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The Digital Divide and Digital Equity- Blog Post #4

The digital divide is something that has transformed over the years. Pazurek and Feyissa describe the beginning as “The term digital divide was originally introduced in the 1990s to refer to the gap between individuals who have access to ICTs and those who do not” (Pazurek & Feyissa, 2015). Over time though, there has been more included then just if someone has access to the internet, it not brings in the quality and quantity received. An example I have from my personal life is that for a long time growing up, I only had one computer to share with my two other sisters. This made it so we had to compete over who got to use it. This is why it is important to consider Digital Equity over digital equality. Digital inclusion describes it as “a condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy and economy” (NDIA 2019). Digital Equity considers more then just access to the internet, it refers to having enough access as well as education of the internet to be able to use it. The NDIA also has other definitions that can help to understand this concept more on this page https://www.digitalinclusion.org/definitions/. 

One solution to the digital divide could be pushing the idea of digital equity and applying th solutions to areas in the world that are in need of internet access. Something important to note about digital equity is that it takes in several factors, including cost and accessibility of the internet. Schweiger states that “This will require that cities aggressively pursue adoption among low-income households in the near term while simultaneously digging into the long game of securing access to the future-proof fiber”(Schweiger 2014). A major issue is that even if people are able to get access to the internet, they may not be able to afford the cost of it. We are in an emerging new world where connection is an important part of our learning and daily activities. If someone doesn’t have access to the internet, they may be missing out a way of learning or on events happening all around them. 

Access to internet, especially in the U.S is an essential part of daily life in the U.S. and not having access to it can be essential to education. As a college student, I would not be able to do many of my classes without having access to the internet, especially considering I have two classes that are completely online. But in Radovanovic’s article, she mentions that “Social inequalities are of course a big issue in information society, influencing media literacy, engagement in political, social, education life, and using the web in participation and collaboration in an online public sphere” (Radovanovic, 2011). If someone is not educated in how to use the internet, it can be kind of worthless, especially when putting a computer in front of kids. People can not just expect that kids will know to be safe on the internet if they have never been told the internet can be a dangerous place. Kids need to be taught how to use the internet. 

This video was an interesting video that talks about Digital Equity in the classroom:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfA-6Q3M6dE

Sources: 

https://www.digitalinclusion.org/definitions/

https://meetingoftheminds.org/digital-divide-digital-equity-10520 

http://sk.sagepub.com/reference/the-sage-encyclopedia-of-educational-technology/i3186.xml 

https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/digital-divide-and-social-media-connectivity-doesnt-end-the-digital-divide-skills-do/

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Digital Citizenship and Learner- Blog Post #3

Digital Citizenship may often be confused with Digital Literacy, but it takes that idea one step forward. While digital literacy equips learners with the tools to learn well online, teaching digital citizen encourages responsibility and safety online. There are nine important parts to digital citizenship: digital access, digital commerce, digital communication and collaboration, digital etiquette, digital fluency, digital health and welfare, digital law, digital rights and responsibility, and digital security and privacy (Otteson, 2018). In this way, learners are forced to treat the internet like it is it’s own society, with all of its own rules and regulations. When we think about the internet in this sense, it shows that we, as learners, have to work towards treating the other learners around us, as well as the platform we are using with a certain level of respect if we want to fully be engaged in that community. In the writing “Social media competence and digital citizenship among college students” go on to argue that digital citizenship is like a norms of behavior, as if there is some kind of common agreement to users (Xu, Yang, MacLeod, and Zhu, 2018). 

Now to further the claim that digital literacy is different from digital citizenship, it is important to look at the skill sets associated with digital literacy. Digital literacy is a lot more about developing skills around using the internet while digital citizenship focuses on the rules of the internet. Common sense media mentions that kids, but I think this can include all learners, essential digital literacy skills include “effective searching” and “understanding digital footprints” (. Both are very important for learners who want to gain knowledge from the internet because these two aspects act as if they are on the same digital coin. Both digital aspects are used to foster learning in a way that is respectful and helpful to everyone using it, while also protecting the privacy of the learner. 

To continue the idea that digital citizenship is for more then just children, it is important to examine college students and other adult learners. I, as an adult learner myself, use the internet almost everyday for my classes, whether that be to find helpful articles to include in my essay or posting a question online. If I did not know how to give credit to my sources or was unable to respectfully ask a question, I would be lost and confused. As an adult learner I think it is important to actively incorporate digital citizenship into learning, which means we have to be thinking about the different components of digital citizenship. While I think it is impractical to include every aspect, I think earners need to be focused on digital etiquette and digital communication and collaboration. As learners, it is important to share our knowledge with one another but we must know how to exchange this information to be successful. 

Teachers and Professors can also work to foster digital citizenship skills as well. Teachers have the freedom to memorize the basics with basics with their students from a young age, where professors may be meeting people who need to use digital media right away without having the time to actually learn all of the aspects of digital citizenship. Two ways that teachers and professors can teach digital citizenship is through training at the beginning of classes and out of class meetings(Starks, 2017). By having the requirement at the start of classes to learn about digital citizenship, it is putting everyone as a base level of knowledge, making sure every know at least a little bit of information. Then by having the outside meetings, it can allow learners who need supplemental knowledge in digital citizenship to seek the knowledge they need without missing a class. 

For More Information, Check out these sites: 

https://www.thetechedvocate.org/hosting-a-class-twitter-chat-in-your-classroom/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH6869bD8iU

Outside Sources: https://www.iste.org/explore/Digital-citizenship/3-ways-to-foster-digital-citizenship-in-schools

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/news-and-media-literacy/what-is-digital-literacy

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Blog Post 2- Social Media & Participatory Culture

When looking at modern culture, we seem to be in a participatory culture. This is a culture in which people are encouraged to create and explore their interests in an environment that supports collaboration (Jenkins, Puroshotma, Clinton, Weigel, & Robison, 2009). While participatory culture has been around for quite some time, it becomes enhanced when mixed with social media and other online websites. With social media, it is a lot easier to connect with a larger group of people. Not only that, it is a lot easier to find collaborators online because you can simple type in what you are interested and BOOM, there across the screen is a wide variety of sites that encourage different forms of content creation. With now more than 65% of teens producing some type of media, there are a lot of different things being put out on to the internet (Jenkins 2010). I know that I could have been including in that percentage of teens that produce online content when I was in middle school and high school. 

To me, I used sites like Quotev and Tumblr to share my stories and helped me feel more solid in my writing skills. With Quotev, it is a site dedicated to all different types of fiction, ranging from poetry to fanfictions. It’s like a melting pot of all these different writers that come together to help encourage writers. On that website, people can comment and also collaborate on stories. What I find most exciting about this website is that it is meant for users of all different levels. Hinton & Hjorth described best in Understanding Social Media by saying that other users could be “a person a bit like you who was armed with nothing more than their laptop or desktop computer, some technical skill, and a clever idea.” I think that working with peers can be a great way to get to know an audience you may be interested in making content for. 

Having my written works of art be validated encouraged me to post my visual art with my friends. My best friend in middle school introduced me to this site called deviant art that allows users to post their art works and receive feedback. The other great part about this website is that users can opt to sell their artwork through the website. While I never sold my own artwork, it was like a trial run exposure to selling artwork. As a teenager, I think it is important to experience different ways of turning a passion into a career and Deviantart was a great website to get started. The best part about being a user is that you are given access to a bunch of stats about people viewing your website and you get a chance to see what other users are interested in. Just like how Jenkins, Puroshotma, Clinton, Weigel, and Robison say in Confronting the challenges of participatory culture, older mentors are their to help out the novices. On Deviantart, other users can show their support to one another by being able to pay for premium accounts which gives the user access to more help and options on the website. Deviant art allowed for lots of feedback and also allowed me to keep exploring my passions in writing. 

Seeing as art and creativity has been something to follow me, I have acquired some more specific interests as an adult. One of these happens to tattoos as an art form. This is an interest I really had to start exploring on my own and youtube happened to be the perfect place to start. I used this as a jumping off point to join facebook groups that discuss tattoos. It is an environment where I learn a lot about the subject and get to learn about artists who work in the field. Not only do I find the group to be extremely resourceful, I find that it is filled with a welcoming community that encourages positive interactions between the members. Being a part of a community that welcomes all forms of expressions because it makes an environment that encourages creativity and the facebook group allows for people to post their artwork, even it doesn’t relate to tattoos at all. Which is great for me seeing as I am not a tattoo artist but I love exploring different forms of art.

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Blog Post #1- Effects of Social Media

People in the 21st century have a very interesting relationship with social media. Since new technologies have emerged and smart have become readily available, people now have a greater access to social media. Because of this change, people are now finding face to face communication less important. According to Common Sense Media, more teens prefer texting to talking in person. Talking over social media can free up more time because one doesn’t have to drive from place to place to video chat someone.  

While social media may expose teens and adults alike to negative comments, bigotry, and racism, people usually regard social media as having a more positive influence in one’s life. People learn to sift through the negative and find healthy, safe places to explore their interests. According to Common Sense Media, 25 percent of teens they studied say they felt less lonely because of social media. Social media is a great way to stay connected to friends when it is not possible to see them in person. Social media sites can also connect people from all over the world to one another. Social media apps have become a staple in the lives of both teens and adults and have experienced a large increase in the amount of people who use them. 

In may be true that social does have positive effects on teens, it can also lead some at risk teens to feel worse then they did before opening social media websites and apps. According to Common Sense Media, teens with low social-emotional well-being are more likely to experience negative effects when using social media, including an increased sense of exclusion and they are more likely to be cyber bullied. This is a sad reality because many of the teens going on to social media sites are looking for people to understand them and admire the unique traits that they possess. So when that is not found, it can leave some teens feeling even more lonely then did already.   

The truth is, social is never going to go away. People enjoy the instant gratification of getting someone to like their post and gaining more friends or followers. According to the PEW research center, 40 percent of all social media users would find it hard to give up social media. There are so many different types of social media sites that encourage all different types of expression. Nowadays, people have a plethora of sites to choose from, including Tumblr, Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook.