With technology changing everyday it is easy to see that there is no way for people to be up to date on new technology as quickly as it is created. The idea of the Digital Divide is that there is a gap between people that is caused by an inability for access to technology. This concept is widely accepted, but the idea that people may not be able to connect to the internet or even have a computer is something that in this day and age can affect a person’s quality of life. In an article written by Joseph Conn, the Digital Divide does just this. More and more these days, doctors and hospitals are keeping electronic health records or EHR. With patient records becoming easier to store and access, one can understand why there is a move in this direction. David Blumenthal, the national coordinator for health IT at HHS has stated that in some clinics dealing mainly with Hispanic and African American patients on Medicare there adoption rate of EHR is lower than other healthcare providers.
Thinking about growing up in a society where computers were always in my home, it is hard to grasp the fact that some people may have never used a computer. As a young child I can remember playing games like Mario Teaches Typing and using book and CD ROM activity books with my parents to learn reading. I can also remember getting dial up internet and having to ask my parents permission because we needed a password to log onto AOL. Thinking back to how much of a pain I thought it was to ask permission, I feel as if I was a bit spoiled now knowing that some children may never have the ability to log online to do homework or chat with friends.
Think about all the things people use computers with internet connections with today, or even cell phones with internet capability. Emailing, searching topics, finding maps and restaurant locations and even the simplest thing of connecting to other people. These simple acts that take us less than minutes to complete are not common or available to all people. I know that I have Goggled words, events and even historical figures and people in the news that I did not know about in offer to educate myself on the issues. Why shouldn’t everyone be able to educate themselves on things they do not know? Why shouldn’t someone in the plains of the Serengeti be able to talk to someone in the Australian grasslands about the rainy season or even animal activity? Knowing how the simplest use of the internet can help me in my everyday life I feel that people of all walks of life need to do their part to help close the Digital Divide. Donate a computer instead of just throwing them out. This not only helps to preserve the environment, but also helps someone to close their gap in the Digital Divide.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
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