|
Episode #1723
Blacks in High Technology
Holloway: Jay Holloway,
Host
Lynch: Jamel Lynch, Engineer, IBM
Jones: Deborah Clark Jones, SAS in Schools
Reese: Erroll Reese, EasyWeb
Holloway: Tonight we hope
to increase your awareness about how to use technology to
improve your life. Stay tuned next on Black Issues Forum.
Voiceover: This program
was made possible by contributions to UNC-TV from viewers
like you. Thank you.
[THEME MUSIC]
Holloway: Good evening
and welcome to Black Issues Forum. I'm Jay Holloway.
Tonight we talk about how to use technology to improve your
life. We'll talk about its benefits, affordability, accessibility
and Internet safety and security. Here to join us in the discussion
are three distinguished guests. First, Jamel Lynch. He's a
mobile development engineer at IBM, and Jamel will be receiving
a Black Engineer of the Year Award and special recognition
for his work in developing "blue tooth" technology,
which we'll hear about later in the program. Thank you, Jamel.
And Deborah Clark Jones. She
is a senior advisor at SAS in School, where she helps schools
to utilize data for accountability purposes and develops curriculum
tools. Deborah is also a former Associate Superintendent for
Information Technology for North Carolina State Department
of Public Instruction. Currently she is vice-chair of the
Wake County Information Technology Board. Deborah, thank you
for being with us.
And last but not least, Errol
Reese, founder and president of EasyWeb. Erroll is also a
former IBMer and is currently working with the Durham Literacy
Council on wireless technology for low income neighborhoods.
He's also the national president of the Community Technology
Centers Network.
Errol, I'd like to start this
discussion with you. Very recently, President Bush has just
talked about eliminating some budgets-or his budget for 2003-with
the Technology Opportunities Program, and that will really
affect these community network and technology centers. What
are they and how will that impact them?
Reese: Well, actually,
when I got news of what was coming down with the budget, and
I was actually shocked because, as you mentioned before, in
my role as national board president of Community Technology
Centers Network, we pretty much depend on -a lot of our constituents,
which is roughly 800 people around the world and about 790
here in the US-depend on funding from the government.
Holloway: And these are
individual centers in local communities?
Reese: Absolutely.
Holloway: For the purpose
of..
Reese: For the purpose
of providing community technology access, resource programs,
training, anything from A to Z as relates to technology as
a whole. Given the fact that they are cutting programs out
that will directly affect those individuals, I think is a
travesty in my opinion. So we're trying to rally the troops,
if you will, to voice.a unified voice in terms of providing
information and success stories alike in terms of why this
is important to our constituents and clients base.
Holloway: Deborah, let
me just ask you in general as we are defining some of these
terms here now. People hear the terminology "digital
divide" quite often, and some people say that the "digital
divide" is closing, or it may not exist anymore. What
does this terminology mean?
Jones: When we talk about
the "digital divide" we're really talking about
two different areas. We're talking about access to computers,
but we're also talking about access to the Internet, and it's
very important that we make the distinction. We are looking
at disparities that exist between white Americans and minorities,
and there is still a huge disparity that exists when it comes
to both computer access, and that disparity is even worse
when we talk about Internet access. So I agree with Erroll
about concerns about cutting the budget because when we look
at the numbers, we're talking about white Americans and Asian
Americans, 70% of them having access to computers. Whereas
we have 55% of African Americans who have access to computers,
and the numbers look even worse when it comes to Internet
access. So, those community centers are very important to
our community right now.
Holloway: Congratulations
on your new award.
Lynch: Thank you.
Holloway Tell us--we're
talking about now maybe computer literacy. People may have
access to it, and it may be increasing now, but what good
is technology if people don't know how to use it?
Lynch: Well, I think just
in the last several years you've seen a lot of work, countless
hours from non-profit organizations, businesses donating time
toward addressing the "digital divide" by providing
access to computers and equipment. But the problem is that
we have to lift our sights beyond providing access and lift
our sights to showing individuals how to use the technology
for tangible outcomes such as improvements in their day-to-day
lives and homes and economics.
Holloway: Now you're with
IBM and in your introduction I talked about this "blue
tooth" technology and things that you're doing. Explain
to us what this "blue tooth" technology is all about
and how you use that to help people in the community.
Lynch: Okay. Well the
dominant vision, the communications vision for the 21st
Century, is connectivity anytime, anywhere connected to any
type of network. This is as a result of the PC being married
or converging with the radio. Imagine being at the beach and
being able to take a snapshot with your digital camera and
then within a matter of seconds being able to deliver that
image anywhere in the world. That's the pervasive computing
vision and those technologies that will enable us to realize
this vision include the wireless/wired area of networking
technology-the cellular phone technology, then there's wireless
land, or wireless Ethernet, and then there is "blue tooth"
which is personal area networking technology. "Blue tooth"
replaces the cables behind your PC, so, low range, short range,
short power, low power communications technology. Some of
the ways that I'm using "blue tooth" in the community
is to help students become excited and develop a zeal by learning
about the technology, such as video streaming, information
from one classroom to another classroom, and allowing students
to see this without any cables involved, engaging in true
mobile wireless communications.
Holloway: Now Errol, you're
doing this exactly in local communities here in North Carolina.
What is this wireless technology mean to people?
Reese: It's absolutely
incredible. Hearing Jamel talking about it, I was agreeing
with him because currently, right now, we have a project with
University Counseling, Horizon, where we will go into one
of the local communities here and provide a wireless router
that's connected to a cable modem that's connected to TimeWarner
that will allow us to have access. We have roughly ten to
twenty families that will go to a training program and once
they complete the training program, they will be given laptops
with wireless adapters attached to them where they can work
out of their homes. Why is this important? If you look at
the older communities, running wires through the walls is
a very difficult task, so we somewhat got outside of that
by providing the wireless technology into them. My own personal
situation-I've got two kids at home and they have laptops,
and they walk through the house downloading videos and all
sorts of things and printing from another part of the house
to a printer.
Holloway: .without any
wires.
Reese: Without any wires.
Also, I'm trying to provide an ISP in my cul-de-sac.
Holloway: .an Internet
Service Provider?
Reese: Exactly. So what
is that? You can have routers back to back as a relay component
where you can have roughly five or six homes together getting
access off of my particular hook up.
Holloway: Now Deborah,
we've been hearing about this kind of thing in public education
for a long time. You've been involved with public education,
and now with the private industries that support public education,
but it's kind of what I asked Jamel earlier. You've got all
this here, but what is the industry doing to train teachers
on how to help students be able to apply this better in the
classroom?
Jones: Well, that's a
very important question and a very important issue in our
schools because we have found that a lot of teachers haven't
felt as comfortable as they want to feel in teaching technology
to students. We're finding students taking the lead role,
surprisingly, in a lot of that. They were born into this computer
age and right now, 90% of all children have access to computers
because of our schools. So we do see schools as a major equalizer,
but teacher training is something that is provided in a number
of different ways, and we do see teachers taking advantage
of that.
Holloway: What about the
whole economics of all of this? People hear about this conversation,
but we haven't talked about the affordability for this in
homes and schools. What are you talking about and how affordable
is this wireless technology, or the computers and the software
in the homes and in the schools?
Reese: I think that it's
very affordable when you look at the price points from several
years ago for computers and routers. Routers cost somewhere
between $10 to $20 thousand dollars. You can get the same
level of connectivity for roughly $179 dollars. You can get
a couple of routers for roughly around $300 plus dollars and
the adapters right around $70 dollars and..in my environment
that I'm using. Jamel uses a different kind of environment.
Holloway: So do you need
an IBM engineer to come in and hook it up for you?
Reese: Well, actually
no. Most of it's "plug and play." Again, I would
say that because I'm very familiar with the technology. The
novice may think it's a big deal. It's really not. They walk
you through it. Menu-driven applications allow you to configure
your system and that kind of thing.
Jones: We are saying the
price has dropped significantly in both computers and Internet
access. I think the bigger issue is just awareness, and more
of your family members, friends, colleagues utilizing computers.
We find that there is a higher incidence of computers in the
home when folks are using computers at work or they have children
because they are exposed to computers. We just need to make
sure that people are aware of the programs that do exist which
can supply computers to the home more cheaply. I can tell
you that the State, for one, has started a program opened
up to the general public where computers can be purchased
at discounts because they're bought as a part of the bulk
buys with state employees. So that's a huge discount.
Holloway: Is IBM involved
in that kind of thing as well, or is that something you do
individually?
Lynch: Oh, IBM is very
involved. In fact, we're celebrating the Black National Family
Technology Week where IBM is bringing in people in the community,
churches and teaching groups or individuals about technology
and how you can apply it to your every day life and the ease
of use, as you all mentioned earlier, so that you remove the
fear factor and make people comfortable with the technology.
Holloway: Let's talk about.one
of the things I opened up with was the proposed budget cut
at the federal level, but one of the things that President
Bush has said is that he's going to redirect these funds to
the US Department of Education with the general purpose of
focusing on closing the achievement gap between minorities
and other students. Let's talk about how technology is being
used towards that, and if he's taking away from these community
networking centers in technology and giving it up to block
grants for states to do this: will states bypass the technology
and go directly to other programs that don't use technology?
Jones: I'd like to comment
on that particularly since we're talking about education.
One initiative that the state is involved in is something
called NC Wise Owl that provides all sorts of wonderful resources
to students, teachers and parents. We're talking about multimedia
encyclopedias, journals, dictionaries that students and parents
can access from home. But if we don't have computers in the
home, they won't be able to extend their education at home.
So if we're interested in closing the achievement gap, I think
it's important to still focus on these access points out in
our community so that all children will have access to those
very types of resources that are going to be critical in closing
the achievement gap.
Holloway: In these community
centers, is there curriculum type programs to help students
with their work or academic preparation?
Reese: Absolutely. I agree
with what Deborah said earlier. They're curriculum based,
they have samples of in-grade testing-software implementation
there-and I think it's important.you mentioned the Bush situation.
I think that the schools and the technology kind of compliment
each other. As you said before, if you don't have the technology
outside the schools, in your home or your local community,
it's kind of hard to stay abreast with what's going on. At
some point you have to go beyond the access to impact. Even
though you may have access, what impact is it causing? That's
been our campaign, if you will, providing the programs, curriculum
to make a difference. When someone's scores go up as a result
of having the technology there and the curriculum and those
kinds of things. The end result is what we're focusing on
right now, but we need to have the money and the technology
available to support that kind of program.
Holloway: I don't mean
to dwell on the Bush Administration, but they did also mention
in the same breath that they are going up on grants to historically
black colleges and universities. I don't know if the HBCUs
are going to invest in this type of thing. Do you have any
thoughts on that, Jamel?
Lynch: Well as far as
the HBCUs, I have lots of respect there because when opportunities-educational
opportunities-weren't available for many African Americans,
HBCUs certainly opened the door. I don't know the structure
with the HBCUs and the community, but I would certainly like
to think that they are definitely aware of the "digital
divide," of the problems, and be able to funnel some
of the funding back into the community to reconnect with the
technology.
Jones: We're still talking
about role models, too. I mean, I can't emphasize that enough.
We have to expose more of our community to folks who are using
technology, whether it be students at our HBCUs or otherwise.
I think that our colleges and universities play a very critical
role in advancing that.
Holloway: What about some
of the other general benefits of technology? We've been pretty
much talking about computers and Internet access, but when
it comes to the household, what are some of the other benefits
of having this technology in your household? We talked about
the education, but what about from an economic point of view
to to improving your lifestyle and e-commerce?
Reese: The e-commerce
lot of people get a little nervous about that because e-commerce,
particularly of credit card use and that kind of thing. I
always talk about the fact that we go to a restaurant and
you give someone you never met before your credit card number.
He goes back, comes comes back ten minutes later. You don't
know what's going on with your card. The security is there
built into browser technology, SLL, cycle errors, and those
kinds of things. It's the software that allows you to secure
those. I think that once we become more comfortable about
that, the usage will go up. People pay their phone bills,
pay their bills in general online. I kind of like it because
it's very convenient to do it that way as opposed to writing
a check and mailing it that way. I think in terms of providing
some convenience, if you will. You can shop on line for groceries
or whatever. People come off being comfortable with the whole
e-commerce part, the financial part, of it. I think they're
using it more.
Holloway: What about the
whole generational thing about this? Is it.do you think the
older generation is used to handling paper and not doing e-commerce?
Jones: Yes. We all have
a resistance to change. But we are seeing more of our elderly
population utilizing the Internet a lot more than they have
before. When you talked about different things that you can
do with the Internet, I think it's important to note that
information is empowering and I think it's important for our
community to grasp that. There's information out there about
health issues, African-American health issues, so that people
can do their own research about different issues. We're also
finding, as Erroll mentioned, a higher incidence of people
purchasing products and different services, and that type
of thing too. But I also want to note that we're finding our
governmental institutions are starting to put more services
online, like the renewals of driver licenses and vehicle registration.
Typically when you're standing in line, I see more of our
faces than other faces and so it's very important that we
take advantage of the conveniences that exist when you use
the Internet to take care of those types of things.
Holloway: Jamel, would
you like to add anything to that?
Lynch: I think they covered
it. [LAUGHS]
Holloway: What about personally?
My assumption is that each of you are probably utilizing computers,
online technology, e-commerce to conduct household business
and other things.
Lynch: Absolutely. Now
I find myself, instead of mailing a lot of my bills, sometimes
you may forget one and you have a few days before your get
those late fees, so I'm able to set up an account where I
can actually pay the bills online. It not only saves time,
but even money. Think about the number of stamps you're purchasing
and the postage. I've seen a huge benefit in my own personal
life by being able to use the technology online.
Holloway: What about accessibility?
We talked earlier about the gap closing, or the "digital
divide" closing, but do most African Americans have access
at home, at work, at school or where is most of this accessibility
increased?
Jones: It's definitely
not at home. That's where the biggest disparity exists. We
do find that more African Americans use the public libraries
for internet access than other ethnic groups, and once again,
this gets back to community access points that are very important.
As I mentioned earlier, schools have been a huge equalizer
to decrease that gap which exists for our children, which
is good news as they grow and become more technology savvy,
but the biggest disparity is within the home, and that in
my opinion, is where you have the highest quality access,
because it is available 24/7. You're able to do more things
with it. So I believe it's very important that we have it
there.
Holloway: Well speaking
of access in the home, many people are concerned about Internet
security as well as safety for children. The onslaught of
pornography and all of these things..how do parents take control
of this technology and limit their children's accessibility?
Reese: One of the things
particularly is that we do a lot of work with community centers
and obviously there are a lot of kids there. One of things
we do is have them sign agreements that they will not do that,
but in addition to that, we provide filtering software that
will prevent them from going to sites that they should not
be visiting. Again, outside of that, you have to know where
they're going and you have to have a conversation-two way
communication-because kids today are growing up in a digital
age and are very, very smart. They'll figure out ways around
it, if you will, if they want to get the information, but
you put filters in place-NetNanny and things like that-to
prevent that from happening.
Holloway: So touching
on this with kids, just because you have a computer in the
house and they have Internet accessibility, it doesn't always
mean that they're using it to improve their educational attainment.
You know, a lot of games.a lot of the kids are really playing
the games.
Jones: Um-hmm.
Reese: A lot of chat rooms,
and all sorts of things.
Holloway: Is it a balance
between the entertainment value and a lot of "edutainment"
things out there where the kids can learn but have fun at
the same time.
Jones: Well, you still
have to be a parent. I think that you still have to watch
your children very closely. Sure there are a lot of games
out there, but there are still a lot of good educational resources
that are available. Filters are certainly still important.
I know a lot of parents who keep their computers in a central
place in their home so that they can pass by and see what
their children might be watching on the computer screen. So
you still have to be a parent and regulate it much like you
do with television. It's very important that you do that.
Lynch: If I could add
to that. Being a parent and making sure that you regulate
what your children are doing--you brought up a great point:
you have to be involved and parents have to begin to understand
the technology to regulate. So the point is that I would like
to hopefully encourage parents to learn as much as they can
also because their children will have questions about the
technology that no one else may be able to answer but them.
Holloway: Our audience
a lot of times-people who are watching this program-are already,
I guess I should say, "enlightened" and looking
for informational type programs. But African Americans view
entertainment programs, maybe television in general, at a
much higher rate than our white counterparts. So I'm making
that analogy to the use of the computer. Are we utilizing
the entertainment value greater than the educational and things
to uplift our people and families?
Jones: Well, when you
look at online activity across the board, I think that you
see African Americans using it for email purposes, research
and very much in line with white Americans. So I don't see
a lot of disparities there in how it's being used once someone
is on the computer, which is good news.
Reese: But the key to
that is to make sure they have access to get to that information.
real example is that my kids are doing research and book reports
all the time. In about ten or twenty minutes, go to school
with a color print out and the whole nine, and their counterparts
don't have the same level of access and it's not fair. That's
why I think it's important, getting back to the Bush thing
again [LAUGHS], it's a hot-button, that we provide programs
like that so that they can compete with their counterparts.
Jones: I do want to mention,
since you did bring up Bush, I think the reason why they are
taking this particular position is because we are seeing significant
growth in our community with folks accessing the Internet
and the computer. But what I think we all agree to is that
we still have a ways to go and we're not there yet. I don't
believe it's time to let up.
Holloway: Jamel, what
can individuals do?
Lynch: Since we're on
the Bush topic, he also had a call for volunteerism in the
community. I also would like to add that it's really important
that more African Americans begin to volunteer, that more
African Americans understand the technology, and not just
technology, but in all areas, begin to volunteer in all areas.
As we all come together and spread the volunteerism, we will
be able to address the problems a lot better.
Holloway: What other things
can individuals do if they want to help close this "digital
divide?"
Reese: This echoes what
Jamel just said. Just get involved. Often, if our kids are
involved, we're somewhat intimidated by technology. Go take
a training class. Go understand the technology. Do those kinds
of things so you can compliment each other and learn together.
I think collectively, that's a more bonding activity there.
I think it's a great situation.
Holloway: Where do we
find those training classes?
Reese: You find these
training classes all over. Obviously, there are community
organizations, there's non-profit organizations that offer
these classes. I'm pretty sure that some of the community
colleges offer some of these classes as well as assistant
partner programs with the school system as well.
Holloway: Deborah, real
quickly please, do you have any comments you'd like to make
in terms of what individuals can do?
Jones: Well I know that
a lot of churches are starting to place computers there and
certainly accessing it there. Schools have different programs
for parents because they know the importance of parental involvement.
I even know of some where they train parents and then give
the household a computer at the end of the training. So there
are a number of different initiatives but you just have to
ask around.
Holloway: Well, Deborah,
Jamel and Errol, thank you so much. We've run completely out
of time. We really appreciate it.
Reese: Thank you.
Holloway: Thank you for
watching and enjoying Black Issues Forum tonight. I
hope you are more informed about how to use technology to
improve your life, and perhaps, you've been inspired to take
the steps in your own to help bridge the "digital divide."
If you'd like more information about technology or our guests,
visit our website. We'd love to hear from your, your comments.
You can contact us by email, telephone or our website. That
information will be on the screen at the close of the program.
For Black Issues Forum, I'm Jay Holloway. Join us every
Friday at 9:30 on UNC-TV. Have a blessed evening.
[THEME MEETING]
Voiceover: This program
was made possible with contributions to UNC-TV from viewers
like you. Thank you.
|
