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Informing Science + IT Education Conference 2003 Proceedings
| Informing Science + IT Education Conference |
| Pori, Finland June 24-27, 2003 |
| Rethinking Social and Economic Development: Promoting Digital Literacy |
| Today’s digital divide that separates the “haves” and the “have nots” is attributed in part to geography, race, |
| income, employment, age, gender, and education. Not only do some segments of the population remain |
| unconnected, but these sectors also have no desire to connect. Thus, the connected portions of the world must |
| create an urge and necessity to connect so that even the most remote location can access the same information as |
| countries with technological enrichment. The first step towards worldwide connectivity involves worldwide |
| understanding, achieved through information literacy, therefore allow-ing each person to become an independent, |
| self-sufficient user-c344. These characteristics lead to a better education, where the user-c344 can reap the benefits of |
| schooling and life experience because of information literacy skills. The most important reward is an overall |
| improved life where the Internet no longer sepa-rates people, but instead brings them together for work, |
| communication, and leisure. These goals can only be accomplished through a collaborative effort involving both |
| those connected, and those not con-nected. Without cooperation from both sides, the digital divide will continue |
| Keywords: digital divide, digital inclusion, information literacy, social responsibility, education, con-nectivity |
ISSN
1535-07-03
Unless otherwise indicated, this paper has undergone blind external review by three or more reviewers.
Types of Papers: A Best Paper, Regular Paper, Short Paper, Informal Paper,
Unrefereed Panel Paper
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