This morning at 10 am Eastern the FCC announced a new initiative aimed at closing the digital divide (access to broadband the necessary technology) and address digital literacy issues. Connect to Compete is A private and nonprofit sector partnership to promote broadband adoption and improve outcomes in disadvantaged communities. I missed the live broadcast so as I looked over the website and the announcement from the Knight Foundation I grew increasingly concerned about the lack of mention of public libraries! How could they not know we’re at the front line of all of this! And, as you know, I’ve been awaiting more information on the Digital Literacy Corps since I read about the idea in the National Broadband Plan. That’s why I was very grateful to find a pdf of the remarks. I’ve pulled out the sections regarding libraries but I strongly urge you to take the time to read the whole thing and become familiar with the Connect to Compete initiative. On Digital Literacy Corps: And building on a big idea developed in the National Broadband Plan, we’re proposing to work with America’s schools and public libraries to launch a Digital Literacy Corps to help promote and teach digital literacy. Digital literacy refers
Digital Divide
OITP and Digital Literacy Portfolio! Plus NTIA and a Digital Literacy Portal
I can’t tell you how excited I was to see this announcement from OITP (Office of Information Technology Policy, ALA) yesterday! Libraries are key players when we talk about digital literacy and education. Though as I’ve noted before we are often overlooked in reports from other institutions and organizations, most recently, as in the Digital and Media Literacy Plan of Action white paper by Renee Hobbs. I am pleased that OITP is working on a digital literacy portfolio and taking action that will help put libraries at the forefront of digital literacy training and education: The ALA Office for Information Technology Policy (OITP) is in the process of developing a digital literacy portfolio. During Midwinter, OITP staff began meeting with a range of ALA member groups to learn more about current efforts and to help inform the portfolio development. One outcome of the Midwinter meetings is that OITP’s Advisory Committee is supporting an OITP task force that would delve into digital literacy issues and include representatives from interested ALA units The second part of the announcement concerns a National Digital Literacy Portal as mentioned in the National Broadband Plan from the FCC. As you know I’ve been concerned that The Plan fails to address digital
Get Online Week! How Broadband Benefits Everyone and How You Can Help Others Get Online
It is Get Online Week in the UK! How awesome is this? Businesses and the government have teamed up in order to persuade Internet virgins to try out and use the World Wide Web. The UK Get Online Week was launched on Monday and will run from 18th to 24th October 2010. The week-long national drive is being led by UK Digital Champion Martha Lane Fox, who is trying to get the last remaining ten million Brits online. This is despite the fact that Lane Fox has no budget to complete the project. “There is no money and we don’t need it to make a big stride forward,” Lane Fox said back in August. The simple idea behind the campaign is to encourage at least some of these estimated 10 million Britons who have never used the Internet, to give it a go. There are a couple of helpful sites Race to Online 2012 list events, resources and provides a 67 page Manifest for a Networked Nation and research on Digital Inclusion. If you’re interested in broadband access there are a great resources on this site. Press play to begin… on Prezi Pass it On has a great videos and lists 5
Post at Broadband for America: Libraries Are Essential for Bridging the Gap
A while back I was approached to write a guest post for Broadband for America. I jumped at the chance to let others (outside of libraries) know how importance of the role of libraries in equal access to broadband. Read the post Libraries Are Essential to Bridging the Broadband Gap and the Digital Opportunity Gap As we see a push by The National Broadband Plan from the FCC and organizations like Broadband for America to make high-speed Internet access available to every household in America, we need to take a realistic look at the role libraries will play. The benefits of access to broadband are widely documented; it is the gap in access we need to address. About Broadband for America “Broadband for America’s mission is to make broadband access to the Internet available to every household in the nation; to provide data transfer speeds to make that broadband experience valuable to users; and to provide the bandwidth necessary for content providers to continue to make the Internet a cultural, societal, and economic engine for growth.” Follow Broadband for America on Twitter Read more about broadband Librarians Play a Vital Role in 21st Century Literacies National Broadband Plan & Digital Literacy Corps FCC’s Broadband
Mobile Phones and the Digital Divide Part 2
Jason Griffey and I are having a discussion via our blogs regarding mobile phones and the digital divide to catch up first read my original post Why Mobile Phone Are Not the Key to the Digital Divide then read Jason’s response Why mobile phones are one key to the digital divide. This is my response to his post. Jason states: I believe strongly that the idea that a desktop is somehow superior to a mobile phone for Internet access is an accident of the time in which we live and the historical nature of the rise of computing. One can easily imagine that 10 years from now the then-digital-natives will look aghast at the desktops of the past. “What do you mean, you had to sit at a desk to use a computer? You pushed actual buttons? I agree with this or at least don’t doubt the likelihood of it. Except for one part, there are no digital natives. At least not in the sweeping generational assignments we technophiles want to apply. You can not say all Millennials are digital natives, or that the generation after them will be, until we close the digital divide. There are too many children without exposure to the technology they would
Reading
