Thursday, April 30, 2009



By: Cassy, Ally, Olivia, Megan, Kris, and Dave

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

LIS Video Project by Sec. 305 - Group 1

This video's focus is on where UW-Madison students prefer to study, what their favorite third place is, and if any of these habits have changed since they first started school here.





Video by Jeremy, Jessica, Emily, Bill, Kyle, and Rebecca

Enjoy.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Group 3: Video Project on Digital Access


By Mayumi, Sammy, Joe, Pati, Zach, and Igor

Video Group #4


Our video focuses on what we found on our trip to the Madison Public Library,

By: Laura, Aaron, Mike, Drew, and Yufei

Monday, April 6, 2009

Exam 2: Main Points From Crossing the Divide

  • In order to thrive in the new workplace, it's important to understand the digital divide because technology is the "gateway to the new economy"
  • Showed that access to a computer at a young age was critical to success later on (in suburbs access was usually higher than intercity neighborhoods)
  • Communicated that blue-collar jobs no longer support a family and that the manufacturing age is over; information jobs are taking over and there are new skills needed in order to be successful in those fields
  • New Tech High School: created by educators and business people who wanted to prepare students technologically to succeed in the business world and provide them with connections and opportunities with jobs right out of high school. It was a project based curriculum where kids worked mainly in groups. They didn't, however, support extra curriculars and the library had no books. This brought up some criticism because some believe that a well-rounded education is important and that "schools shouldn't be about making a living but about making a life."
  • Barriers to main characters: economic status, language/cultural barriers, race, and lack of access to technology/information (mainly at a young age)

Midterm review

• What set of features and technologies describe the various industrial revolutions?
• Revolutions:
• 1) Steam engine (18th century) – replacement of hands by tools (machines). Workplace: workshop. Organization structure: serve forever
• 2) Development of large-scale factory (late 19th century) – electricity, telephone, engine (car). Workplace: factories (massive productions), more people involved in labor. Organization structure: large vertical hierarchy, factory, and assembly line.
• 3) Informationalism (late 20th century). Key tech: personal computers, Internet. Workplace: offices. Org structure: horizontal networks
• Define and understand the concept of informationalism – emergence of a new stage of global capitalism. It takes place during the 1970’s with the surging of personal computers and telecommunications. There are four features that distinguish Informationalism:
A) The driving of science and technology of economic growth
B) A shift from material production to information processing
C) The emergence and expansion of new forms of networked industrial organizations
D) A rise of socioeconomic globalization
• What are the new categories of workers (as opposed to the old categories of blue-collar and white-collar workers)? The new categories of workers are A) Routing production workers: labor work just like blue-collar workers
• B) In-person service workers: customer service that requires some knowledge but it is very basic
• C) Symbolic analysts: require knowledge and expertise

Exam Review #2

Understand the difference between stratification and normalization as it relates to technological diffusion

Both are theories of how the internet will diffuse into the rest of society
  • Normalization
Optimistic view
Those who adapt to innovations early will be ahead of the curve and at the beginning social inequalities will widen the digital divide.
However, gap only temporary as eventually penetration will become saturated and prices will drop making the technology more readily available to everyone
The gap then closes and everyone is equal and on the same level technology wise.
  • Stratification
Pessimistic view
Those already well networked with technology will maintain their edge and those lagging behind will always be at a disadvantage.
The digital divide will never close

What are the characteristics of people who are most likely to be online?
The most general characteristics include...
  • White
  • Educated
  • Young
Other characteristics like gender do not play as big of a part. However, social class can greatly affect individual's access and capability to use the internet as well.

Exam 2 Review

Van Dijk defines access as four compnents:
  • Mental Access - lack of interest, computer anxiety, and unattractiveness of new technologies
  • Material Access - not having the possession of hardware, computers, and network connections that are required
  • Skills Access - lacking digital skills because of inadequate literacy, education, or social support
  • Usage Access - not having the opportunities in which to use ICTs

Exam 2 review

(My little disclaimer here. I'm answering these questions based on my memory. I think the answers are accurate but would feel better if someone could leave a comment either commending me for giving a right answer or cussing me out because I gave false information, don't be shy, you can use four letter words.)

What factors does Compaine suggest increase the adoption of computer and internet use?

One of Compaine's main examples was how he bought a PC in 1980 and how it was prohibitively expensive and offered very little in the way of services and programs. He then bought another computer later, it was slightly cheaper and offered a heck of a lot more power. He then compared his computer to those that were available at the time his article was written, those computers were even more powerful and cheaper than the one he had bought a few years earlier. The conclusion he drew from this was that as technology progresses it becomes cheaper and more affordable which allows those who are poorer to acquire the technology.

How does Compaine describe access in this article

Compaine describes access in this article as having the object. This is very convenient because this allows you to give a laptop to people in third world countries and say, "He is now enlightened!" and then leave. Being able to actually utilize the technology is not part of Compaine's definition. Granted, you will become more efficient at using the technology the more you mess around with it...

How does James's critique differ from Compaine's?

James does not believe that the problems associated with the digital divide have been solved. He also defines access differently (I think). He believes that access is having the technology and the know-how to utilize it. He does not believe the digital divide is something that will work itself out without external assistance.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Information Society

van Dijk, J. and Hacker, K. (2003). The digital divide as a complex and dynamic phenomenon. Information Society, 19:315-326.

How does van Dijk define access?

From pg 315—316
1.“Lack of elementary digital experience caused by lack of interest, computer anxiety, and unattractiveness of the new technology (“mental access”)”
2.“No possession of computers and network connections (“material access”)”
3.“Lack of digital skills caused by insufficient user friendliness and inadequate education or social support (“skills access”)”
4.“Lack of significant usage opportunities (“usage access”)”

What are the different types of digital skills?


From pg 319
Instrumental skills: “the ability to operate hardware and software”
Informational skills: “operating digital equipment and…searching information using digital hardware and software”
Strategic skills: “using information for one’s own purpose and position”

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Exam 2 review

How does Warschauer define access?
  • Ownership of a computing device is only a part of ICT access. ICT access also requires connection to the Internet as well as the skills and understanding to use the computer and the Internet socially valued ways
What set of features and technologies describe the various industrial revolutions?
  • The first industrial revolution followed the invention of the steam engine in the eighteenth century and was characterized by the replacement of hand tools by machines, mostly in small terized by the replacement of hand tools by machines, mostly in small workshops.
  • The second followed the harnessing of electricity in the nineteenth century and was characterized by the development of large-scale factory production.
  • The third revolution came to fruition in the 1970s with the diffusionof the transistor, the personal computer, and the telecommunications.
Define and understand the concept of informationalism.
  • Informationalism represents a third industrial revolution. It has four features: the driving role of science and technology for economic growth; a shift from material production to information processing; the emergence and expansion of new forms of networked industrial organization; and the rise of socioeconomic globalization.

What are the new categories of workers? What do they do?

  • In person service workers( janitors, hospital attendants, taxi drivers) routine production workters ( data processors, payroll clerks, and factory workers) symbolic analysts ( software engineers, management consultants, strategic planners)
  • They may use computers or the Internet in their jobs, but the first two do so in routine ways, whereas the last make use of ICT for analysis and interpretation of data; creation of new knowledge; international communication and collaboration; and development of complex mutimedia products.