Suchergebnisse

Strategies and policies to bridge identified and potential digital divides is a core challenge when forming an inclusive and participatory digital democracy and society. In line with the progress and development of digital technologies and applications governments have to address digital divides. This project discusses how social and digital divides have been addressed in a project called "The Digital media bus in Östergötland". This project builds on the library buses that have has been running in the region for long a long time. The libraries in Sweden also have to address digital inclusion and implement strategies towards increased use of and knowledge about information technologies. This analysis builds on an action research approach. The analyse here are focusing on the implementation, project management and how the project has addressed digital inclusion. Finally, we end up discussing the diversity of digital inclusion, elaborating on the meanings of digital divides and digital diversity.

This article analyses the way in which the digital divide affects Roma/Gitano minors. This ethnic group is a paradigmatic case among socially underprivileged groups in Spain; excluded from industrial society, they appear to be facing a similar situation in the post-industrial era. We, therefore, sought to explore the digital experiences of minors from this group in order to study social and digital exclusion/inclusion among them. The research strategy took a comprehensive approach, covering both offline and online behaviour. We focused on the results of fieldwork undertaken in Spain during 2017. In all, interviews were conducted with 17 adolescents (aged 11 to 18) as well as with several social workers who were providing support to the minors. Given that the use of technology has become a prerequisite for the welfare of children and for the development of their rights, the issue tends to centre on three main areas, commonly known as the three Ps: provision, participation, and protection. As such, the analysis of inequality was based on these areas. The findings presented in this article illustrate that the use of ICTs can contribute to empowering Roma/Gitano adolescents to improve the position they occupy as a group in the social structure.

Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the work of the European Network for Technology Enhanced Learning in an Inclusive Society project, which addresses the challenges of the digital divide for people with disabilities of all ages.


Design/methodology/approach
The project employs a number of activities and approaches which involve people with disabilities and other stakeholders, in order collect scientific knowledge, views, suggestions and experiences that will help in bridging the digital divide. These include literature review and qualitative methodologies of data collection, such as interviews with stakeholders, focus groups and living labs.


Findings
The benefits of (assistive) technology in the lives of people with disabilities are highly appreciated. However, a number of barriers, including lack of digital skills are identified. Thus the development of (assistive) technology competencies programmes is suggested. In addition, there is evidence of the need to further involve all stakeholders and increase awareness.


Social implications
The most important implication of the project is the production of the manifesto against the digital divide. With this document the project consortium justifies for action on raising awareness regarding the rights of persons with disabilities of all ages to be digitally included.


Originality/value
The value of the project lies upon the publication of the manifesto against the digital divide, which has already been endorsed by a number of organisations in Europe and elsewhere, with the aspiration of influencing policy makers and practitioners to collaborate in order to bridge the digital divide.

The aim of the article is to develop the theoretical and methodological base for studying digital inclusion and to identify the distinguishing features of its manifestation in Russian settings. The authors propose an approach to studying digital inclusion by determining the causes and factors of its development in Russia. Macroeconomic analysis of territorial and age-related factors of digital inclusion development in Russia is conducted based on the official statistics indicators that define the features of access to the Internet for the population, directions for digital technology use, digital skills in the population, etc. The territorial factor was found to be a key cause for the development of digital inclusion in Russia. It displays through a more accessible Internet and possibilities to use the potential of digital technology for the population in urban areas rather than for those who live in rural areas and territories remote from the "growth areas". The article identifies features of the age factor affecting the development of digital inclusion in Russia and changes in the dynamics of the age factor affecting the development of digital inclusion during the pandemic. The analysis allowed the authors to substantiate the directions of positive practice in developing digital inclusion in Russia in order to overcome the digital divide both on the national business level and on the international level. The theoretical and methodological basis for further research in the field is presented in the obtained conclusions. It can be used for improving the state policy on digital development and the implementation of strategic directions for the digitalization of the Russian national economy.

Over nearly 20 years, Brazil has shown constant efforts to develop the Internet not just on a national scale, but in Latin America as a whole. It became one of the most important promoters and financial supporters of the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC) and also hosted the UN Internet Governance Forum in Rio de Janeiro in 2007. Today it has the biggest IT market of the continent and still a lot of challenges to accomplish. This article presents a historical introduction about the development of the Internet in Brazil and also focuses on current tasks to participate in the global Internet Governance process and to further digital inclusion.

The main goal of this article is to analyze young people's technological socialization experiences to build a comprehensive model of the distinctive digital literacies interwoven with their biographies. Considering that digital accessibility is a necessary but not sufficient condition for inclusion, we identify which types of digital literacies are linked to the acquisition of digital competencies, confidence, and dispositions towards the incorporation of ICTs into daily activities; on the other hand, we also identify digital literacies that might engender motivated processes of self-exclusion from the digital realm, therefore reinforcing subjects' digital exclusion. Methodologically, this article is based on 30 in-depth biographically-oriented qualitative interviews with young people living in the region of Madrid, Spain. Regarding results, four techno-social dimensions are proposed—motivation, degree of formality, degree of sociality, and type of technological domestication—to construct a typology of four ideal forms of digital literacy: unconscious literacy, self-motivated literacy, professional literacy, and social support. To achieve digital inclusion, self-motivation towards using digital technologies is mandatory, but social practices, academic and professional literacy might work as a secondary socialization process that enhance subjects' affinity with ICTs. Nevertheless, the effect of social support is ambivalent: It could promote digital inclusion among people already interested in digital technologies, but it could also lead to dynamics of self-exclusion among people who are not confident regarding their digital competencies or disinterested in ICTs.

The COVID-19 pandemic globally disrupted education, forcing a shift to remote learning that excludes many learners. This paper examines student perspectives of the changes to their education. In October 2020, students worldwide participated in the Digital Inclusion Challenge, a hackathon-style event hosted by Convergence.Tech, a digital transformation company. Participants described barriers to learning and proposed solutions to increase inclusivity and effectiveness. Using thematic analysis, student-identified barriers and their proposed solutions were coded and explored. Overall, themes of four barriers to digital inclusion in education and themes of six solutions were identified. The findings demonstrate what students value in their education, and what they felt they had lost in the transition to online and remote learning. This research contributes to knowledge on the severe impacts of the loss of in-person learning and explores technological and conceptual innovations ideated by youth. Further, it provides insight into global student experiences in accessing education during the pandemic and offers considerations for future research.

The term digital inclusion has been used to articulate the policy, research and practical efforts to look beyond issues of access to computers and the Internet and toward a more robust understanding of the skills, content and services needed to support individuals, families and communities in their abilities to truly adopt computers and the internet. Presently, the deep penetration of digital technologies into the fabric of society have boosted growth, expand opportunities and improved service delivery, resulting in a high level of connectivity between people, businesses and governments. This present review examines the theoretical and conceptual foundations of digital inclusion in light of developmental realities in Nigeria. Specifically, this review considers the framework for inquiry into the technological divide, the new psychological model of e-adoption within the context of the digital divide, the three-step path to engaging with the internet, and a model of digital literacy. The review also considers key conceptual definitions of digital inclusion, the stages of digital inclusion, and approaches to measuring digital inclusion. The implication of digital inclusion for mathematics education students and the Nigerian economy was also discussed. ; Chapter Six of Book of Readings in Honour of Professor Nicodemus Ochani Agbulu (Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academics, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria).