Communications-Related Headlines for January 11, 2000

Headlines Extra:
Digital Divide 1/11/2000

IS THERE A PROBLEM HERE?

THE DIGITAL DIVIDE STOPS HERE
[Op-Ed] "A chicken in every pot, a computer in every home." Recalling a social pledge of a prior era, Carolyn Lochhead outlines an argument against the role of government, relying on the argument that philanthropic and governmental efforts are wasteful in the face of market initiatives. "We have arrived at the quintessential social issue for a time of rampant prosperity: the Digital Divide. The concept is an exquisite blend of the glamour of the Internet with an enduring concern for those who have been left behind. The name is as clever as a Madison Avenue ad campaign, a carefully honed jingle that crystallizes the issue so well that the very words 'Digital Divide' halt further thought," writes Lochhead. Unlike old-fashioned technologies like TV, politicians worry, the Internet has not yet reached the poor. President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore announced last month a big new push to close this Digital Divide. But not long after the announcement Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Best Buy announced partnerships with Internet providers to bring service "to the masses all by themselves...Attention K-Mart Shoppers: Cheap Internet access will arrive a lot sooner at the strip mall than at the Federal government's Community Technology Centers." [SOURCE: The San Francisco Chronicle, Pg. 2, 1/9/2000, AUTHOR Carolyn Lochhead]

MIND THE GAP: THE DIGITAL DIVIDE AS THE CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM
[Op-Ed] "In the most basic sense, the digital divide is the ever-growing gap between those people and communities who have access to information technology and those who do not. The digital divide may seem like an intangible concept to some, but studies have begun to articulate it in no uncertain terms. The digital divide is one of the most important civil rights issues facing our modern information economy. As telecommunications increasingly entwines itself with educational, social, financial, and employment opportunities, those communities lacking access will find themselves falling further behind the rest of society.... As we try to develop a long-term strategy for combating the divide, we ask: Is the digital divide essentially an access issue? ... Giving people access to technology is important, but it's just one of many issues that need to be considered. The digital divide is real, and it will only get worse if we ignore it." [SOURCE: Multimedia Schools Online, AUTHOR: Andy Carvin, Senior Associate, Benton Foundation]

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ED TECH

O.K., SCHOOLS ARE WIRED. NOW WHAT?
Issue: EdTech
The average public school now has at least one multimedia computer for every 10 students. And in 1999, 90 percent of public schools had Internet access, according to Market Data Retrieval. Increased computer access in the classroom has brought increased questions and concerns over the worth of wiring every classroom and the proper use of the new technology tools. "Starting children on computers too early is far worse than starting them too late," Dr. Jane M Healy wrote in _Failure to Connect_, a 1998 book exploring whether computers hamper children's progress in the classroom. Nevertheless, with nearly $1.5 [sic] billion spent annually by the federal government and shipments of new and used computers arriving in school districts every day, most educators agree that computers are here to stay. "We have to move beyond that debate, and think about what we can do to take advantage of this technology," said the Benton Foundation's Andy Carvin. Models exist. Visit Murry Bergtraum High school New York City, in lower Manhattan. Walk into Ted Nellen's 11th-grade class, watch how he has integrated email, independent study, and group discussion into his "CyberEnglish" class. However, not all are as radical, adept, or as prepared as Nellen. Teachers argue that if they want to see proof that the effort is worth it. "It really makes you wonder," Carvin said. "If you are going to spend billions of dollars wiring all these classrooms, is it going to make any difference if teachers are still going to teach the way they did 30 years ago?" [SOURCE: New York Times, Education Life, AUTHOR: Lisa Guernsey]

DEPT. OF EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY GRANTS FOR TEACHERS
Issue: EdTech/Teacher
Training The U.S. Department of Education announced $48 million in new grants. The grants are to be awarded to consortia of higher education institutions, state agencies, school districts, nonprofit organizations, and others actively working to transform teacher education programs into "21st century learning environments." The grants will be awarded on three levels. Application guidelines for the fiscal year 2000 competition are available and can be downloaded from (www.ed.gov/teachtech) or via email. Eight regional application workshops have been scheduled to help prospective applicants better understand the Department's approach to implementing the competitive grant process. You may obtain a copy of the guidelines by mail by contacting the Education Publications Center: ED Pubs, PO Box 1398, Jessup, MD 20794-1398; 1-877-4ED Pubs (1-877-433-7827); TDD: 1-877-576-7734; Fax: 301-470-1244; www.ed.gov/pubs/edpubs.html; or call the program office at 202.502.7788 or send an email to Teacher_Technology@ed.gov. [Source: Dept. of Education]

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PUBLIC/PRIVATE SOLUTIONS

CUOMO ANNOUNCES HUD COMPUTER CENTERS NOW IN EVERY STATE
Issue: Public Initiatives
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo announced January 4, that more than 550 Neighborhood Networks computer centers are now serving low-income residents of HUD-subsidized housing in every state. The Neighborhood Networks centers serve residents of privately owned housing subsidized or insured by HUD for low-income families. With recent openings in Montana and South Dakota, the centers have expanded to all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Another 700 centers are in various stages of planning. With input from residents, centers create comprehensive programs and services that provide computer job training, General Equivalency Diploma certification for high school dropouts, Internet access, health care, education, microenterprise development, transportation, child care, senior/youth programs and social services. HUD's original goal was to create 500 Neighborhood Networks centers by the year 2000. In 1996, 40 Neighborhood Networks centers opened. By August 1997, the number increased nearly six fold to 225 centers. One year later, upwards of 390 centers had started up. More than 100 centers opened in 1999. [SOURCE: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development]

THIS INTERNET START-UP LOOKS TO CONQUER AN ONLINE DIVIDE
Issue: Private Initiatives
As the executive director of the not-for-profit group Computers for Youth, Elisabeth Stock is trying to bring affordable Internet access to the homes of minority children who otherwise wouldn't have it, and back it up with relevant Web content and technical support. "People think the digital divide is about access or technology, but it's about a lot more," she says. "There's all these other pieces -- tech support, content and training." A crucial piece of bringing Internet access to the children is distributing used PCs to families, but that's just the start: In Ms. Stock's view, such efforts to bridge the "digital divide" will fail if the children don't find online content tailored for them or are frustrated because they can't get the technical support they need. "It helps to get a computer at home -- you're able to get more done," she says. "At school, the computers were mostly used by other people." Computers for Youth's focus on the home is against the trend. Federal programs favor public access points - housing, libraries and schools. Ms. Stock, however, believes that providing PCs for family households goes most directly to the disparity in Internet access. "We figure if the problem is in the home, let's solve the problem in the home," she says. Ms. Stock got the idea for her program during a stint as a White House fellow in the office of the Vice President, when she developed Computers for Learning, a program that allowed federal agencies to donate computers directly to schools. In February 1999, she accepted a job at Computers for Youth. Within a year, she had persuaded Microsoft to donate about $150,000 worth of software, New York City Internet provider Panix to offer low-cost Internet access, and iVillage to publish content on its site customized for Computers for Youth. Funding came from Home Box Office, Citigroup and the U.S. Department of Education and the New York City Board of Education, which is allowing Computers for Youth to use warehouse space in Long Island City to store donated machines before they're distributed to students. [SOURCE: Wall Street Journal (Interactive Edition), AUTHOR: Timothy Hanrahan]

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CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTS

NTIA TECHNOLOGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS
January and February, 2000
Sponsor: NTIA Free regional Technical Assistance Workshops to discuss the TOP, (formerly TIIAP), grant program's funding priorities, application requirements, and lessons learned from previous TOP grantees. The Technical Assistance Workshops will be held:

Assistant Secretary Rohde will hold a special briefing for interested parties in Washington, D.C. on January 19, 2000, at the Department of Commerce, Room 4830, at 2:00 p.m. The press is invited to attend. For more information call (202) 482-2048, or e-mail to: top@ntia.doc.gov. [Details & Registration : www.ntia.doc.gov]

NEW IT-NEW EQUITY-NEW ECONOMY
February 1, 2000
Washington, DC Sponsor: Athena Alliance Athena Alliance, "a non-profit organization dedicated to public education and research on the emerging global information economy and the networked society," is sponsoring a one-day conference and workshop on the inclusion of all Americans in the digital economy and society at the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, DC on February 1, 2000. [Details & Registration : www.athenaalliance.org/confer.html]

THE BRIDGE BUILDERS CONFERENCE...OVER THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
February 17-18, 2000
Wilmington, Delaware Sponsor: BellAtlantic; Delaware Dept. of Education; Delaware Dept. of Labor Business, community and education leaders will join federal agencies including the U.S. Depts. of Education, Labor, HHS, HUD and SBA to develop strategies and action steps that will improve access to technology and the Internet at this Mid-Atlantic regional conference. $99 registration fee with scholarships available. Special room rate available through Wyndham Garden Hotel by Jan. 16. (Phone: (302) 655-0400). Limited Seating. [Details & Registration: DTI Associates, (703) 299-1638 or http://www.bridgingthedivide.org/]