Rising Above The Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a
Brighter Economic Future
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11463.html
The whole book is online free...
But you have to read it. It is not a minutes worth of information. It
requires understanding the reason for the report. I believe, since this is
the second report that says that we are on a level playing field and that there
is no digital divide that it is politically motivated by people who are not
doing their research or reading recent reports. It was done by Cosepup
COSEPUP mainly conducts studies on cross-cutting issues in science
and technology policy. It was chartered by the Academies to address "the
concerns and requests of the President's Science Advisor, the Director of the
National Science Foundation, the Chair of the National Science Board, and heads
of
other federal research and development departments and agencies, and the Chairs
of key science and technology-related committees of the Congress." It also
monitors key developments in U.S. science and technology policy for the
Academies' leadership.
COSEPUP studies are usually conducted by special interdisciplinary
panels comprising the nation's best scientific and engineering expertise. While
many studies are sponsored by government agencies, COSEPUP procedures safeguard
its studies from the influence of sponsors or other outside groups.
Committee on Prospering in the Global Economy of the 21st Century: An Agenda
for American Science and Technology, National Academy of Sciences, National
Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine
There is this
National Academy of Sciences Report
There is this.. Technically Speaking: Why All Americans Need to Know More
About Technology
http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10250.html the whole book is online.
One of the biggest digital divides is in teacher preparation to use
technology.
See this section of the report...
http://darwin.nap.edu/books/0309100399/html/100.html
and remember that the senate has to make decisions on the funding of
technology, and educational technology. EETT.
Committee on Technological Literacy,; National Academy of Engineering;
National Research Council; Greg Pearson and A. Thomas Young, Editors
http://www.edutopia.org/php/article.php?id=Art_996&key=188
By GLEF Staff ( 2002)
The new report from The Children's Partnership found that Internet
information available today does not meet the needs of 20 percent of Americans.
Credit:
The Children’s Partnership
A 10-year national investment in wiring schools, libraries, and other public
centers has made a tremendous difference in bridging a Digital Divide defined
as the gap between those people with access to communications and technology
tools and those without it. In fact the current Administration has pointed to
the gains made across all groups to scale back government funding for a
variety of technology programs. The debate is growing with one side saying "the
invisible hand" of the free market is taking care of the problem, and another
pressing to save federal investments they feel are critical to connecting all
Americans.
The following reports make important contributions to the debate around the
Digital Divide. They explore the nation's successes in bridging the divide as
well as the challenges it faces in determining next steps.
"A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the Internet"
This February 2002 report from the Department of Commerce is the latest in
an ongoing series about computer and Internet use in America. The research
reports that there has been rapid growth in the use of information technologies
across all demographic groups and geographic regions. In September 2001 about
54
percent of the population were using the Internet -- an increase of 26 mill
ion in a period of 13 months. It was also found that computer use in school
substantially narrows the gap in computer usage for children from high- and
low-income families.
You can access Word, PDF, and HTML versions of "A Nation Online: How
Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the Internet" on the Department of
Commerce's
National Technology and Information Administration (NTIA) Web site.
"Latinos and Information Technology: The Promise and the Challenge"
Released in February 2002, this report commissioned by IBM and prepared by
the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) provides a comprehensive look at the
Hispanic Digital Divide. Authored by Louis G. Tornatzky, Ph.D., Elsa E. Macias,
Ph.D., and Sara Jones, the report is a collection of all the Institute's
available data on Latinos and information technology. The fastest-growing
minority
group in the United States, Latinos continue to trail whites and other
minority groups in owning computers, Internet use, and e-commerce activities.
Despite being the largest ethnic minority in more than 23 states, Hispanics are
severely underrepresented in the information technology (IT) workforce. The
report
notes that the problem of Latino preparation and participation in the IT
workforce are inseparable from the education and training of their parents.
Many
of the Latino parents surveyed do not understand the link between education and
opportunities in the IT industry. The report goes on to note that the World
Wide Web lacks a true mix of cultural viewpoints. For example, Web sites for
Latinos must translate content from English to Spanish and do more to provide
content that addresses the communities they serve. The rapidly growing number
of
small businesses owned by Latinos must also learn to integrate networked
technologies into their operations.
The "Latinos and Information Technology: The Promise and the Challenge"
report is available from the Tom's Rivera Policy Institute Web site.
"Online Content for Low-Income and Underserved Americans: An Issue Brief"
The Children's Partnership and the Markle Foundation have released an issue
brief updating their comprehensive March 2000 analysis "Online Content for
Low-Income and Underserved Americans: The Digital Divide's New Frontier." This
report looks at the extent to which the Internet offers content and tools for
the estimated 50 million Americans with low incomes, limited-literacy or
language skills, or disabilities. The new Issue Brief analyzes relevant shifts
in
Internet use, access, and demand; provides an updated snapshot of online
content;
and identifies key changes in the availability of relevant content since
March 2000.
The brief found that Internet information available today still does not meet
the needs of 20 percent of Americans. This includes low-income Americans
seeking resources to find employment and affordable housing, as well as
non-English speakers who need information in languages other than English. The
report
also noted that expanding access to schools, community centers, and libraries
has been successful in helping underserved populations find important
resources.
There has also been research and anecdotal evidence that gains in employment,
education, and community development are the result of technology training
and access.
The Issue Brief is available on The Community Contentbank. The Web site is a
project of the Children's Partnership to help bridge the content gap by
providing relevant information and tools in other languages for underserved
communities.
"Does the Digital Divide Still Exist? Bush Administration Shrugs, But
Evidence Says Yes"
The Civil Rights Forum on Communications Policy, Consumer Federation of
America, and Consumers Union released a study in May 2002 refuting the Bush
Administration's conclusion that government intervention is no longer necessary
to
bridge the Digital Divide. Taking the numbers from "A Nation Online," the
report demonstrates that large gaps still exist between low- and high-income
households. The report concludes by pointing to the Telecommunications Act of
1996
that mandates "specific and predictable support mechanisms" to preserve
universal service. The act mandates that emerging telecommunications services
may
fall into the category of universal service when they have "been subscribed to
by
a substantial majority of residential customers." The fact that 54 percent of
Americans are now online should mean that the Internet could soon become
worthy of universal service support.
The report, "Does the Digital Divide Still Exist? Bush Administration Shrugs,
But Evidence Says Yes," is available on the Consumer Federation of America's
Web site.
The following Web sites appeared in this article:
• "A Nation Online: How Americans Are Expanding Their Use of the
Internet": www.ntia.doc.gov/ntiahome/dn/
• Tomás Rivera Policy Institute: trpi.org/
• The Children's Partnership: www.childrenspartnership.org/
• "Online Content for Low-Income and Underserved Americans: The
Digital Divide's New Frontier.":
www.childrenspartnership.org/pub/low_income/index.html
• Issue Brief: www.contentbank.org/ataglance_issuebrief.asp
• The Community Contentbank: www.contentbank.org/homepage.asp
• Consumer Federation of America: www.consumerfederation.org/
• Consumers Union: www.consumersunion.org/
I have permission to use this article from GLEF.org, we just like to make
sure that you know that it is on the web site. www.glef.org, and use the search
engine to find many more.
Bbracey at aol com
Bonnie Bracey Sutton
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