WiderNet's eGranary Digital Library
By: Megan Carberry, Association for Community Networking (AFCN) | July 14, 2008
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| There are over 10,000,000 documents in the eGranary Digital Library, all of them searchable using our powerful, built-in search engine. We continue to catalog new items every day, so these numbers are always growing... |
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AT&T's President of External Affairs on "Digital Inclusion"
By: Rex Foundation, www.rexfoundation.org | February 14, 2008
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| Ken McNeely of AT&T shares his thoughts on the "digital divide" and "digital inclusion" in this article first published in the Rex Foundation newsletter.
Mr. McNeely is AT&T's President of External Affairs. The Rex Foundation was established in 1983 by the Grateful Dead. Our mission is to help secure a healthy environment, promote individuality in the arts, provide support to critical and necessary social services, assist others less fortunate than ourselves, protect the rights of indigenous people and ensure their cultural survival, build a stronger community, and educate children and adults everywhere.
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$100 Laptop! Is it worth what it seems to be?
By: Alok Shrestha, TakingITGlobal | January 31, 2008
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| The project named, OLPC (One Laptop per Child), is gaining rapid popularity in developing as well as developed countries. This project was initially conceptualized by Nicholas Negroponte, founder chairman of MITs’ (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Media Lab and was announced in The World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland on January 2005. The project aims to provide laptops worth $100 to each and every school age child of underdeveloped and developing countries so that children do not have to be deprived of basic education. |
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A Quiet Set of Anniversaries to Think about
By: Bonnie Bracey Sutton | January 13, 2008
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| We have much to reflect on.. the opening of the Internet and at this time our lack of progress in getting broadband for all. |
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The Laptop Wars
By: The Economist, TakingITGlobal | January 8, 2008
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| WHEN a plan to create a $100 laptop was announced three years ago at the World Economic Forum, it seemed like a stroke of genius. Here was an opportunity for the global business elite gathered in Davos to show they had a heart, and to do so in a genuinely useful way—by developing a cheap way to bridge the digital divide and extend the benefits of the IT revolution to millions of children in the developing world. |
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The Supreme Court's Ruling and Minority History on Segregation
By: Bonnie Bracey Sutton, The Thornburg Center for Professional Development | July 16, 2007
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| History will repeat itself with the recent change in the court regarding Brown vs the Board of Education. |
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Time Out
By: Christopher Cross, Milt Goldberg, Glef.org | July 13, 2007
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Learning in America is a prisoner of time. For the past 150 years, American public schools have held time constant and let learning vary. The rule, only rarely voiced, is simple: Learn what you can in the time we make available. It should surprise no one that some bright, hard-working students do reasonably well. Everyone else -- from the typical student to the dropout -- runs into trouble. |
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Fourteen Million Kids, Unsupervised
By: Brian Libby, GLEF.org | July 13, 2007
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Lest anyone doubt the reach of America's after-school woes -- more than 14 million K-12 students, including 40,000 kindergartners and almost 4 million middle school students, take care of themselves after school -- it appears even the economy is suffering: A new study by Catalyst and the Women's Studies Research Center, at Brandeis University, shows that the workplace productivity of U.S. parents suffers when they are worried about what their kids are doing after school. |
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World Information Society Report 2007
By: Staff, ITU & UNCTAD | May 24, 2007
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| The second edition of the World Information Society Report is out and includes some interesting findings. This Report shows that there has been a steady expansion in digital opportunity, both in terms of more widespread access to basic Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the growth in high-speed access to ICTs, on both fixed line and mobile networks. Ever greater numbers of people around the world are enjoying access to the benefits ICTs can bring. |
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An Inconvenient Truth . . . About Education
By: Milton Chen, glef.org | April 18, 2007
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Many nations are moving to combat global climate change and toward changing their own educational climate. Though we don't have the educational equivalent of the Kyoto Protocol, the need to redesign educational systems is reaching a consensus among ministers of education around the world. |
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Overcoming Underachievement
By: By Grace Rubenstein, Edutopia.org | April 18, 2007
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| How a simple writing exercise dismantled negative racial preconceptions.
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Apostle of Change
By: Brian Liibby, Glef.org | February 23, 2007
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| A conversation with Warren Simmons, executive director of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform. |
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Establishing Thin Client Networks for rural telecentres in Africa
By: Joseph Sekiku, FADECO Telecentre | February 13, 2007
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| Access to comoputers in rural Africa is still a challenge. In past years, there have been groups sending refurbished computers to some parts in Africa. Some of these end up as waste because either the hard drive s crashed. and thelo computer ir rendered useless and rubbish. |
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New Trends in Technology Transfer: Implications for National and International Policy
By: John H. Barton, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development | February 8, 2007
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| This paper describes how technology is today transferred to developing countries and the barriers that affect that transfer. It then identifies policy approaches that might overcome those barriers. It covers (1) the flow of human resources, as through international education, (2) the flow of public- sector technology support, as through research and licensing by international organizations, and (3) the flow of private technology, as through the sale of consumer products (e.g. medicines) that may incorporate embodied technologies through licensing, and through foreign direct investment. After an introduction, the paper looks at these three areas in turn. It concentrates on policy approaches directly associated with technology transfer, thus avoiding issues of the overall investment, legal or political climate in specific developing nations. |
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New Skills for a New Century
By: Bob Pearlman, for edutopia, GLEF | January 3, 2007
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| Project-based learning teaches kids the collaborative and critical thinking abilities they'll need to compete.
No matter how sophisticated the tools we put in classrooms, the curriculum designed to educate students to meet the new standards is sorely inadequate to help them after they leave school. In short, learning -- and schooling -- must be totally transformed.
This article orginally appeared at Edutopia. |
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Tech Teaches
By: Grace Rubenstein, Edutopia, GLEF | December 30, 2006
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| Once thought to corrode reading skills, computers are a key tool in improving them.
"Technology promises to play a crucial role in helping adolescents cope with reading and writing deficits, while at the same time teaching digital literacy -- an essential skill in the world beyond school."
"The transcript of a typical teenager's instant message correspondence -- full of acronyms, symbols, and misspelled and partially spelled words -- might bring despair to adults. How, asks the appalled reader, do we improve the literacy of adolescents bent on destroying it through technology?"
Article orginally appeared at |
A quick guide to implementing ICT for development projects
By: Steve Vosloo, iCommons | December 20, 2006
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| Over time a body of knowledge and culture of information dissemination has developed, enabling those in the sector to improve the likelihood of project success by avoiding mistakes, and building on the pioneering work of others. Many case studies have been conducted on ICT4D projects to identify best practices and lessons learned. Drawing on the case study series by Bridges.org, a few of the common best ICT4D practices are described here. |
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All You Wanted to Know About Green WiFi
By: Adam, telecentre.org | October 5, 2006
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| Green WiFi is an organization that uses wireless internet technology combined with solar technology to create a system of nodes for cheap and easy internet access. The main advantage of Green WiFi is that they use nodes that require almost zero maintenance. This article is a result of an interview with one of the founders of Green WiFi. |
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New Report Skewers Telco Spin on Competition
By: Timothy Karr, MediaCitizen | September 15, 2006
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| Why has the United States fallen behind the rest of the world in accessible and affordable broadband service? The answer, according to a new report is marketplace failures wrought by phone and cable companies' near monopoly control of last-mile broadband markets. |
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Major U.S. Trade Group Makes Case for Neutrality
By: Timothy Karr, Free Press | September 14, 2006
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| The American Electronics Association (AeA) released a report yesterday strongly supporting Net Neutrality and urging Congress: "Don't stifle competition and innovation by allowing network operators to change and distort what is currently a highly competitive system." |
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ICT FOR THE LESS PRIVILEGED
By: Muriyankulangara Ananthakrishnan, anjana:the educating people | July 21, 2006
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| The so-called “less-privileged” in India are unique to this country. The illiterate, the physically challenged and the facility-challenged, all of them need some support or the other to be accepted in society and enjoy the fruits. The traditional methods and practices are invariably driven by us, human beings, and therefore tend to be biased. It is here that ICT can help by providing independence, flexibility and variety to the “less privileged learner”.
The current study report will cover three categories viz., the adult illiterates, the school children and the physically/mentally challenged and will be based on the work done by the author in using ICT to tackle and find workable solutions to alleviate the problem.
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One Economy: Bringing the Net to Those Who Need It
By: Brian Satterfield, Tech Soup | July 18, 2006
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| At the heart of One Economy's mission is the belief that fast, convenient access to the Internet plays a key role in helping people from low-income communities enter the economic mainstream. Through its Access Services program, the organization works to ensure that affordable-housing residents have access to free or very inexpensive high-speed Internet connections by providing a combination of low-cost consulting services, donated hardware, and hands-on labor. |
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Telecenter Operator Exchange Program Announces Launch
By: Tate Bengtson, PCNA | July 5, 2006
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| The Telecenters of the Americas Partnership (TAP) is pleased to announce the launch of the Operator Exchange Program. The program will promote the sharing of innovative models and practices by supporting relationships among telecenters throughout the Americas. |
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By: Patricia G. Lewis and Amy Franco, Brevard Public Schools | June 26, 2006
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Bridging the Gap: Brevard Public Schools plan for Digital Inclusion
By: Patricia G. Lewis and Amy Franco, Brevard Public Schools | June 19, 2006
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| In Brevard County, Florida, as in most areas across the United States, there exists a gap between people and communities who can make effective use of technology and those who cannot. To address this issue, Brevard Public Schools has established a partnership with the Institute for the Study of Digital Inclusion (ISDI). ISDI was founded in 2001 to promote digital literacy for all, but especially targeting those youth and their families in underserved communities. These students are generally considered the most “at risk” in our school district. One consequence of this “Digital Divide” is the possible long-term effect it will have on today’s youth. Because some sections of our community are experiencing a lack of access to technology and computer based skills, an entire generation of young people might not be able to contribute fully to society. Not only will they possibly be prevented from gaining quality jobs, but many educational opportunities might be closed to them. We recognize a need to help all children understand technology and the role it can play in their future. |
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Discussion: MySpace and Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA)
By: Henry Jenkins, Media Center, MIT | May 30, 2006
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| An interesting ideational scaffolding to make us think about the use of public spaces and technologies. |
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$100 Laptop Project Moves Closer to Narrowing Digital Divide
By: UNDP | May 10, 2006
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| The pioneering $100 laptop program, designed to give children in developing countries access to knowledge and educational tools, came a step closer to realization today with the signing of a partnership agreement in Davos between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and One Laptop per Child (OLPC). |
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Students Find Their Voices Through Multimedia
By: GLEF Staff, The George Lucas Educational Foundation | May 8, 2006
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| Multimedia projects for learning that sticks! These are examples of that kind of learning. |
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The Ndiyo Project: Workstation at the cost of a VGA cable?
By: Dr D.C.Misra | February 7, 2006
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| Ndiyo is a not-for-profit, Cambridge, United Kingdom-based project which was set up “to foster an approach to networked computing that is: simple, affordable, open, less environmentally-hostile, less dependent on intensive technical support than conventional PC-based networking technology.” It sees its two roles as: “Firstly, fostering the development of the requisite technology. Secondly,... |
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InterConnection Provides Websites And Visibility
By: Francis Raven, A Sense Of Place Network | January 30, 2006
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| Many great organizations are not visible to funders, clients, or allies. This is especially true of NGOs in the developing world. InterConnection is a nonprofit attempting to fix this problem by providing client organizations, the majority of which are in South America and Africa, with websites that provide organizations with greater visibility. |
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The Committee for Democracy in Information Technology Fosters Social Inclusion
By: Francis Raven, A Sense Of Place Network | December 1, 2005
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| The Committee for Democracy in Information Technology is a Brazilian NGO with the mission of fostering the social inclusion of less-privileged social groups by using Information and Communication Technologies as tools to encourage active citizenship. CDI works in low-income communities and with institutions assisting individuals with special needs including, among others, the physically and mentally disabled, the visually impaired, homeless children, prison inmates and indigenous populations. A conversation with Sheila Dunaevits, Communications Director at CDI, illuminated their projects and mission.
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CATalyzing Community Activism
By: Francis Raven, A Sense Of Place Network | September 13, 2005
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| Cat@lyst is a non-hierarchical Australian non-profit venture aimed at delivering Internet access to anarchists, greens, gays, feminists, activists and other interested persons or groups. Established with visions of freedom and independence in mind, Cat@lyst acknowledges that issues of access and equity to technology are crucial for those who feel they need and want to connect with the world. A conversation with Hugh Trevelyan, a CAT member, provided insights into the current relationship between technology and activism. |
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Is Cheap Broadband Un-American?
By: Timothy Karr, A Sense Of Place Network | August 11, 2005
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| MediaCitizen argues that media companies are systematically ruining the MuniWiFi efforts across the country, likening the community initiatives to a form of communism. From the article: "Telecommunications giants have mobilized a well-funded army of coin-operated think tanks, pliant legislators and lazy journalists to protect their Internet fiefdoms from these municipal internet initiatives, painting them as an affront to American innovation and free enterprise" |
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The Boston WiFi Summit
By: Deborah Elizabeth Finn | May 27, 2005
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| The recent Boston WiFi Summit was a product of collaboration across many organizations and sectors. As Geeta Pradhan of the Boston Foundation pointed out, citywide WiFi is not only quite a feasible goal but also an absolutely necessary factor for keeping Boston alive in the global economy. |
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Digitizing the Costa Rican Classroom: A Success Story
By: Nia Ujamaa, Center for Media & Community | May 5, 2005
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| Opportunity Access Inc. provides both the hands-on community computer training and the grade school technology curriculum for the small town of Cahuita. “Our approach is unique in that we employ and train community members in every aspect of the process in order to empower each community to sustain their labs,” says founder Charles Moore. |
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Wireless Last-Mile Technologies Help Bridge the Digital Divide
By: Francis Raven, A Sense Of Place Network | April 4, 2005
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| Bridging the digital divide often relies on to the fundamental step of creating actual connections between individuals and the Internet. It has always been the dream of digital divide activists worldwide to wire the rural developing world; with wireless broadband technologies this dream can be realized. |
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Activists Bring the Digital Frontier to New Communities
By: Michelle Chen, Free Expression Policy Project | March 1, 2005
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| As corporations and local goverments compete or cooperate to control wireless internet access, grassroots activists use emerging technologies to bridge the digital divide and network low-income communities. The second article in a two-part series by Michelle Chen, originally published in The NewStandard. |
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Wireless Politics May Determine Future of Digital Democracy
By: Michelle Chen, Free Expression Policy Project | January 18, 2005
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| Control over an emerging communications technology is pitting corporations against communities, private profit against public access to information. Michelle Chen looks at trends on the wireless horizon. Part one of a two-part series originally published in The NewStandard. |
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Traveling the Digital Highway: Making Complex Connections Visible
By: Beth Yeager and PJ Elder | January 18, 2005
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| In two projects within the Center for Teaching for Social Justice, K-12 teachers, students, university faculty, technological support teams, families, and community members connected and built relationships in multiple ways and in multiple spaces, both virtual and local, across generations. |
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What I Learned Taking Donated Computers to Kids' Homes
By: Phil Shapiro | January 18, 2005
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| A few years ago, while working as an Instructional Technology Coordinator for the Arlington Public Schools in Arlington, Virginia, I was involved in a grant project called 'Computers in the Home' that allowed me to distribute donated computers to elementary school students who didn't have a computer at home. It proved to be a powerful learning experience for me. |
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A Nation Online: 2004 U.S. National Digital Divide Report Released
By: NTIA, U.S. Department of Commerce | January 10, 2005
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| The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has just released the latest national digital divide report, A Nation Online.
The report states that a dramatic uptake of broadband technologies has fueled the nation's rising use of the Internet. The report also finds that broadband users are more likely to use the Internet more frequently and in a wider variety of ways, and broadband usage is lower in rural than urban areas.
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Digital Culture for the Disabled
By: Nia Ujamaa, Center for Media & Community | December 10, 2004
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| Partners Online (POL) serves as a social outlet for people with disabilties in the New England area to discuss their experiences, questions and feelings with others sharing similar experiences. This unique online community gives disabled individuals the freedom to connect to their peers and speak independently of an interpreter in a safe environment. |
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The African Internet Technology Initiative
By: Nia Ujamaa | December 10, 2004
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| Students experience practical application of their technology skills in Kenya, Ghana and Ethiopia, through the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, African Internet Technology Initiative (MIT-AITI). The objective of MIT-AITI is to enhance the MIT experience by offering students opportunities addressing real world problems through summer information technology programs in Africa. For the past 5 years, MIT students of various backgrounds and academic standing have taught abroad in African educational institutions, changing their lives, and the lives of their African students. As part of the self-learning initiative, initiated in 2003, many students were taught Internet technologies through collaboration with one another, 3rd party books, MIT’s Open Courseware, and the curriculum from the MIT lectures many of their peers attended. |
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Scotland’s Craigmillar Project: Combating Virtual Inequality in the Digital Age
By: Dr. Andrew McDonald and Phil Denning | December 10, 2004
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| The Craigmillar Community Information Service (CCIS), a project funded by the European Union and Scottish Executive, is a community-based Internet service and training provider, a port of quality digital applications and services focused on employment, education, arts, youth, social welfare and the environment. |
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Creating a Digitally Inclusive Hong Kong
By: Nia Ujamaa, Center for Media & Community | December 9, 2004
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| In their efforts to bridge the socio-economic digital gap, KanHan offers instant audio relay for text and information on the Internet through voice playback over the phone or online. HanVoice, HanPhone and HanWEB are cutting-edge technologies being utilized in collaboration with Hong Kong government departments and NGOs to engage elderly, uneducated, and people with visual impairments. |
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PEOPLink and CatGen: Empowering a Global Network of Artisans
By: Nia Ujamaa, Center for Media & Community | December 2, 2004
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| Peoplink began as a fair trade website that sold retail items from a number of rural artisans around the world, facilitating direct connections between sellers and buyers. The original goal of the venture was to increase the profits of artisans in emerging economies by removing the middleman from the sale. Their challenge was to make people realize that they could sell their product over the Internet. Now, they've created an e-commerce tool for artisans around the world to sell their goods on the Internet, without the interference of exploitative middle men. |
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Importance of Agriculture in Rural Communities
By: joebrown, SHIGA; ZAMCULTURE-AGRIC | December 23, 2003
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| The ZAMCULTURE-AGRIC project aids small farmers and garden producers in Zambia to increase production. This in turn increases their income and help them achieve the goal of self-reliance and food security. Rural community youth and capacity building help villagers learn and live.
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A Historical Look at DDN's ConnectNet Database
By: Andy Carvin, Center for Media & Community | March 8, 2003
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| This article from 2003 describes an important moment in the history of DDN, the completion of the ConnectNet Database, as the network has grown and evolved over time. |
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Bridging the Divide Between Town and Gown
By: Sarah Hammill, Florida International University | September 10, 2002
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| Librarians at Florida International University have teamed up with teachers from with the Miami-Dade County Public School to offer a unique program designed to help reduce the digital divide. |
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iEARN Sierra Leone: Youth Witnessing From The Front Lines
By: Andrew Greene Jr., iEARN Sierra Leone and Childsoldiers.org | August 26, 2002
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| iEARN Sierra Leone is founded on the idea that through tele-collaboration, war-affected children will be better able to create awareness about the issue of child soldiers on a global level. |
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Gender Review of ICT Projects
By: Louise Chamberlain, Evaluation Specialist, infoDev Program , World Bank | July 30, 2002
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| InfoDev examines six of its ICT for Development projects to learn more about how the gender digital divide is, or isn't, being addressed. |
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The Internet As A Tool For Global Campaigns
By: Nick Buxton | July 22, 2002
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| Nick Buxton, former communications manager for Jubilee 2000, examines the power of the Internet to support global campaigns. |
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Connecting Kids to Technology: Challenges and Opportunities
By: Tony Wilhelm, Delia Carmen, and Megan Reynolds, Annie E. Casey Foundation and Benton Foundation | July 5, 2002
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| Co-authored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Benton Foundation, the latest Snapshot from the KIDS COUNT program examines the demographics of the digital divide and discusses some implications of current trends. |
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San Joaquin Valley ACCESS: Bridging the Rural Divide on a Regional Scale
By: Seth Fearey, Connected Communities | June 27, 2002
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| An emphasis on local leadership and collaboration helped to create sustainable solutions to bridge the San Joaquin Valley rural digital divide in 2002. |
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SeniorNet and IBM Partnership Improves Web Accessibility for Millions
By: Donna B. Mattoon, IBM Corporate Communications | June 14, 2002
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| SeniorNet launched a new pilot program that will help members eliminate barriers to accessing Web content. |
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Putting Public Spectrum to Work to Close the Digital Divide
By: Kevin Taglang, Telecommunications Policy Consultant | June 3, 2002
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| In May, Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA), introduced legislation to create a fund using spectrum auction revenues to support digitizing information housed in the nation's noncommercial organizations for use by students and lifelong learners.
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British-Irish Council Meets to Discuss Digital Divide
By: Dr. Edward Sallis, Highlands College, Jersey | May 21, 2002
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| The British-Irish Council, established as part of the Irish Good Friday Agreement, held its first knowledge economy conference on the isle of Jersey in April 2002 on the theme of bridging the digital divide. |
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Rural Relations: Pradeep Lokhande Connects Indian Villages
By: Rasika Dhavse, Freelance Journalist | May 2, 2002
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| Call him a walking encyclopedia of rural India -- Pradeep Lokhande has personally visited over 4,000 villages in India. He has used his travels to learn about the great digital divide between rural and urban India and is working towards taking computers to 28,000 village schools. |
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Technology is Key to the Latino Social and Economic Agenda
By: Dr. Elsa Macias, Tomas Rivera Policy Institute | April 5, 2002
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| A new report from the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) finds that technology is key to the Latin socio-economic agenda. The report outlines relevant problems and lists recommendations for overcoming them. |
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Federal Retrenchment on the Digital Divide: Potential National Impact
By: Norris Dickard, Benton Foundation | March 18, 2002
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| The Benton Foundation has issued the first in a series of policy briefs that will explore the importance of continued investment in federal digital divide programs. |
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A Nation Online, But Where Are the Native Americans?
By: Kade Twist | March 4, 2002
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| A recently released Department of Commerce study of the Internet and computers fails to provide a current measurement of the progress of information technology deployment efforts in Indian Country. |
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Q&A: The Internet and People with Disablities, Part II
By: Mary Lester, Russ Holland and Sue Brown, Alliance for Technology Access | December 4, 2001
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| Part II of a series on assistive technology. |
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Q&A: The Internet and People with Disablities, Part I
By: Mary Lester, Russ Holland and Sue Brown, Alliance for Technology Access | December 4, 2001
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| The digital divide for people with disabilities is greater, deeper and more isolating than for any other community affected by it. The following Q&A is the first in a two-part primer on the barriers and opportunities for technology serve people with disablities. |
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The Internet for Teens With Physical Disabilities
By: Lucy Coveau, M.S. | November 14, 2001
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| The Internet can be a great equalizer for disabled teens, helping them master independence and friendship while developing a strong sense of community. |
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Seniors Are the Key to the Digital Revolution
By: Ann Wrixon, SeniorNet | November 6, 2001
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| SeniorNet, an international nonprofit organization, currently operates more than 220 hands-on Computer Learning Centers in the United States and Japan and trains more than 60,000 older adults a year. |
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Illinois Bill Writes In Digital Divide
By: Bindu Batcha, Metropolitan Planning Council | October 23, 2001
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| In 2001, Illinois passed a bill that would create a Digital Divide Elimination Fund and a Digital Divide Elimination Infrastructure Fund, while ensuring competitive practices and quality of service within the telecommunications industry. |
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The Internet and the Soul of Democracy
By: Gary W. Selnow, San Francisco State University | October 9, 2001
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| The Kosovo Internet Access Initiative has shown that the Internet can play a significant role in preparing people for the transition to democracy. |
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Deciphering Access for People with Disabilities
By: Beth A. Loy, Ph.D. | October 1, 2001
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| Accessibility problems have increased dramatically with new developments in hardware, software and Web page design. Effectively addressing accessibility barriers would increase the role of the Internet as a means of effective communication for all persons, disabled and non-disabled.
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FRAMING PIECE: Toward Digital Inclusion For Underserved Youth
By: Dr. Tony Wilhelm, Benton Foundation | September 25, 2001
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A. What are the goals of the one-day Roundtable? What do we hope to accomplish?
- Build common understanding of barriers and facilitators to "successful" technology-enhanced learning environments for underserved youth
- Sharpen donors'...
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Native Networking Trends: Wireless Broadband Networks
By: Kade L. Twist, Benton Foundation | September 21, 2001
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| The University of California-San Diego and the Southern California Tribal Chairman Association have taken incremental steps toward proving the viability of broadband wireless technologies as a solution to the networking needs of Indian Country. |
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America’s Rural Digital Divide: Q&A With Montana Public Service Commissioner Bob Rowe
By: Kade L. Twist, Benton Foundation | September 12, 2001
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| Montana Public Service Commissioner Bob Rowe discusses the fundamentals of rural America's Digital Divide. |
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Toward Digital Inclusion... a First Look
By: Jamal Le Blanc, Benton Foundation | September 10, 2001
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| The release of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Falling Through the Net: Toward Digital Inclusion (FTTN4) in October 2000 provides an updated accounting of the breadth, extent, and status of the digital divide in America. The significant finding in 1999's Defining the Digital Divide was that the digital divide had continued to grow despite an overall rise in Internet and computer access. |
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Low-Cost Computers for the People
By: Rachel Anderson, Benton Foundation | August 27, 2001
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| Researchers in the developing world are designing low-cost computers that address the particular needs
of their nations' more disadvantaged populations. |
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Invest Spectrum Auction Proceeds in Bridging the Divide
By: Rep. Ed Markey, U.S. House of Representatives | July 25, 2001
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| At a July 24 hearing of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) proposed investing the proceeds of wireless spectrum auctions in federal efforts to bridge the digital divide. |
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Digital Divide Basics: A 2001 Fact Sheet
By: Digital Divide Network Staff, Benton Foundation | July 25, 2001
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| These statistics, drawn from a range of commercial and governmental sources, provide a snapshot of the developing story of the digital divide and give a broad overview of the extent of computer and Internet use in the U.S. and globally. |
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Generations on Line: Bridging the Divide for Seniors
By: Tobey Gordon Dichter, Generations on Line | July 16, 2001
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| While senior citizens potentially have much to benefit from communications technology, they are often the least likely group to use the Internet. The organization known as Generations on Line is trying to change that, promoting technology uses that can enhance the quality of life of seniors. |
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Africa Goes Online
By: Daniel Akst and Mike Jensen, Carnegie Corporation of New York | July 5, 2001
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| While a great deal of attention has been paid to the digital divide within developed regions of the world, there is much we can learn about the divide in Sub-Saharan Africa. |
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Impact Of Socio-economic Factors On It Disparity Between Developed & Developing Economies
By: Gershon Adzadi, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority | July 4, 2001
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| This article highlights the impact of various factors relating to impediments associated with the rapid proliferation of IT infrastructure in the developing countries, which in turn account for the technological disparity between developed and developing economies. How can such impediments could be surmounted so that the gap between the two divides could be minimized?
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The Digital Divide Elimination Act of 2001
By: Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-LA), U.S. House of Representatives | July 2, 2001
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| On July 2, 2001, legislation called the "Digital Divide Elimination Act" was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would provide tax incentives to working families who want to purchase a computer and increase the charitable deduction for technology donations. |
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Demystifying Broadband
By: Chic Smith, Benton Foundation | July 2, 2001
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What exactly is broadband? This primer will bring you up speed on the major policies and technologies important to high-speed Internet access.
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The African Internet - A 2001 Status Report
By: Mike Jensen | June 15, 2001
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| The Internet has continued to grow rapidly in Africa, reaching some
important milestones in 2001. In 2000, Eritrea obtained a local Internet connection, finally bringing all 54 countries and territories online. The number of dialup Internet subscribers passed the million mark and the total
international Internet bandwidth reached over 1 gigabyte per second. |
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Bridging the Information Technology Divide in Africa
By: Congressman Ed Royce, U.S. House of Representatives | May 22, 2001
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| At a recent congressional hearing on Africa and the digital divide, Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa, spoke about the importance of increasing access to IT tools and training across the continent. |
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Turning Analog Women into a Digital Workforce: Plugging Women into the New Asia Economy
By: Rosemary Brisco, ToTheWeb, LLC | April 30, 2001
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| The Internet has become a powerful resource for over 300 million people worldwide. Yet in the Asia-Pacific region, three-fourths of women have not yet pressed the Power button to get them into the new economy, as Rosemary Brisco explains. |
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Arizona’s 100 Million Dollar Plan For Rural Broadband Deployment
By: Kade L. Twist, Benton Foundation | April 23, 2001
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| Over the next five years, Arizona will spend $100 million on a new program, Telecommunications Open Partnerships of Arizona (TOPAZ), that is expected to provide broadband capabilities to 167 rural communities. |
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The Smith Family: Helping Bridge the Divide in Australia
By: Mike Wilson, The Smith Family | April 13, 2001
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| Australian computer ownership increased from 53 percent in 1998 to 64 percent in 2000, and Internet access increased from 25 percent in 1999 to 37 percent in 2000. Nevertheless, only six percent of households on incomes less than $A19,000 are connected, compared with 47 percent of those on more than $A84,000 a year. |
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Testimony Of Rae Grad, Ceo Of Power Up, Before The House Subcommittee On Telecommunications
By: Rae Grad, PowerUp | March 29, 2001
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| Rae Grad, CEO of PowerUP: Bridging the Digital Divide, a nonprofit that leverages public and private partnerships to bring America’s underserved youth a wealth of positive youth development through technology, testified before the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications in 2001. |
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Tomas Rivera Policy Institute's Digital Steppingstones
By: Richard Cutler, Ph.D, The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute | March 27, 2001
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| The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute launched the Digital Steppingstones (DSS) project to explore the role of advanced technologies in low-income and minority communities, their effectiveness in enhancing K-12 learning, preparing community members for the workforce, and filling communities' information needs. |
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The Bankilare Experience: A Successful Collaborative Effort to Bridge the Digital Divide
By: Rose F. Tchwenko, WorldSpace Foundation | March 20, 2001
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| WorldSpace uses digital satellite radio technology to broadcast audio and multimedia information to entire regions of the developing world. |
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Citibank FamilyTech: Decreasing the Digital Divide
By: Jennifer Williams, Citibank | March 12, 2001
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| Citibank FamilyTech is designed to address school reform and technological advancement among low-income public school students and their families. |
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Libraries Are Connecting Millions to the Internet
By: Brooke Bascom, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | March 5, 2001
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| Libraries are emerging as a major vehicle for bridging the digital divide. Read how they are using resources provided by organizations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to give millions of people free Internet access. |
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Toward Digital Inclusion: Access and Accessibility Revisited
By: Jamal Le Blanc, Benton Foundation | March 5, 2001
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| This article concludes our look at the latest figures on Internet use and computer ownership from the U.S. Department of Commerce's October 2000 analysis of the digital divide, Falling Through the Net: Toward Digital Inclusion. In this essay, we examine the state of Internet access and computer use when it comes to people with disabilities. |
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Connecting Communities of Color
By: Ann Stjern, Technology Access Foundation | March 2, 2001
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| Connecting Communities of Color Consortium (C3) is comprised of 17 community agencies and service providers in Seattle and 6 in Tacoma, Washington. TAF built this consortium with existing community organizations to focus on providing access to current technology and technical curricula to traditionally under-served populations. Through strategic planning and a unified voice, C3 works together to bridge the information technology gap. Additionally, C3 is the vehicle for providing the programs and services of the Virtual Institute, which includes online instructional courses and open lab hours |
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Computers For Youth: Focusing Digital Divide Efforts On The Home
By: Elisabeth Stock, Computers For Youth | February 28, 2001
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| CFY director Elizabeth Stock provides insight into the successes and challenges of running a program that provides inner-city children with home computers. |
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Global Digital Divide: Targeting Rural and Economically-Challenged Communities
By: Mugo Macharia, Benton Foundation | January 24, 2001
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| Bridging the Global Digital Divide is a tall order even for giant development agents like the United Nations Development Program's Sustainable Development Networking Program and the World Bank's InfoDev Project. But while the likes of UNDP and the InfoDev may have millions of dollars at their disposal to carry out their projects, an Oakland-based NGO is slightly ahead in addressing issues of closing the digital divide locally and internationally. |
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Health Information and the Digital Divide
By: Andy Carvin, Benton Foundation | January 5, 2001
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| In a recent issue of British Medical Journal, World Health Organization scientist Tessa Tan-Torres Edejer warns that the digital divide is severely impacting citizens of developing nations when it comes to accessing and publishing health-related information. |
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Who's Not Online
By: Amanda Lenhart, Pew Internet & American Life Project | December 4, 2000
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| According to a 2000 Pew Internet & American Life Project report, half of American adults (18+) at the time, approximately 100 million people, did not have Internet access. Previous studies of adults using the Internet and those not using the Internet have sought primarily to quantify how many people are or are not online, leaving unanswered the questions about the attitudes, motivations, and descriptions of those not online. Who's Not Online, released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, seeks to answer these unanswered - and unasked - questions by going a step further and asking offline adults about their intentions and desires to get wired. |
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A Great Website Isn’t Enough
By: Tom Lowenhaupt, Vice Chair, Community Board 3, Queens, NYC | December 4, 2000
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New York City’s five boroughs are divided into 59 administrative units
called Community Districts. A typical District will have 125,000 residents
living in several square miles. Each district has a community board, and many of these boards have Web sites designed to disseminate relevant information. Yet, ISPs serving NYC have been unwilling to provide links to direct users to community board Web sites. As a result, many residents are unaware that these Web sites exist. |
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ASPIRA Brings Digital Opportunity to the Latino Community
By: Mugo Macharia, Benton Foundation | December 4, 2000
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| ASPIRA, an organization devoted to the education and leadership of Latino youth, was awarded a prestigious grant in 2000. The Technology Leadership Grant is awarded annually to national nonprofit organizations for the expansion of information technology and to help the groups better serve their communities. |
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The Dual Digital Divide:The Information Highway in Canada
By: Andrew Reddick, Christian Boucher, Manon Groseilli, Public Interest Advocacy Centre, Ekos Research Associates In | December 4, 2000
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The concept of a digital
divide is much more complex than a simple differentiation between those who are connected
and those who are not. In addition to the usually understood division of users and non-users
(the first divide), non-users are not a homogenous group. They clearly fit into two broad
groups (the second divide). Together, the user and the segmented non-user groups form a
“dual digital divide.”
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Prairienet - A Home for Community Content
By: Jamal Le Blanc, Digital Divide Network | December 4, 2000
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| Prairienet (http://www.prairienet.org/), sponsored by the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign, is an alternative to commercial Internet Service Providers. As a community network, Prairienet provides access and hosting to approximately 500 organizations and 1500 homes. |
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Research: Toward Digital Inclusion
By: U.S. Department of Commerce | December 4, 2000
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The Internet is becoming an increasingly vital tool in
our information society. More Americans are going
online to conduct such day-to-day activities as
business transactions, personal correspondence,
research and information-gathering, and shopping.
Each year, being digitally connected becomes ever
more critical to economic, educational, and social
advancement. Now that a large number of Americans
regularly use the Internet to conduct daily activities,
people who lack access to those tools are at a growing
disadvantage. |
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Politics and the Digital Divide, Part 1: Vice President Gore and the Democrats
By: Kevin Taglang, Benton Foundation | December 4, 2000
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| The Democrats are committed to making Internet access as universal as the telephone. They believe that technology should provide opportunities for all Americans to compete and win in the New Economy. H.R. 4061,
the Digital Divide Elimination Act of 2000, introduced by Rep. William
Jefferson (LA) and Senate NDC co-founder Senator John Breaux (LA), would
provide a one-time 50 percent refundable tax credit for low-income
individuals for the purchase of computer hardware and software. |
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Searching for the Difference - Gore v. Bush on High Tech Policy
By: Katharina Kopp | December 4, 2000
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| This article provides analysis of how the Bush and Gore 2000 campaigns match up on high technology, Internet policy and e-commerce issues.
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The Dollar Divide
By: DDN Staff, Benton Foundation | December 4, 2000
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| In 2000, lower income households (under 25K) represented 32.1% of the total U.S. population. Internet users with household incomes under 25K represented 9.7% of overall Internet population. |
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May the Tribes Have Adequate Access: New FCC Orders for Indian Country
By: Kade L. Twist, Benton Foundation | December 4, 2000
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| Since its establishment in 1934, the FCC has been mandated by Congress to
provide Indian Country with adequate communications. Yet, June 2000 may mark the Commission's most significant progress toward making digital communications a reality in Indian Country. |
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It's a Woman's World Wide Web
By: Anne Rickert, Media Metrix, Jupiter Communications | December 4, 2000
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| In the first quarter of 2000, the number of women online surpassed that of men (50.4% vs 49.6%) and the online population of women is growing faster than the online population overall (34.9% vs 22.4%). Females 12-17 showed the most dramatic growth in Web use -- up 126.3% over
the last year. These teens are interested in teen-targeted fashion
magazines, shopping, and music. The sites with the highest percentage of
these teen visitors are: 1) online magazine Cosmogirl.com, 2) e-zine
Teenpeople.com and 3) shopping site Delias.com. |
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Increased Opportunities for the Low Income Households of Indian Country
By: Kade L. Twist, Benton Foundation | December 4, 2000
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| The June 2000 FCC Lifeline and Link up measures provide eligible low-income consumers in Indian Country
with the opportunity to attain affordable basic local telephone service -
where service is already available. However, low-cost basic service
will not alleviate the extraordinarily high cost of long distance fees that
households are charged for making calls within the territory of a single
reservation. |
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The Candidates' Stances on Media Violence
By: Rachel Anderson | December 4, 2000
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| This article contends that while both major party candidates for president
are strongly critical of the entertainment industry for peddling violence to
children, neither are entirely clear about the role of government in curbing
the problem. |
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The FCC's Long Awaited Indian Policy Statement (FCC 00-207)
By: Kade L. Twist, Benton Foundation | December 4, 2000
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| The FCC issued a policy statement affirming the agency's
formal recognition of tribal sovereignty. Essentially, the statement
recognizes the rights of Indian Nations to set their own communications
priorities and goals for the best interests of their citizens, and outlined
the breadth of its commitment through a number of goals and principles. The
Commission asserts that it will work with tribes on a
government-to-government basis that is consistent with Tribal
self-determination and Section 1 of the Communications Act of 1934. |
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The Global Digital Divide: An Egyptian Perspective
By: Mugo Macharia | December 4, 2000
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| To bridge the digital divide, Dr. Ahmad Nazif, Egypt's minister of Communications and Information Technology, stressed the importance of education, government involvement, especially in the procurement of electronic technology for their work, inclusion of the private sector, ordinary citizens, and non governmental organizations in the planning stages. The information economy has presented an opportunity for the trinity of government, business and civil society to develop stronger ties and deeper cross-collaboration than in the past.
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The Southwestern Navajo Nation Virtual Alliance: Bringing Broadband Home
By: Kade Twist | December 4, 2000
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| In 2000, with a combination of effective planning, substantial private investment, a $475,000 Technologies Opportunities Program (TOP) grant from the of the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), and strategic partnerships with StarBand and Northern Arizona University (NAU), the Southwestern Navajo Nation Virtual Alliance (SNNVA), brought broadband Internet access to 110 Navajo communities, called chapters, across the entire reservation -- years before many analysts thought possible. |
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Tom Tate Communicating Electronically
By: Kade Twist, Benton Foundation | December 4, 2000
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| Under the leadership of national co-chair Tom Tate and an enormous roster of strategically-positioned volunteers matched with local in-kind and federal government resources, Americans Communicating Electronically (ACE) has been effective in reaching out to the digitally underserved in roughly 3000 rural and disadvantaged communities in America, as well as more than 20 different nations worldwide. |
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Four Directions to Making the Internet Indian
By: Kade Twist, Benton Foundation | December 4, 2000
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| Indian Country is still very much on the wrong side of the digital divide. Only 39 percent of rural Indian Country has basic phone service, household personal computer ownership accompanied with Internet access is still no greater than 15 percent. Community leaders are left with a critical dilemma: How can Indians culturally rationalize technologies they can't universally access? A collaboration between Tribal Nations, federal government agencies, universities, academic organizations and private corporations has begun to answer this question. |
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Falling Through the Net Report: a Reason for Concern and Optimism
By: Larry Irving | December 4, 2000
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It is premature to declare victory. America still has a technological divide. More than 100 million Americans still are not online. Blacks and Hispanics, particularly poor Blacks and Hispanics are still far behind White and Asian Americans in access to computers, particularly at home. A higher percentage of Whites access the Net from home than Blacks or Hispanics from anywhere. And, the gap between white and minority connectivity actually widened by 3 to 5 percent over the past two years. |
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ETC Designation and Indian Country (FCC 00-208, Sections 92-127)
By: Kade L. Twist, Benton Foundation | December 4, 2000
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| The new FCC order establishes a
process for carriers to determine from whom they should seek designation to
receive support to serve high cost areas, both on tribal lands and
non-tribal lands. The Commission, under 214(e)(6), is required to conduct a
designation proceeding in instances where the relevant state commission
lacks the authority to perform the designation. This allows carriers to
petition the Commission under 214(e)(6) without having to go to the state
first. |
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Disparities Along the Information Age Career Path
By: Kade Twist, Benton Foundation | December 4, 2000
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| There are a number of strategies that can be employed to improve minority enrollment in IT-related fields of study at the college level. What is certain is that something needs to be done. |
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Digital Divide Initiatives: Are They Accessible to People with Disabilities?
By: Lisa LaNell Mauldin and Kelly Ford | December 4, 2000
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In the mounting clamor for digital
equality, one group remains sorely under represented - people
with disabilities. Numbering fifty-four million in the U.S.
alone, people with disabilities represent the largest U.S.
minority population at almost 20%, and yet when role is taken at
the digital divide discussion table, this community is
conspicuously absent, not because the chair remains unfilled, but
rather because no chair has been offered.
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Creating the CyberSouth
By: James Bohland, Maria Papadakis and Richard Worrall, Southern Growth Policies Board | December 4, 2000
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| Creating the CyberSouth, released in September 2000, examines the state of the digital divide in the American South. The report, commissioned by the Southern Growth Policies Board, tackles the issue by defining the divide, examining digital divide statistics in the South and examines various current initiatives. |
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Toward Digital Inclusion... Why Not Broadband?
By: Jamal Le Blanc, Digital Divide Network | December 4, 2000
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| Those watching the market reaction to broadband are coming to a grim realization: even where broadband is available the general uptake and use of the services has been slow. It is time to provide the models that will change the general perception of broadband from a technology of speed for Internet browsing to a technology that delivers "critical capacity" for the health of our public information infrastructure. |
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Weaving a Web of Support: InterConnection, Virtual Volunteers, and the Digital Divide
By: Charles Brennick, InterConnection | December 4, 2000
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InterConnection Web sites, computers and provides Internet training to organizations dedicated to benefiting the local community or environment in developing countries. By ensuring that these communities have access to the Internet, InterConnection bridges the ever-increasing technology gap between developed and developing countries. |
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Children Tutoring Seniors at Net Skills: An Experiment Conducted at one Israeli Elementary School
By: Prof. Edna Aphek, TelHi- Networks and David Yellin College of Education | December 4, 2000
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| In 1999, a small-scale social experiment was conducted in Israel in which children taught senior citizens how to use the Internet. |
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Barriers to Participation for Older Persons
By: Beth Mazur, Communications Specialist, AARP | December 4, 2000
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| Beth Mazur addresses the AARP's interest in bridging the divide among America's seniors. She cites access, skills, relevance and content among the various barriers that prevent seniors from using the Internet successfully. |
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Aol Foundation Awards Digital Divide Bridge Grants
By: DDN Staff | December 4, 2000
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| A look back at December 2000, when AOL awarded a series of grants to programs working to bridge the digital divide. $1.1 Million went to programs in Chicago;
Kent, OH; Los Angeles; Nashville, TN; New York City;
St. Paul, MN; San Francisco and Washington, D.C. area |
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Students Speak With Former Commerce Secretary William M. Daley
By: Andy Carvin, Benton Foundation | December 4, 2000
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| In December 2000, Commerce Secretary William Daley sat down for an interview
with a group of high school and middle school students representing
the cyberjournalism program known as NetGeneration of Youth (NGY). The
NGY students were among 500 corporate, nonprofit and community leaders
in attendance at the National Digital Divide Summit, convened to address
issues regarding the technology gap, workforce development, and public-private
partnerships. |
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Research: The Digital World of Hispanics in the United States
By: Cheskin Research | December 4, 2000
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| This study from 2000 provides an important point of reference for where Hispanics stand in adopting computers and online services. The Hispanic market, according to the authors, represents a sleeping giant, a huge new market with purchasing power of over $425 billion in 1998. Although Hispanic consumers have received the cold shoulder from new economy companies in the past, their market clout can no longer be ignored, says Cheskin Research. |
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