Digital Story

Before this class I never really thought about the topic of social justice. So far in this course i have learned much about social justice and the digital divide. It is a pretty interesting topic. I always knew that there were people without Internet access, access to computers, limited access, or no access at all. It really struck me that this was actually a pretty big problem in our society today. I guess you could say I was a little naive about the subject. I have always seen people with computers, laptops, smart phones, etc. I don't live in a secluded suburb or small town in the country either; I am from inner city Cleveland, which is where one might expect the largest digital divide according to the reading we have read so far. The inner city tends to have more minorities than suburbs, lower class citizens than suburbs, and so on. Also the study done by Facebook showed that minorities were less likely to have a Facebook account than whites. I am certainly not ragging on the inner city, minorities, or lower class citizens. I am merely stating that the inner city would be the most likely place for a digital divide and lack of broadband access. Not many people think of the digital divide in their day to day lives. This is a worldwide issue that needs to be addressed now. Technology keeps advancing every single day. There are constantly new phones, new laptops,desktops, new gaming systems, video cameras, etc. Technology is a great thing if it used correctly. Not only that, but we need to work as a society to bring technology to all parts of the world, all societies, all people. This may not be completely possible; for example, poverty is always going to be around us no matter what we do we cannot completely end poverty; I believe that we cannot completely bridge the gap of the technological haves and have-nots. It is possible to narrow the gap between these groups though. There are many ways this can be done, many steps that can be taken, but in the end, the result would ideally be a narrowing of the gap. To narrow the gap not only means getting access to computers and broadband, but also knowing how to use the computer and Internet. This can be the trickiest part; how do you teach a whole society of technologically illiterate people to use the Internet? Would you have classes for them to attend? Would you force them to go to school to learn the basics? A lot of people can learn things on their own. The extent of their knowledge definitely would not be to as high a level as it would be if someone taught them. but playing around and figuring out things is a very important skill, if you will, to learning how to use computers. I remember when my family got its first computer at home. We had dial-up Internet connection, which was very slow, and you could not use the telephone while on the Internet. My dad taught me a lot of things about the computer, and he had never taken classes on how to use it. He read the instructions and taught himself everything he knows about the computer. I taught myself a lot of what I know about computers also. I did take a class in high school on how to use many Microsoft programs, but I taught myself most of what I know. I don't think it very hard to learn the basics of computers. For my digital story I plan to address the digital divide, the aspects of race, and some social media sites. I have already learned a lot about these so far in this class. i plan to learn a lot more through my research. I plan on describing the digital divide from a number of perspectives through many facts.

Source 1
http://www.digitaldivide.org/
This source is completely dedicated to addressing the digital divide. It explains what the digital divide is, what can be done to stop the digital divide, and their innovative ways to stop the digital divide. i plan on using this site to help produce my digital story.

Source 2
http://www.bridgethedigitaldivide.com/
This source will also be a great help to my digital story. It is another website dedicated to bridging the gap between the technological haves and have-nots. They even have a link where you can donate computers to those who are less fortunate.

Weblog 6

I do not have a very good twitter literacy level. I have never used twitter before because I don't see the point to it. I know a lot of people that use twitter. I constantly hear people talking about twitter and hash tags and followers. I can understand a little bit of what they are talking about, but i don't understand all of it. My twitter literacy level is evolving by hearing other people talk about twitter. I still don't have much interest in getting a twitter account. I don't see what is so cool about reading everything that people say all day long. Twenty first literacy skills are different from what literacy originally meant. Twenty first century literature involves literacy and how well people use the technology in front of them. It involves being informed on how to use computers, cell phones, digital devices, etc. Originally literacy meant knowing how to read and write. That definition has completely changed in the twenty first century. Someone acquires these skills by being taught and/or teaching themselves. The more that one uses an electronic device, the more familiar you become with it. There are also classes that you can take to become more familiar and efficient with these devices. Some schools teach these twenty first century literacy skills, while others do not. More schools need to start teaching these skills so there are more twenty first century literate people. The relationship between technology, participatory culture, and twenty first century literacy is that they are all related in some way. Twenty first century literacy involves technology, and technology involves participation. However, there is a digital divide that limits the participation because a lot of people don't have access to computers and broadband.

Weblog 5

Weblog 5

Weblog 5

Weblog 5

I have been fortunate enough to have been able to use the internet for a number of things. I have had a computer for a while. I remember the first computer that my family bought. I used to take a computer class in elementary school, when i was pretty young. I remember learning how to use Microsoft Office, floppy disks, and other programs. I recently took a computer class in high school also which taught me a lot about computers and the internet. I am mostly a consumer of internet materials. I have never created much on the internet except on social media sites. I have never created my own website or anything like that. The internet is a great resource that I have had the privilege to use over and over again. It helps a great deal with school work, learning, and keeping in touch with people. I could not imagine living without internet access. This is a real thing though; there is a digital divide, and some people live with minimal access to the internet, while others have no access at all. This can lead to problems because more and more things are being done online from e-mails, to research, to finding jobs. The digital divide is a not only about internet access, but also about how well people are able to use it. For example, some people may have internet access, but have no idea how to use it efficiently. This is a problem that needs to be addressed in the near future.

Weblog 4

Weblog 4

Government policies have made it easier for some Americans to live in good neighborhoods, while others are forced into bad neighborhoods , and even poverty. The government used to allow discrimination and segregation in local communities. This was  not the worst part though. The minority's neighborhoods were appraised at lower income levels than the neighborhoods of the whites. This eventually led to the decay of neighborhoods, low income society, low property values, and poverty. The poor became poorer, while the rich became richer. This was a continuous cycle, that never ended. When these minorities would move into white neighborhoods, the whites would move out, property values would drop, then these neighborhoods would slowly decline. It was not about who was moving in, it was more about who was moving out of these neighborhoods. The government didn't do much to accommodate to the needs of the minorities. They would often give whites great loans, and minorities would be given cheap loans, if any at all. This allowed the whites to progress and have security for retirement, while minorities were forced to retire with very little security money. This cycle still continues to this day.

Weblog 3

     Miller believes that social justice is an object that can be distributed among the people of a community. He believes that we should all share in the "goods" of society. He believes that we should also share in the parts of society that are not so glorious, such as taxes and military service. Miller is an activist for the state stepping in to deem things socially just or unjust. He believes that it is the role of the state to enforce social justice. Miller's arguments relate to my two contrasting theories from Weblog 2 because his argument supports one of my theories of social justice and contradicts the other.
     First, Miller's arguments supports my theory that it is wrong to leave the child locked in the room, for the happiness of the community. Miller states that the goods of society should be shred equally among all the citizens. If this is true, then the child in Omelas should be able to be a part of the community, and not have to be locked up. Also, Miller states that the community must share in the "bad" parts of society also. If the city of Omelas has to sacrifice some of their happiness for the child to be set free, then they should do that. even if nobody wants to set the child free, it is the right thing to do. a good example of this is taxes. Nobody likes to pay taxes, but we must do it for the good of the whole community, and we all share in an experience that might not be so pleasant.
     Second, Miller's arguments contradict my theory of social justice for the parents of Omelas. They teach their children that it is right to leave the child in the dark, cold, dirty room. This is not just because, as Miller states, justice should be distributed evenly to the people of society. The child is not receiving any benefits or any happiness because he is locked in a room. How is justice being distributed here? Miller also believes that the state should intervene when necessary and enforce social justice. This does not happen at all in Omelas, their is either no authority, or the state does not step in to create justice.
     Miller makes some very good points that include sharing the "goods" of society, enforcement of justice from the state, sharing the "bads" of society, etc. My two contradicting theories both agree and contradict Miller's idea of social justice.