From: technews <technews@ou.edu>
To: "'it-fyi@listserv.ou.edu'" <it-fyi@lists.ou.edu>
Subject: it-fyi announcement: 2-part "Digital Divide" series premieres Ja
Date: Mon, 13 Dec 1999 11:12:34 -0600
>From http://www.pbs.org/digitaldivide/ :
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Computers are increasingly conditioning the kind of country we live in.
DIGITAL DIVIDE shines a light on the role computers play in widening social
gaps throughout our society, particularly among young people. By providing
equitable and meaningful access to technology we can ensure that all
children step into the 21st Century together.
Produced by Studio Miramar for the Independent Television Service (ITVS),
with funds provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, DIGITAL
DIVIDE premieres nationwide on PBS January 28, 2000 at 9pm.
DIGITAL DIVIDE is a two-part series for PBS that explores how the rapid
spread of computer technology is affecting young people across the country.
Narrated by Queen Latifah, the series asks the question: is everyone
participating equally, if at all, in the Digital Revolution? And are "wired"
kids being taught how to use computers in ways that enhance instead of
replace traditional learning skills? Through interviews with innovators
around the country who are bridging the digital divide in the classroom and
in the streets, the series explores some of the best practices for using
technology effectively at school and in the home.
The series focuses on the many aspects of the digital divide, exploring how
the issues plays out in terms of education, employment, race, and gender.
COMPUTER CLASSES, hour one, looks at the huge variances which exist in the
quality and quantity of computer education in our schools. While many
"model" or "magnet" schools have the latest equipment and excellent teacher
training, this is not the norm. As the series uncovers, even schools with
computers often have out-of-date technology and/or teachers who don't know
how to use the technology, much less integrate it into their curriculum.
COMPUTER CLASSES invites the viewer to take a further look at the push to
wire America's schools and consider the next question - what exactly are
schools doing with all the new technology once they get it? Are teachers
being adequately trained? Is the money being used to buy computers being
drained from other areas, like music, art and physical education? And what
is the best role for corporate partnerships in education? COMPUTER CLASSES
visits several schools across the country and shows what they are doing to
give their students the skills required for success in the global economy.
VIRTUAL DIVERSITY, hour two, looks at computer access beyond the classroom.
Analysts and experts across the country point out that only by creating
access to computers at home and in the community can disadvantaged youth not
be left behind in the digital age. Through the voices of children from New
York City to Austin to Silicon Valley, the film explores the economic and
cultural challenges faced by some minority residents who are eager to
participate in the Information Age. It also showcases a variety of
successful local initiatives that are finding innovative ways to bridge
these gaps.
Beyond the issue of equal access, the episode also explores the fundamental
alienation that some girls and students of color share about the field of
technology. The film asks, if technology is race and gender blind, then why
there are so few women and even fewer minorities working in the technology
industry? Through the experiences of middle school girls, the film reveals
that both the dynamics of a co-ed classroom as well the content of much of
the software made available to them often discourages girls from mastering
computers. VIRTUAL DIVERSITY shows that only by increasing access, fostering
a climate of inclusion, and offering meaningful content to this generation
of girls and youth of color, can we ensure that all children step into the
21st century together.
The DIGITAL DIVIDE series was created by award-winning multimedia production
company, Studio Miramar, for ITVS with funds provided by the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting. DIGITAL DIVIDE airs nationally on PBS January 28, 2000
at 9:00 p.m. Check local broadcast listings at ITVS
(http://www.itvs.org/digitaldivide/broadcast.html).