Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-2-2001
Abstract
As an undergraduate in 1966, I studied the Fortran and Cobol programming languages on a mainframe computer. At that time, I could not have predicted the personal computer on the desktop. In 1982, we took the plunge and bought an Apple IIe personal computer for use in our home and for the development of my mathematics teaching materials. I was amazed by the power and ability of 64K of memory in that first Apple computer. Over the past eighteen years, the development of powerful personal computers has changed the daily lives of many people in their home and in their workplace. Today we are all being challenged to find ways to interact and contend with technology. In education, students at all levels (preschool to adult learners) face these challenges. In particular, the use of a personal computer has created another literacy standard. Unfortunately, culture and economics present barriers for some students in meeting this new standard. In 1995, The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) published its first major study on access to Internet technologies, “Falling Through the Net: A Survey of ‘Have’ and ‘Have Nots’ in Rural and Urban America.”1 Income, education levels, race and location (urban vs. rural) are the factors that determined computer ownership and access to the Internet. The third report in this series, “Defining the Digital Divide,” found that 26.2% of households in the United States have Internet access. In August 1999, the digital divide was further defined as “the gap between the information have and have-nots” by Larry Irving, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Telecommunications. The personal computer has become one of the main tools used to access electronic information. Individuals unable to use a computer are destined to be the technological “have-nots” in the information age. In October, 1999 several government agencies, including the President’s Technology Advisory Council, sponsored a conference entitled, “Resolving the Digital Divide: Information, Access and Opportunity.” Attendees at the conference were challenged to adopt active plans for service, innovation and risk in their approaches to closing the digital divide. Participants in the conference were asked to develop community-based solutions to the digital divide that involved cooperative efforts of government, industry and community. This ethnographic inquiry observes the uses of an open access computer lab at a community college and the interactions between the staff and the users of the lab. The open access lab at this college allows an interested student or community member to gain use of a personal computer with an Internet connection and a wide variety of software. There are 277 community members in addition to the 1,854 students that are currently registered as users as of May 23, 2001.3 Each person must present photo identification and complete a brief registration form to gain initial entrance to the lab. There is no fee for use at this time and photo identification must be presented at each subsequent visit. It was my intent to determine if the lab was helping to serve as a resource to an individual who might normally be considered in the group of technology “have-nots.” By observing the interactions and gathering selected interviews, it was my intent to describe how the users are well served. This is not a comparative study, but rather an observation of a facility that is unique to its surrounding urban neighborhood.
Keywords
information technology -- economic aspects
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Mintz, Patricia J., "A Smile and a Handshake are Not Enough: Moving Toward the Need" (2001). Student Scholarship. 61.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/61
