[Air-l] air-l Digest, Vol 23, Issue 6: OLPC discussion

[Dr. Laura Little]

I am certain that many would have made that comment about Appalachians. 
Which brings about another topic: how about closing the digital divide 
in the United States too, in both the urban and rural areas?

Laura

Andre Brock wrote:

>This has been an incredibly frustrating conversation.  conversations
>about inequality and stratification do little to address the fact that
>there are millions of Africans who already use ICTs and would welcome
>the chance to have their own laptop for themselves or for their
>children.
>
>don't assume that because its Africa that the need or capacity to use
>ICTs is somehow diminished because their utilities lack the stability
>and reliability of Western networks.  After all, the United States has
>some of the most reliable ICT infrastructure in the world and still
>has higher rates of illiteracy and ICT-non participation than many
>smaller, poorer countries.  ICT adoption, in a world increasingly
>inundated with the awareness of information as a tool, rests not
>simply upon the possession of the material artifact but much more so
>on the possibility of using information to improve one's life chances.
>
>The comment about using a laptop as a shovel?  completely out of line
>and insulting.   Would you have made that comment about rural Chinese
>or Appalachian hill people?
>
>Andre
>
>  
>

-- 
Laura J. Little, Ed.D. 
Instructional Technologist/Director, Title III Grant
Marietta College
Marietta, OH
littlea at marietta.edu
(740)376-4815
http://www.marietta.edu/~littlea/

"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."
Alan Kay