Browsing by Subject "digital divide"
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Item Digitally United We Stand, Divided We Fall: How Does the Digital Divide Influence the Way Americans Vote?(2018-05) Storli, ErikaThe results of the 2016 Presidential Elections will go down as one of the most unforgettable moments in U.S. history. Regardless of which side of the political spectrum Americans fell under, President Trump’s win came as a shock to millions of citizens across the nation. Both positive and negative reactions flooded the Internet, as scholars and political experts scrambled to understand how the exit polls that predicted a win for Hillary Clinton could have gone so wrong. For citizens who did not passionately share their responses online, they fell outside of the intense political discussions. It was not because they lacked a voice of opinion, but because they lacked the digital tools to do so. Over 40 million Americans were estimated to not have access to the Internet in 2016, blocking them from not only engaging in political discussions online, but also from applying to jobs, gaining an education, getting access to basic governmental services, and staying informed. This thesis is about exploring the societal impacts of the digital divide, which is the disparity that exists between the “have” versus “have not” people with access to the Internet. In attempt to study the digital divide in the U.S specifically, this thesis will focus on comparing Internet access levels to the voting results of the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Presidential Elections by U.S county. The ultimate goal of this thesis is to discern the larger takeaways on how the digital divide can impact voting outcomes in Presidential Elections, and, as a result, further drive political polarization in the America. Thus, this thesis assesses the theories and methodologies of the digital divide to understand its greater influence, and attempts to present potential solutions as to how to “heal” the digital and political divide.Item River City Youth Foundation's TechComunidad : Latino parent education and technology training(2015-05) Gonzalez, Juana Ibarra; Straubhaar, Joseph D.; Urrieta, LuisThis report is about my own experiences with the digital divide in Austin and River City Youth Foundation’s TechComunidad, a Latino parent education and technology training program, which takes place in Dove Springs. The paper explains the historical context of Austin’s segregation and how problematic Austin became as a Technopolis. I include information on how non–profit organizations, such as Austin Interfaith, bring up the agenda items that affect children that live in poverty. The report speaks of the social and digital divide that is widening Austin. There is RCYF’s TechComunidad program and Latino parents who have “funds of knowledge,” which is knowledge that can only come from child’s home. Latino parents may not be as familiar with the educational system in the U.S., but they are encouraging their children to obtain as much education as possible. I include the demographics of Dove Springs, which is a transitory immigrant community, and the elementary schools that feed into Mendez Middle School, where most River City Youth Foundation children attend. The project contains information on River City Youth Foundation and it’s goal to maintain the youth involved in positive activities that encourages further education or career planning. This report represents the study of how Latino parents engage with technology by learning to use Chromebooks in RCYF’s TechComunidad. The program trains parents to have mastery skills with email, search engines; and in addition, educates parents on how they can support their children in school. The report culminates with parent interviews and illustrates how TechComunidad can decrease the techno-divide for Latino parents’ children and can possibly be offered in other Austin areas as a tool to decrease the high school dropout rate.Item Scaling the Digital Divide: The Effects of the Digital Divide on Rural Texas Students(2020-05) Wang, EmilyNearly 275,000 Texas students lack bandwidth needed for digital learning and there are more schools in rural areas in Texas than in any other state. The question my thesis will be exploring is: To what extent does the digital divide (more specifically, the lack of broadband Internet access) impact student performance (graduation rates, standardized testing scores) and opportunity (percentage of students that proceed with higher education) in rural vs. urban regions in Texas high schools? I will first consider the existing research that has been conducted in the field of digital divide to understand the reach and impact of the divide. Second, I will conduct a quantitative analysis comparing student performance on end-of-course exams with broadband access rates. Third, I will analyze the effectiveness of current legislation addressing digital divide and propose my own recommendations for future policies.Item Underutilizing the ultimate technology during COVID—the human imagination(From the Square (blog), NYTPress, 2020-04-10) Watkins, Craig