Hi All,
Agreed - the digital divide is about physical access to technology and
cognitive access.
Cognitive access has several dimensions:
1. Traditional literacy skills, computers are cemplemetary not
compensatory. If you can't read you can't use them.
2. New literacy skills - Internet/network literacy, media/multimedia
literacy, ICT literacy, computer literacy, visual literacy,
human-computer interface literacy. A whole set of new literacy skills
come with the technology. Traditional literacy skills don't necessarily
mean that the user is proficient in these new literacies.
3. Information literacy - an overarching term that includes all the
literacies above plus information/knowledge management, thinking skills
(problem-solving, critical analysis) and being able to use/work with
information.
Information literacy is a complex concept that embraces a multitude of
skills. The skills and thinking are constant, the technology is
constantly changing. If we continue to get hung up on the
tools/technology ($100 laptops for instance), we fail to bridge the
widest part of the digital divide - the cognitive aspect.
:)
BC
Vice President, Advocacy & Promotion, IASL: http://www.iasl-slo.org/
LIS@ECU: http://www.chs.ecu.edu.au/portals/LIS/index.php
Transforming Information and Learning Conference
http://conferences.scis.ecu.edu.au/TILC2007/
Barbara Combes, Lecturer
School of Computer and Information Science Edith Cowan University, Perth
Western Australia
Ph: (08) 9370 6072
Email: b.combes@ecu.edu.au
"Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that
of an ignorant nation." Walter Cronkite
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-----Original Message-----
From: School Library Media & Network Communications
[mailto:LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Becky Vasilakis
Sent: Thursday, 22 November 2007 7:25 AM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: [LM_NET] Computers vs. Books
It is not about books vs. technology. Reading for pleasure or
informtion in a book or on a computer is reading. Is reading
Shakespeare off the computer make it any less Shakespeare? Until a
computer is totally functional through sound and voice commands, unless
you are a strong reader a computer is useless. Poor reading and
writing skills are really what the digital divide is about. You can get
a computer at a public library. I have yet to see a strong reader at
any age not be able to pick up how to use a computer. Poor readers will
never be able to fully function in a computer/technology driven world.
And that's the message that should be driven home to education policy
makers.
Becky Vasilakis
District Library Media Specialist
Amanda Clearcreek SD
328 E. Main St.
Amanda OH 43102
1-740-969-7480
becky_vasilakis@amanda.k12.oh.us
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