Mario Armstrong

[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Mario Armstrong and Marcus Brown, Antoinette Robinson. Antoinette Robinson said: RT @marioarmstrong: Video: Im sooo tired of reports suggesting the Digital Divide is closing! my video rant– http://bit.ly/cPxdUV [...]

so true. When NAACP/Rainbow PUSH was all about getting a computer in every home in the 90's I was skeptical. I later realized, most of the families I knew with computers (and proud of it) mostly used them to play solitaire and occasionally type of a paper.

Consumption is not enough

I love it. Thank you. The perspective that creation is the barometer for whether we're closing the divide is right on point. As a media literacy educator this is a wonderful conversation starter, along with the fiasco of the Shirley Sherrod case. Thanks again.

Peace, Andrea

[...] July 24, 2010 · Leave a Comment Extremely relevant point made by my favorite tech guru. http://www.marioarmstrong.com/2010/07/23/video-so-tired-of-reports-suggesting… [...]

Andrea, thankyou for taking the time to watch and comment! I love that someone as important as you and the role you play in education can take issues like these back to the classroom for discussion. Let's start a movement, pass the message to your students that we should expect and want a higher standard for measurement!

DNLee, thanks for sharing your experiences! Putting computers in every home is what we need BUT NOT without RELEVANCY and TRAINING. You are sooo right, when I worked for Mayor O'Malley as his Chief Technology Advocate in the Mayors office for 5 years we did a One-Economy program that not only made tech much more affordable but also included training and MOST OF ALL relevancy. We wanted to teach and demonstrate how tech can be used to help people reach higher goals & have a better chance at increasing their economic situation or better their health or finances etc…And when I showed young ones how they could use Scratch.MIT.edu to ACTUALLY PROGRAM games and animations the kids would eat it up – its all relevancy and proper exposure!

Kudos Mario. I agree 100%. These “studies” should be more specific. I'm inclined to believe that if they did that, there would be no article.

It's also the headlines that people/journalists/bloggers use to describe it. When they say the mobile web is being used more by Blacks & Hispanics and that may be bridging the digital divide and then you dig deep into the study and realize that some of the “data” activities they refer to are sending text messages – its like R U SERIOUS. Sending text messages doesn't help bridge the divide!

[...] Mario Armstrong challenges the latest PEW study that suggests mobile technologies are narrowing the digital divide. [...]

It's about time that someone understands and is upset that we are in a world that needs engineers and other “technical people”. We are going to need to pull all of children up and train them not just hand them toys. To do that we have to close the real divide, which is education! Tech firms have realized it for years, it's time the rest of us did.

Mario, I am so glad to hear you expound on the real definition. It is an uphill battle but we must continue to RE REdefine that being a user (or consumer) has never created wealth and will increase the divide even more. Continue to make your case there is a large group of us out here that understand what you are talking about. We have to collectively make our case and continue to push for programs that will close the consumption divide and develop new leaders that will create and not consume.

Excellent commentary Mario! I agree with you wholeheartedly. My hope is that BDPA will address this issue during the 2010 national conference that is taking place right now in Philadelphia.

My mantra over the years is that all Black households need 3 things — (a) computer in the home; (b) access to the Internet for that computer and (c) training on how to use that computer.

Without all three … it is not going to work for us.

peace, Wayne

Thanks for sharing your insight. As in so many other things which capture the attention and the dollars of lower income folk, we are approaching this from the standpoint of a consumer and not producer. Yes we have access to data that is produced by others but are not producing it in a way that allows us to capitalize. This is the case throughout the media. Until we master the production side of capitalism, our entire experience of media, entertainment, fashion, athletics, and so on will be defined by someone else.

[...] WHATEVER your Android phone can do, Inventor has a block for it, which you can assemble with other blocks to make your own app. Now of course, if you do know a thing or two about mobile app development, then you can take Inventor to the next level and crank out some serious apps. But the purpose behind App Inventor is to turn technology consumers into technology creators (and you should know by now how this site’s owner feels about that) [...]

Spot on Mario! The digital divide is not entirely about owning a computer it's about having the literacy to create with it. Giving a computer or mobile device to people without some direction as to how it can be used to create content is not going to close the digital divide. This is where schools are falling short today.

Many schools are buying laptops, iPads, and interactive whiteboards, but are failing to spend for training and education on how to use those expensive purchases to transform education. As a case in point, a school in my area recently rolled-out netbooks to all of its 1300 students. The school board celebrated, the newspaper congratulated, but nothing much changed in the school. Why? Because there wasn't any curriculum in place or budget in place to train the teachers on how to use the netbooks to transform education. Nothing was put in place to teach students how to create. So only the students whose teachers were tech-savvy really benefited from receiving a netbook.

BTW, Have you seen this article from the NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/11/business/11di...

Awesome. F*cking awesome.

Mario,
Thanks for the dialogue. I agree that content should determine the status of the divide instead of data transfer. I know a little about statistics and I believe there are three types of people; liars, damn liars, and statisticians. However, I think we should be careful when we automatically equate minority to low income. Is there a poverty issue in minority communities? Yes. That said, is the minority community really that poor if we can afford trendy multimedia or smart phones? Are you really living in poverty if you can afford a $300+ iPhone? I don't challenge your digital networking knowledge, but as a communications major, I think we are inferring that minority = poor = cuts in government programs = blacks getting left out of the digital age. I think it’s a matter of using what we can afford to the best of its ability.

I would argue that if computers and cell phones are readily available, then the government is the last thing we should be worried about. I’m not naïve, but I am not one for worse case scenarios and border line false dilemmas. I think the focus should be on informing our people on how to best use the resources that are at our disposal. Instead of chasing the new fad phone, we should learn how to maximize the capabilities we have. Also, why don’t we start being OWNERS of these devise companies in stead of consumers? That way we can truly shape content instead of being casual consumers. Keep up the good work!

Mario, you're complaining about specifics, but did you actually read the report? I did (a quick Google search turned up what looks like the article you were looking at on your iPad, which had a link to the report).

If you'd actually read it, you'd see specifics about what types of devices were used and what things different demographic groups were accessing.

Next time you rant, at least cite the proper supporting information. Without that, you lose all credibility.

I did and have read it thoroughly! I still dont see how your comment changes the point that the divide IS NOT CLOSING.