Computer Literacy
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Making a Point

CL-USA member Bill Stewart has been working with some of the "Lost Boys of Sudan," young refugees from war-torn Sudan who have come to the US to start a new life.

Bill's Computer Orientation seminar (which is endorsed by the CL-USA) is not only giving these fellows a solid grounding in computer literacy, they are now more computer literate than most computer users—despite having started with none of the advantages most Americans enjoy.

"These guys are proving that the 'Digital Divide' exists only in the mind," says Bill. "We need to get the computer bugs out of peoples' heads."

Visit Bill's web site for more on his work with the Lost Boys of Sudan.

Much has been made about the so-called "digital divide," the gap between the technological "haves" and "have-nots." It is generally thought to be a socio-economic phenomenon that esentially places the technology out of reach of those who can't afford to buy a computer.

While there is an element of truth to this (especially on the global scale), the digital divide in America has more to do with those who are computer literate versus those who are not. The technology is available to anyone who is interested. A powerful computer system can be had for the price of a TV. All the information about using computers is there for asking, either at any book store or on the web. The economic barriers have been falling rapidly for some time and are virtually gone. The socio-economic factor is probably more "socio" than economic.

Getting computer literacy to the more disadvantaged is a much easier thing to do than generally thought. Unfortunately there are many well-meaning initiatives to bring technology to those in the lower economic classes that are simply not getting the job done. But it's not because the training programs are any different from other schools and institutions; it's because, like all the rest, they simply are not effective. The focus is on "training," not on education and computer literacy.

We like to say that there are only two kinds of people in this world: those who understand computers and those who don't. These two groups are unable to communicate with one another in any meaningful way about computers. Within individual families there are those who understand computers and those who don't. As hard as they may try, they can't communicate. This is just as true in affluent households as it is in the poorest. Within companies it is the same thing—some people are, and some are not, computer literate.

The digital divide is more a communications gap than a socio-economic barrier. There is nothing in a person's background that provides an advantage over anyone else when it comes to grasping the concepts needed to be computer literate.