CARS model

Many people including scholars as well as elder and youth generations would be interested when I say that the digital divide that occurs between generations is extremely broad. Everything in the world of technology has intensified and we continue to see a generation gap in technology. My question to you is will this generation gap ever be bridged? Do you think the division will ultimately get bigger? These questions are two opposite sides of the spectrum. Some authors and researchers believe the division will get bigger. They say that there is no way the division will get smaller. There will always be a big division. While some authors like Sutherland-Smith, Servon, and Kolodinsky would say there are ways to make this division smaller, just with a lot of people’s help. The authors that believe the division will get smaller are exactly correct. My main purpose of this essay is to convince you that the digital divide between generations will ultimately get smaller. All my sources are the best examples that most clearly showed the side I support. I start off with the methods I use when researching, then I will discuss the results of Sutherland-Smith’s journal article, Servon’s book, and Kolodinsky’s study. Over the course of my research, you will understand that it is vital to bridge the digital divide so that no one gets left behind in the heap of technological knowledge.

Chapter7&8 Quiz

The many supplemental articles I use are not necessarily argument of fact or argument of definition. I use both arguments of fact and arguments of definition to really make my point in Core 4. The authors of the articles I read in my research are there to help me better understand and argue my topic. I use a lot of factual evidence to back up my opinions. I argue that the generation gap in the digital divide will get smaller as the years go on. I did literature reviews of the many of the arguments that Kolodinsky, Sutherland-Smith, Newburger and Servon use. In the journal article “Bridging the Generation Gap Across the Digital Divide: Teens Teaching Internet Skills to Senior Citizens,” teens in 4-H clubs in different states tought elder people how to use a computer. The study showed many things including that there were many positive outlooks on the generations and it was a great learning experience for both generations. This study is one reason how the generation gap can be decreased. With the help of the younger generation we can try to bridge this division. Newburger is another example of argument of fact. His pdf file from the U.S. Census Bureau states many facts and different things about computers in households and how readily available they are. I used these facts as a basis to shape my opinion in how the younger generation will help in the division becoming smaller.

Sutherland-Smith though is more an example of argument of definition. She really tries to coin the term web literacy. She argues that the standard definition for the word is wrong and says the main goal of web literacy is so that students become proficient in accessing and analyzing information, so that a level of understanding can be reached. When this has been achieved, information has been converted to knowledge and can be used by the student to fulfill tasks or [it can be] stored for future reference. The implication for us as teachers is clear. If students do not gain these skills, they are disadvantaged and may, perhaps, suffer exclusion from global literacy communities (663).” Sutherland-Smith gave a lot of what Lunsford would call definitions by examples when she talks about the different teaching methods that can be utilized from her research.

Lastly, Servon is an example of both. She does exactly what I do in Core 4. She utilizes factual evidence when necessary to back up her argument of definitions. She mainly tries to reshape people’s minds and redefine digital literacy. She goes well into detail about the exact dimensions of the digital divide as in what communites people live and have access to the internet every year since 1994. Most of her evidnce was a lot of what I saw Newburger talking about in the census. Her “analysis was supported by empirical data resulting from extensive fieldwork in U.S. cities (277).” She finally talks about her recommendations and things for the future.

Overall I feel that my research fits very well together. I have a lot of different things to piece together and make it just right. By using the articles of different arguments making them into one argument. I feel my argument isn’t really argument of fact or definiton. When told to look more into what I thought my paper was and going into chapter nine and ten I feel that my paper is more of an evaluation. I am evaluating the different authors and reporting what I feel about them with my own definitions.

Inclass4/7

My research to date has been very substantial. My main thesis is arguing that the digital divide will get smaller over time. With the help of the authors Servon, Sutherland-Smith, and Kolodinsky supporting my claims I was able to argue that many people can help the division among generations. All the authors feel that there is many ways to make this division smaller.

The conversation between the authors really takes the stance that there is a digital divide and it will eventually get smaller with the help of many. Kolodinsky did a study that showed how 4-H club members went and taught elder people how to do certain things on a computer. The study ultimately showed there was help for both generations. Another author who had a great study was Sutherland-Smith. She sat in on web classes and library classes of grade six classes in a coeducational private school in the suburbs of Australia. In the library she reveals that the children tend to have a more leisurely attitude towards reading; during the web classes she found that they tended to think it was way faster and all about speed. With her findings she revealed many different teaching methods that would have worked for this new concept of “web literacy (669).” These new teaching methods will help not leave the kids disadvantaged or excluded from the “global literacy community (663).”

My only concerns with my research are that some of it may not make a whole lot of sense. I really need to focus in on tying everything together. I feel in some places I go into way to much detail when it is not really necessary. I also feel that without a few more authors supporting me it all won't make very much sense.