EDUC 8848 Module 6

-
Closing the Global Divide
The question is: What can you do to help make emerging technologies valuable to others, while maintaining gender, cultural, and socioeconomic sensitivity?

Someone, somewhere along this scholarly journey once said that sometimes the best way to argue your point is to argue the counterpoint’s perspective first. I have decided to take this approach and boldly go where few have gone (slight distortion of Star Trek reference).

Soloway, Thornburg, and many others have proposed ideas and strategies to help close the digital divide not only within the U.S. but also globally. My scholarly colleagues, John and Lisa have made some excellent remarks and have posted some great resource links on the bottom of their blog pages which address closing this digital divide.

But for me, the most interesting statement came from Thornburg (Laureate Education, 2009) and is the second part of the opening question: " . . . while maintaining gender, cultural, and socioeconomic sensitivity."

I am all for fairness. I am all for equality. I am not against equal access to help others learn, grow, and achieve their dreams. But, let’s take a step away from this issue for one moment.

My American husband and I went to an Asian man’s funeral. We were the only non-Asians (so to speak because I am Asian, but born in this country) at the post-service buffet style meal. Every male went to the buffet table first. All women stayed seated until all men had gone through the line. Even the widow of the deceased did not approach the table. My American husband and I wanted to scream, “Woman first, especially the widow, what’s the matter with you people!” Of course we didn’t because “men first” is the Korean custom.

The point is why should we put our cultural beliefs on other cultures? Maybe they do not want equity. Maybe some societies still do not want women to have knowledge. Maybe their government’s success relies on having a percentage of poor, uninformed people. Not that I am a supporter of these types of thinking, but I am a supporter of respecting others, of varying perspectives, and of differences. It is almost ironic to me that we strive to support and respect diversity and cultural differences, but we want all cultures to have what we have. Is this like me saying, “Hey, woman should go first” because that’s the way we do it? Furthermore, is advocating digital equity a form of socialism and how do anti-socialists feel about that?

Soloway says every child should have a cell phone in school. But is that pushing his beliefs even on us as Americans?

Yes, in my perfect world, we would all be like Star Trek, where everyone gets along, everyone is equal, and we spend our time learning, thriving, and exploring, instead of fighting. But even Star Trek had a prime directive that stated that the fully developed, technological advanced Star Trek fleet could not interfere with the internal development or path of a society’s course.


Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2009). Diversity and globalism. [DVD]. In emerging and future technology. (Available from MBS Direct Virtual Bookstore, http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm)

Soloway, E. (n.d.). The digital divide: Leveling the playing field. [Podcast]. Laureate Education.
http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=3642809&Survey=1&47=5050260&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Soloway, E. (2009). Get cell phones into schools. http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jan2009/tc20090114_741903.htm