The Digital Divide

Bill Barowy (wbarowy who-is-at mail.lesley.edu)
Thu, 11 Nov 1999 10:12:51 -0500

The Digital Divide, a new four-part series for public television from San
=46rancisco's Studio Miramar, premiers on PBS on January 28, 2000. The serie=
s
examines the role technology plays in widening social divisions in our
culture. In contrast to "the ardor that usually characterizes reporting on
digital technology," says executive producer David Bolt, "this series asks
some hard questions about the social role of the computer."

http://www.pbs.org/digitaldivide/

Each of the one-hour episodes looks at a different facet of technology's
impact on young people in America. The first episode "Wired For What?"
examines the role of computers in elementary schools and the questions now
being raised nationwide about educational technology. In the second
episode, "Fair Play", the producers look at the gender gap for middle
school girls vis-=FD-vis digital technology.

The third episode, "Virtual Equality", examines the distribution of
digital technology along racial lines in America from the perspective of
high-school students. And in the final episode, "Crossing the Divide", the
producers follow young people as they graduate from high school and
struggle to enter the new digital economy.