Measures taken to bridge the gap

ICT can be a money making process particually targeting employment and education. If you were to put an IT centre in the middle of a village and taught a number of people there how to work it, a large number of people would have the abilty and oppurtunity to use the internet and access mobile telephony. This can transform lives.

Daknet is an example of mobile internet. It has been used and develped in India and Cambodia and has been proved successful. A vehicle is drove round picking up signals sending out wireless signals. When the vehicle arrives within a villages ICT centre it transmits and recieves signals at a fast rate uploading and downloading form the internet. This is a solution to there not being a permenant electricity supply or internet connection. Thanks to systems like this in India there is evidence to suggest villages have saved money in certain aspects of there lives.

Digital Broadcasting is another aspect of the digital divide that is being tackled the benefits of it mean that people living there now have access to education, entertainment and imformative benefits that they didn't have before. The use of mobile phones and the introduction of there technology has improved the quality of life in places like Bangledesh and Pakistan. In rural Asia for example had to rely on low quality unreliable equipment but they now have access to high quality images and sound a range that would have previuosly been unimaginable.

Political initiatives are another way of decreasing the digital divide. The United Nations organised two summits as part of the plan. One of the summits was called the Information Society and was considered a mixed success. The action plan was intended to ensure that more than half of the world has access to an electricity supply or electronic media. Many people argued that words don't change things and it is money and resources that are generally needed.

The extent of the digital divide and the current situation

The digital divide is the gap between those with regular, effective access to digital technlogies and those without. The term digital divide referes to those who can benefit from it, and those who don't, as opposed to just talking about who has direct access to technology, and those who don't.

It is difficult to measure the the size of the digital divide particully as it is changing so frequently. It has been suggested that to some extent there has been progress in closing the gap everywhere a few example of quickly progressing countries include; Botswana, Malaysia, Croatia and Poland. Differences between some countries shrink and others row over time. The differetn bases from which contires sart also inevitably affect any measure ments made. The difficult in measuring anything absolutely means that it is very hard to make definate claims about to what extent the digital divide is at and whether the gap is shrinking or widening.

There is a clear digital divide betweent he developed and developing countries and it has been said by many that bridging this gap is one of the essential steps of abolitiing world poverty all together. It would solve many problems that exist at the moment. It isn't jus a divide that has formed globally it is one that effects use locally aswell.The problems ae very different but the potentially could have the same detrimentl impact on economic equality, social mobility and economic growth. In many less developed areas in the UK there is in some cases very little or no electricity suppl so thereofre it is impossible to support the infrastructure for ICT. The USA who have seen similar problems occuring have started dealing with the issues. In the UK it is said that there is a clear devide between socio-economic classes. There are alos clear divides between age, geographical situation and gender. Information to support this statement is as follows:-

1. 71% of working people have used a computer.
2. 32% of those not working have also used a computer.
3. 52% of working people have a computer at home.
4. 23% of people not working do not have a computer at home.
5. More owner-occupiers are online than people who rent their homes.
6. Only 4% of council tennants spend time online.
7. While 22% of residents in high income areas spend more time online.
8. In 2001 the average levels of internet acces varied enormously with the average being 37%.
9. Connectivty in London and East was 45% (in 2001)
10. In Northern Ireland and the North East only 26% of households have interent access and rural areas were particularly poorly served often with poor infrastructure.
11. Over 65s now stand as 20% of the population but they are the least likely out off everyone to have digitl TV connections or internet access.

Economic and social impact of the divide

Bridging the gap of the digital divide would have benefits for the rest of the developed world as it is a powerful force that can harness the global search for world peace and development. It could mean that the differences between more economically developed countries and less economically countries gets smaller with the income into both countries becoming more similar and therefore the gap closing.

There are great benefits to the poorer nations as it is bringing people together and there technology is advancing, but the gaps between the 'haves' and the 'have nots' is widening and the very poor nations are being left behind as there is no way that they can be developed to the standards of other countries of whom are becoming knowledge-based global economies.

In 1999 Bill Clinton held a confrence in order to argue that the internet was the key to wealth around the world. He claimed that reducing the size of the digital divide would reduce poverty in the world.

Digital technologies can be used to help people overcome problems and barriers that they made be facing. They are able to achieve things in order to make themselves more successful. Each individual person that has access to electronic media contriutes to closing the gap. Examples of ways which it can help include:-

• the unemplyed being able to use the interent to help find work and generally have more access.
• people and business in rural places being able to communicate with people further away to shops for example.
• the elderly and infrim with restricted mobility being able to get a great deal out of things such as shopping, banking and contacting others.

Factors creating the digital divide

Economic prosperity plays a huge roll in society demonstrating the provlence of modern technologies. For example a less developed country would be more concerned with surviving as a appose to ICT. A more developed country would have the resources to research and fund the use of ICT. In the developed world ICT is seen as a means of aiding the way we live and benifitting us. It izs usually used in the place of work as a cheaper way of employing staff.
This is often the opposite in developing nations with labour being cheap and computer technology being very expensive. A poor economy often has poor technological infrastructure that means that it s harder to put in place the ICT advances needed to improve the situation. Rich natons can easily bridge situations often because of the technology and money that they have allows them to do so.

Another factor creating the digital divide is in less developed countries there isn't any electricity supply and if there is one it is expensive and unreliable of which many people cannot afford. Even large companies expect blackouts regually.

Many countries like India have access to computers and technology. Cities have regualar access which is used in school for education and in the work place for help in buisness and employment. Moblile technology and multimedia entertainment is also used by the fortunate. They are able to use it to benefit them in similar ways to how we do to aid our learning and to make it more efficent. The only differences that occur compared to MEDC's like the UK for example are that the speed of the technology are not so advanced; they don't have broadband access. Technology like this is only found in cities as the more rural areas are being developed.

The technology development in less economically developed countries comes largely from charities from more economically developed countries. Problems only begin to occur when charities try to fund different developments or different aspects of the development. This results in unfinished projects that don't fulfil there potential and in some cases technology that doesn't have much use. When this kind of situation arises the size of the digital divide grows.

In areas such as the North and the Sub-Saharan of Africa and the Middle East where wars have taken place there are negative effects on the development of technology as the countries main focus turns to the war and protecting it's country.

In some areas if there is a very small population that is rich and holds alot of the countries wealth they can use there benefitting position to help others. They have the potential to bring in new technologies and transform lives. Sometimes situations like this can mean that a large area can benefit helping close the digital divide between the more economically developed countries.

The geographical situation of an area can also impact on how developed digitally an area is. For example if an area is particually mountianous recieving signals is going to be more difficlt than in an area that is continually flat. In the mountainous areas even the simple things like roads and bridges aren't in place so it isn't surprising that digital technology isn't very developed.

The impact of ICT on employment

ICT has had a major impact on emplyement in many ways. The tables below names of some jobs and the things that have been changed as a result in the develoments in technology.

The impact of ICT has meant that people have become more reliant on computers. There have also been changes in the way that people communicate at work. A good example would be the job of a sales assistant who can look at a database to see whether an item is in stock saving time and in some cases money if one less person was emplyed to do this job. People can now communicate at work by using digital switchboards email and m0bile phones meaning that it is easier to contact people saving lots of time. One feature of emplyment which is now possible is being able to use video conferencing. This allows people to have interactive meetings that can be watched by others no matter how far apart they are.

People doing any form of work are able to contact other emplyees by mobile if any problems or situations accure that they should be made aware of. Someone in particular that may find the use of mobile phones useful are taxi drivers or someone that it isn't based in one place of whom is constentally moving around for there work.

ICT allows employers to control more flexible work patterns and work whilst on the move working in different ways in different places.

The impact of ICT on banking and shopping

The impact that ICT has had on banking and shopping is that it has made shopping online possible and easy to use by anyone with a computer. Now you are able to shop online on many different sites and you can even have delivery for a small price. You don't even have to leave home to go shopping these days as it all can be done safely online.

The benefits of having the use of computers is that people who are unable to leave the house (house bound) can still do there shopping online. It is particularly good for busy working people and parents of young children that find little time to shop. You are able to view things online in detail and don't have to commit to buy until you are sure. Without ICT 25 years ago people wouldn't have been able to buy things over the computer it would have to have been done by hand and would have been difficult for many. ICT as makes it possible for customers to scan their own purchases at the checkout as well as allowing people to shop around for the best deals for example in travel there are many different levels of travel with added extras which force the price up. To allow people to get the most out of internet shopping in the travel industry it is necessary to shop around for the best deals.

In many cases buying online is cheaper although in many areas such as travel,books,CD's and DVD's competitive sales have forced prices up meaning that the low prices you may have seen in the earlier days of internet shopping are one. The convenience of online shopping is also useful. You are able to access hundreds of shops or outlets in a short space of time and most importantly without leaving home. You have none of the issues like queuing, paying,stacking example.

The disadvantages of online shopping may include things such as delivery problems. You are having to rely on someone else to bring your goods to you. This means that the chance of damage or loss occurring will increase and could case problems. It is also quite common for people having to arrange to stay in all day just to wait for there goods to be delivered disadvantage would also be the hidden costs that come with some online shopping websites. Especially if this isn't made clear to you before you buy. On top of many of the prices that you pay for your goods you having to pay a postage and packaging charge which can make the cost of the goods a lot more expensive. Returning of unsuitable goods may also make shopping online less successful. It may require an additional charge or may even be impossible. it would also be an inconvenience.

In my opinion the largest disadvantage of online shopping is security. I also believe my family would agree with this as we have used online services before for shopping and found that giving out personal information is a disadvantage. Some people may have bought goods and never received them for example or received them late or damaged; others may have given money or credit card or bank account details which people may have accessed without their knowledge.

The impact of ICT on entertainment and leisure

In the past 25years ICt has changed and inhanced leisure and entertainment making it much more popular, easy, convienent and enjoyable. Virtually every area of entertainment has been changed bydigital technology enabling more personal creativity and choic. One aspect that has been dramitically inhanced is the accessibility of music and musical software. For example music can now be purchased online free of charge or at a low cost simply. It is now possible to record and mix music on a home computer which almost anyone can do. You can store music on your computer without having to insert CD's e.t.c

Computer users have experienced a boom in the choice of entertainment they can have. Entertainment is no longer restricted to jsut the computer as software can be taken off the computer and used anywhere. This is with things like MP3 palyers, multimedia players and CD's.

The disadvantages of using the internet for entertainmetn and leisure is that it is addictive and many people do find themselves spending alot of there time on it. For example msn messenger is one service available and using obsesively it can mean you begin to lack vitual social skills. Like using the interent for any other services it can be expensive and not cost effective if you dnt ake out the best deals. Also if you are unsure of what you are doing when using services that alllow you to download software like music and videos you must be careul to watch out for any illegal sites that could cause more trouble than it's worth.

The impact of ICT on education

ICT has helped learning immensly in many ways. Today all students are taught the basic skills on the computer. Then as the progress through there education ICT is used to aid there learning making it more interesting for them. Using computers students are able to have access to a wide range of material to help them progress. These are a few examples of what sites and programs have been made available to students to help them progress and study.

ICT has meant that learning for students is much easier and they can explore further if they want to find out more information about a subject. Without ICT education would be very different as many things in everyday student life revolves around it. All schools and colleges have some connection to the interent , most of these are high speed connection. Many students now have access to a personal space where documents can be saved and emails can be send and recieved.

It is believed that education can be used particularly for higher education and that is possibley where larger benefits have been seen. An example would be for lectures to use video and presentation that can be watched by large numbers of students.

Education is one area where the impact of ICT still could have a greater impact in the future. In theory is it believed that in the future students should be able to pick and mix what they want to create a learning curriculm that they will be able to gain the most from and that will match there needs. This could include things like online videos, exercises, online tests and quizzes that can track there processes. In the future classroom conversations could be held online with far more people world wide if necessary this could be a huge advantage to students studies in specic areas.

The disadvantages of using online services include the unreliability of the internet and when it is needed accessing specific sites may be difficult. Buying computers is expensive and schools may not have enough money to buy the new technological equipment needed. Students can also easily copy huge paragraphs of text off the interent and claim it is there own work. This can be part of a serious crime, plagiarism. Particularly in higher education this is seen as a massive problem and vast amounts of money are being spent on buying equipment that can help stop it.

Online services online revision (education)

Sam learning is the online revision site that I am going to look at in more detail. It is a site designed specifically in helping you revise. It allows you to revise online and test yourself. You are also able to keep track of your scores and see your progress. It has been proven in helping children successfully pass there exams and that is why it is proven popular with many schools taking part and having registered with the program.

What’s its purpose?

The purpose of using an online service like ‘Sam learning’ is to give another form of revision for students to use to prepare them for learning. Everyone learns in a different way and revising online is just another method which my work well for sum people.

Advantages?

It’s an advantage to those who revise visually, who remember things or even an advantage to those who remember just by repeating things. It is good because you are tested on things that you are likely to get asked. It also is quicker and the results are kept so you can see how you are progressing without having to worry about remembering it.

Disadvantage?

The disadvantages of a service like this are that it’s all on the internet which in itself can be unreliable. It can be expensive as well if you don’t have the most cost affective way of using it. Some of the information you may be revising may not be entirely relevant to the work you are revising as it can’t be suitable for everyone.

Who is it aimed at?

It is aimed for a large age range designed to help children of all ages studying for any main exams. It helps prepare children for any major exams including GSCE’s, A-levels and SATS.

Online services download sites (source forge) (downloads)

The website for helping with downloading is www.sourceforge.net I am going to investigate this further by looking at what it has to offer and its advantages and disadvantages.

What is sourceforge.net?

Sourceforge.net is the world's largest Open Source software development web site, hosting more than 100,000 and over 1,000,000 registered users with a centralized resource for managing projects, issues, communications, and code. This proves that it is very popular and used by a lot of people.

The purpose

The purpose of the site is to allow people to upload there programmes onto the site which people are then free to download. As well as this it is possible to download programmes off the site and then moderate them to suit your need by changing there codes.



The advantages

The advantages of having a free download site available are that it is free to download appropriate programs. You also know that all the programs on the site are free and you don’t have to worry about any additional charges you may be committing yourself to without knowing when you download the program. If you don’t know what software to use you can search them easily. On the homepage the categories are set out under clear headings which make it easier to break your searches down. It also shows statistics about the most popular downloaded programs and the most active programs.

The disadvantages

If you don’t know what categories to look under it is difficult to find the appropriate programs you are looking for. It’s got to be online which can be expensive. If you only have a small modem on your computer you can be ages downloading large files

The impact of ICT on communication

Over the last twenty five years the development in ICT has changed dramatically. This has influenced particularly influenced communication. The tables below some of the developments and changes.

The impact that improved technological advances in communication has meant that contacts is a lot easier as people are able to keep in touch during work to make working easier.

It is easier for people to communicate in today's society with the aid of computers. It has helped people doing more complicated jobs much more simple and easier to do. You can communicate when your on the move, it is quicker and efficient. Email,chat, SMS and digital voice have become the way to communicate.

Email has had a large impact on communication as it is one of the most used ways of keeping in touch.

Activity 20 Online services (download services)

What sort of things can you download?

The sorts of things that are available to download vary from music to videos to pictures. You can do this over a variety of sites including itunes (which is popular at the moment) limewire, bear share and many others. As well as this you can download programs that can then be played on your computer. They can either be downloaded on sites that cost money but are 100% legal and authorised or on sites that are shared.

The purpose of using downloads?

The purpose of using downloads is:-

Saving money
Being able to download more advanced programs and being able to update them regularly
It’s more efficient than buyer programmes and having to install them separately
It’s quicker it can take seconds to download small files
They can be shared so that you c an easily download other peoples files

Activity 18 Online services online education (education)

Five educational sites that are popular and in use are:-
BBC bitesize
Channel 4 schools
Sam learning
Yaca paca.com
Teacherict.com


BBC Bitesize

Each one is about educating the user; BBC bitesize is aimed at varied levels for key stage 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. The activities and revision programmes available vary from mini activities to revision programmes. The more advanced key stages also shows ways in which revision can be made easier. The service is also adapted to the level of the user, key stage 1 being the easiest. The levels follow through with school work and help when revising. On the site information is displayed neatly and in bright colours. The information that is shown isn’t too over powering and the amount of text is kept to a minimum whilst bright colours and pictures are used as much as possible. The colour theme and picture theme is kept the same or similar throughout.


Sam learning

Sam learning is another education programme available online. It is often run through the school where many schools have chosen to introduce the programme and the things that it offers. One feature to this programme is that teachers can be part of it and set tasks to work on. They can be checked to see if they are completed by visiting each pupil’s specially allocated space. This is because each pupil involved in using the program are given a username and log in password which they can log onto and use to track there progress as they work through the activities. Sam learning can be used for pupils revision, for online homework or simple activities to help pupils progress.