July/August Fast Company Article

Across The Great Divide by Sara Terry

Reading this article really hit home for me as I have thought about this very issue many times living in a diverse community. The article "Across the Great Divide," looks at the growing gap that separates the "techo-haves from the have -nots" and how the divide is about "computer access" to some, about "teaching computer skills" to others and about "social change" to yet others - and of course these "others" would fall into the "haves" group when it comes to technology.

The issue of the "have and the have-nots" really hit me when we got our first home computer five years ago. It was almost immediately that I could see how my daughters were going to benefit greatly from an educational and technology standpoint. Then, when we added Internet access, the issue became even clearer. I realized that my daughters would be part of the "have" group, but couldn't help but thinking of all the kids that weren't.

The article focused on the inner-city populations comprised of blacks and Hispanics, but never once mentioned the possibility of this problem existing in the rural areas. We maybe don't have the population base, but the issue of the "techno-haves and have-nots" is clearly an issue here as well. Although diversity does play a factor, it isn't just about diversity here, as the article seems to focus on - as the "have-nots" here include more than just blacks and Hispanics - they include all ethnic groups.

Another big difference is the ability to create change via large corporate donations. The article mentioned several large corporate companies that had given significant donations - something that rural communities don't see.

I don't mean to sound negative, because even though we may not have the big donations available, we do have other things to our advantage that come as part of being a smaller community. Grants for rural states have helped our schools become more "connected" by Internet access and ITV technology. So, there are ways that we are breaking down the "divide" on a level playing field through public education.

But every year at County Fair time I am reminded that we have a long way to go. As exhibits enter the building for the evaluation process, it is easy to see the divide. During the summer, many young people don't have access to a computer or the Internet. So, as an educator, how do we help to close that divide? Well, it isn't easy, but I do know that making sure that the judges/evaluators are reminded that we need to evaluate the project - not the technology that is used in the project presentation is a start. Fortunately, many of the evaluators that we use for county fairs are also classroom teachers, so they are very aware of the issue and are very tuned in to the "learning" that has occurred instead of the "technology" used.

As we move forward in training evaluators, we need to be intentional in our trainings to point out that it is the "learning" that is to be evaluated. And, as we move forward in a world of technology, we need to help and support any possibilities that would narrow the divide that aren't be dependent on big dollar contributions.

-- Anonymous, June 19, 2000