" So far, I have been unable to figure it all out." I will echo your sentiments about training, and add another one, "support".
We have two 24 computer training labs and we provide one year of free support. At the end of the year they can trade up for a newer faster computer and the process continues. Cost is $8.33 per month for the computer and another $8.33 for dial up Internet access. $16.66 is about half the average cable TV bill and a far more effective use of money for those who have little. Mike ************************* Michael F. Pitsch -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kevin Cronin Sent: Monday, October 03, 2005 9:51 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [DDN] Bridging the Digital Divide in the US List: I have given out hundreds of refurbished computers to low-income families. I certainly wish they were in the hundreds of thousands. But giving out computers, particularly to kids, creates new challenges that would need to be addressed: 1) Without computer instruction, more likely to occur in a lab, I don't see how you get adults to learn and use them to participate in the current, let alone, future economy. Certainly the plan cannot be, by giving computers to kids, to wait for 12 years to let a generation with habits of use grow into the economy. 2) Without computer skills, parents will not be able to participate fully in their children's education, a missing, critical element in schools. One key to success in big city schools (or any school for that matter) is to have the schools, after school programs (preferably available for everyone) and parents at home ALL working off the same page, reinforcing each other. Gifts to kids could cause parental involvement to decline even further. Kids with more gaming and music/video download skills is not the goal. I have given out refurbished computers in nonprofit labs, in schools, in probation deals, in rec centers and as back to school fair prizes. But to succeed, a project needs to embrace the whole family, with a lab being the best option I've seen. This is a very difficult problem. If it were easy, it would have been addressed a long time ago -- government and businesses love easy problems. This is a complex problem of traditional literacy, job skills, weakening US role in an internationalized economy, racial, economic and geographic isolation, bigotry, lack of imagination, lack of money and a myriad of other reasons. So far, I have been unable to figure it all out. Back to work. Kevin Cronin former Director, Cleveland Digital Vision and University Settlement Magic Johnson/HP Inventor Center Cleveland, Ohio [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----Original Message Follows---- From: "Ronda Evans" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [DDN] Bridging the Digital Divide in the US Date: Mon, 3 Oct 2005 10:56:00 -0400 (EDT) The concept of computer labs as the answer for bridging the digital divide is obsolete- disadvantaged kids, starting at a the preschool level, need a computer in their home in order to have a chance at parity with their more affluent counterparts.Want to Improve High Schools? Put Computers in the Homes. is now published on the Digital Divide Network website. It can be found at the following URL: http://www.digitaldivide.net/articles/view.php?ArticleID=469 This article was written before Katrina and is even worse then before. If we truly want to Bridge the Divide we must start taking the computers that are being trashed, refurbish them and put them in the homes of children that don't have computers. Please make sure in your area that all refugees have immediate access to computers and the Internet in their homes. Ronda EvansRECA Foundation President4People Vice Chairwww.tcfn.org - Connecting people to technology4People.tcfn.org - Connecting people to resourcesCalendars.tcfn.org - Connecting people to activities _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
