The importance of the Internet in a 21st century education is a given. It is barely possible to do research without the Internet. The Library of Congress, the Smithsonian, Black History, Latina History, pictures, videos, speeches—the main source of knowledge is no longer found in books, it’s found on the web.

We also know the digital divide is real. Recently, researchers from Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy presented an overview of their report on Digital Inclusion in San Francisco done with the Department of Technology and Information Services (DTIS). I won’t go in-depth here, but the findings are clear and pointed:

A digital divide does exist and clearly follows racial and economic lines. Significant gaps in libraries and technology centers are found in the neighborhoods where technology is least pervasive. A double whammy.

Without 24/7 connectivity as the norm, young people, especially students who dream of a college education, are at an overwhelming disadvantage. Material for high school exit exams and other standardized tests is in great abundance on the web, but try to locate offline help—it’s expensive, difficult to find, and often outdated. Entrance requirements and applications to college? Found on the web. Help and support for health issues? Found on the web.

Kids without access at home might get an hour online at school, maybe a couple of hours at the library. Not enough time to read or create blogs, wikis, podcasts, or RSS feeds; they won’t know VoIP, web 2.0, 3GP, MPEG-4, or any number of terms that are confusing now, but will be part of the lingua franca in five years. The scene plays out in obvious ways. Limited access to the Internet equals limited access to the information and inevitably limited access to the tools for success. It’s a no-brainer.

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Originally posted by Act Locally SF at Divine Caroline

Photo by robertogreco