar a day? What are some of the replicable methods
that others can apply-for example how can we learn from the way
India has mobilized its population to become a leading producer
of software engineers? Other nations and regions that are highlighted:
- Africa:
The land that the Internet forgot,
- Asia:
Can a few bright stars light up a dark sky?,
- The
European Union: The North/South Divide,
- Eastern
Europe: Where to begin ... again,
- Latin
America:Putting
the "E" in Elite,
- Australia:
Filling the divide with Government programs,
- Canada:
Doing better than the US for the low income.
Chapter Five:
Policy Options, Implementation Solutions
This chapter discusses some of the main policy options for closing
the digital divide, and offers real-world solutions. After critiquing
some of the problems with many US and international approaches
to develop both broad national policies (or fail to) and/or encourage
community-based approaches, the authors discuss their own approach
which includes a comprehensive strategy to bring together solutions
that integrate training, technology, high quality content and
motivation to learn. After discussing how a Free Market, Government
Driven, Philanthropy or Community Action Option fall short because
they omit one or more important elements that could help make
a complete and sustainable solution possible, the authors showcase
examples of "best practices" from their pioneering survey of world
leaders, opinion shapers and program managers.
Chapter 6: Digital
Divide is Digital Opportunity
This chapter shows how the Digital Divide presents a unique opportunity
for countries, states, localities, school districts and their
visionary leaders. Historically, as we have moved from one major
transformation to the next, whether it be from the Agrarian to
the Industrial, or from the Industrial to the Information, specific
groups in society gain (typically the disadvantaged or lagging
segments of the society) a unique historic opportunity to leapfrog
into the first world in a short time, a few years, in stead of
going through the decades-long evolutionary process. Political
and education leaders especially have a rare historic opportunity
to bring their constituents into the first world by becoming visionary
leaders bold enough to set goals, find the resources and plan
and implement student/adult-focused, outcome-based, integrated
total solution programs. The chapter spotlights the work the authors
are committed to through their non-profit organization,CyberLearning,
to provide access to all learners anywhere, any educational level
or anytime . They discuss their current project to build a world
class on-line university that would help anyone, from whatever
background and age group, to gain the skills needed to prepare
for entry into undergraduate or graduate education or employment
in IT fields.
Included in the book is the largest set of on-line and printed
digital divide resources in the world, indexed and therefore made
much more accessible by most common categories such as race, gender,
nationality and issue type.This appendix also contains the results
of a pioneering survey of world leaders as well as other national,
regional and local opinion and operational leaders. It is anticipated
to be a valuable resource for researchers, teachers, community
activists and policymakers involved with the digital divide.
Home |
Sample Courses |
K-12 Schools |
Colleges |
Workforce |
Gov |
Nonprofits|
Corporations |
Countries | 
