Digital Divide

National Broadband Plan & Digital Literacy Corps

April 6, 2010
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National Broadband Plan & Digital Literacy Corps

If you haven’t heard on March 16th the FCC submitted its National Broadband Plan to congress.  I was excited to read it included a proposal for Digital Literacy Corps, so I’ve been following any news about it. On March 26th there was an international briefing (pdf) which included some more information. Broadband.gov is a great resource of information about the FCC’s proposed National Broadband Plan. It also includes a broadband speed test, a form to report a broadband dead zone, progress on the plan and more. I am intrigued by the Share Your Stories form.  As far as I can tell submissions are not posted on the website.  What are they using them for?  I think it would be wonderful if they were made public.  I also think libraries should allow patrons to share their stories with us.  I’d love to hear stories from the community about how the library has helped them or could help them. Read More FCC Proposes Digital Literacy Corps – be sure to read the comments. International Briefing on the U.S. National Broadband Plan Digital Literacy Corps to Bring Widespread Training? Key Takeaways for Libraries from FCC National Broadband Plan Why Foundations of All Kinds Should

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Librarians Play a Vital Role in 21st Century Literacies

February 16, 2010
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We know it, but no one else seems to. Many organizations are looking at the definition of literacy and expanding it to include the knowledge and skills it takes to be an active participant in today’s society. What baffles me as I read through reports and recommendations from so many organizations is the lack of mention of libraries and librarians.  There are a few such as this one from the Report from the Knight Commission: Recommendation 7: Fund and support public libraries and other community institutions as centers of digital and media training, especially for adults. or this one in a white paper from the MacAuthor Foundation If anything, these traditional skills assume even greater importance as students venture beyond collections that have been screened by librarians and into the more open space of the web. Some of these skills have traditionally been taught by librarians who, in the modern era, are reconceptualizing their role less as curators of bounded collection and more as information facilitators who can help users find what they need, online or off, and can cultivate good strategies for searching material. These are the only two I have found. Why are libraries missing? The only place most people can receive instruction on these new literacies

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Transliterate Divide – Working Definition

November 23, 2009
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Transliterate Divide – Working Definition

Transliterate Divide – The gap between people who have the skills to understand (read) and create (write) a message (information) and interact using a variety of tools across multiple media and platforms and the ability to apply those skills to new situations and formats and those who do not. My interest in transliteracy is tied to the skills one needs to be transliterate and determining the role of libraries in the acquisition and development of such skills.  Although the primary direction of my work and this blog is tied to the internet and digital content, transliteracy is not. I’ve been reading. A lot. Reading about literacy and all the different types of literacies, technology, the digital divide and anything specifically written about transliteracy.  My research and subsequent note-taking on a relatively new term (the practice is in no way new) has created a need for definitions.  What about those who are not transliterate, un-transliterate, non-transliterate, transilliterate?  I don’t know, I gave up on moved on leaving the decision, if any, to individuals wiser than me. This lead to my next issue, since I’m more interested in the skills and the development of those skills, I am interested in the divide between those with the skills

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Commentary On the Digital Divide from the Chief Executives of Netflix & CommonSenseMedia

November 4, 2009
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Commentary On the Digital Divide from the Chief Executives of Netflix & CommonSenseMedia

If you’re thinking about transliteracy you almost have to be thinking about the digital divide. What does it mean? Is it real? How will we close the gap? This New York Times piece Will the Digital Divide Close by Itself? From the Google’s Breakthrough Learning in a Digital Age provides a look at and arguments about the digital divide from two different perspectives. From Jim Steyer, chief executive of CommonSense Media and co-sponsor of the event “every kid needs to be digitally literate by the 8th grade” and called for a major public education campaign to make that happen. He argued that technology and learning are synonymous and that schools, parents, and kids must get up to speed in the next five years. On the other hand: Reed Hastings, the founder and chief executive of Netflix, contradicted him directly, saying it would take well more than five years to bridge the divide. Mr. Hastings, an avid education philanthropist and proponent of school reforms, argued that at the advent of any new technology — television, cars, even rockets — people get riled up and wring their hands over a growing gap between the haves and have-nots. He said that gaps narrow naturally

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Libraries and Transliteracy – the video version

October 7, 2009
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I took my slideshow on transliteracy and turned it into a video.  I was curious about how easy it was to turn a slideshow into a video (its super easy!) so I thought I’d try it.  Most of my presentations aren’t meant to stand alone and so don’t really translate well to video. When I was putting the transliteracy one together I wanted it to be able to stand alone, so I thought I’d give it a try. A little self indulgent I know But anyway here it is. Learn more about transliteracy Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Share on FriendFeed Buzz it up Share on netvibes share via Reddit Share with Stumblers Tumblr it Buzz it up Subscribe to the comments on this post Print for later Tell a friend

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photo by Beth Tribe

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