Mod 6: Addressing the Digital Divide

As a leader in educational technology, I see it as my responsibility to ensure that access is available to all who desire it. Gender differences do not typically offer any challenges as men and women are equally represented and given access to the technology that is available in the settings I am involved with.

Cultural differences are also minimized but the difference is usually felt generationally rather than strictly by geographic cultural climates. The younger generations are typically more adapted and accepting to technology and see it as a natural extension of our innate abilities. The older generations can be resistant to change or see technology as unnecessary “toys.”

The sensitivity that needs to be monitored the most in settings I work is socioeconomic. There are a lot of people who think that everyone has a computer and/or access to the internet. There are a good many families that are rural, poor, and/or migrant in nature and they do not have the means or consistent surroundings to make the investment in electronic technology. Oddly, these same families invariably will have cell phones, including for their children, which can give them access, although it may be limited.

My responsibility is to be cognizant of these , and any other considerations, and do what I can to level the playing field so all have access and can take advantage of the benefits of technology in learning and life in general.

When deciding which DVD to view for our assignment in module four, I choose Minority report. To get the DVD I went to my library (I have two on the list, Minority Report and Total Recall). If I did not have it, I would have ordered it through Netflix (instant watch if it was available). My TV and BluRay player both have the capability to stream from Netflix so that would have been the most convenient method.

The current competition between DVDs and Video-On-Demand (VOD) fits Thornburg’s description of Red Queens whereas two competing entities are rapidly developing their product to maintain their market share (2008). DVDs have moved from the video store to the more convenient (and cheaper) online or at-the-market kiosk. VOD is increasing the title availability but still lags in the “new release” category often several weeks behind the other methods. Netflix actually offers both services putting them in the unique position of probable sustainability with either format prevailing.

As far as DVD and VOD as referenced to McLuhan’s tetrad (enhances, obsoletes, reverses, and retrieves) I think that VOD enhances availability and obsoletes the DVD. As VOD libraries improve and more people get connected, the idea of having to load a DVD and deal with the potential problem of disc damage and getting and returning them, will relegate DVDs to those people who want to have the enhanced content material.

Web Resources
- The Staying Power of the DVD vs. VOD

(This post is dated as it reffers to the now defunct Blockbuster Video store as an example, but still has relevance).

- Studios Giving Up on DVD, Pushing VOD Instead

Reference
Thornburg, D. (2008). Red Queens, butterflies, and strange attractors: Imperfect lenses into emergent technologies. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.