I thought it was a little disturbing that Luisa had to save up for three years to buy a computer. The technology gap article that I wrote about previously stated that a Bangladesh worker would need to save for his salary for eight years to buy a computer while an American would only need to save one month’s salary. This movie shows that a disparity this large is not just an international problem. Luisa put a face to the racial ravine and the way income gaps lead to information gaps.
Equally disturbing is a high school with no music, arts, or sports. This seems very Brave New World to me. Were these kids learning about history? Would they even know about the warnings of 1984? I agree with the woman who said that schools shouldn’t be “training grounds.” If schools train their students to think well, then they should be able to learn these computer skills quickly in the workforce if they need them. It is important to be well rounded. When Travis went to get a job, he even said it was hard because there are 10,000 other people who can do the same job. But if he had had some extra or special skill, that would have been an asset.
I also thought Travis’s friends were interesting. They had a content problem (from the 4C’s) because as Travis said they just weren’t interested in computers, not even in chat-rooms or email. This is odd to me since from personal experience I have seen these kind of personal interactions are what draw people to the internet. Perhaps the problem here is that they don’t have anyone on the other end. For example, I have had an email address since I was seven, and I would regularly email family members, but if these kids don’t have family or friends who are connected to the internet than it has no appeal. But someone has to initiate this kind of online social capital. Someone has to get an email address first. Maybe Travis was the first step and will eventually inspire them to learn to use computers.
Someone in the movie also mentioned that technology was a new civil rights movement. This is an interesting perspective since it seems to have alienated minorities more than empower them. The important point here though is that it has the potential to empower these groups if CTC’s are available and they take advantage of their access to information and improved communication abilities.
Video Reflection
14 years ago
2 comments:
I agree that it is extremely important for students to be well-rounded. If there are no potential jobs for students starting out in the digital field and they have no other experience, then they will be stuck contemplating another school, trying to formulate an alternative plan, or just continuing the job search. So even students that have a desire to cross the digital divide sometimes fail and are left at step one again. I am sure this would be discouraging to put so much effort into something you were passionate about and just fall short.
Very interesting point on social capital and needing someone to initiate that type of contact. Also I thought you have a really good point on the whole technology was a new civil rights movement statement and agree that we need to empower these groups to better take advantage of their surroundings.
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