Relation To CSC101

My having taken CSC101 contributed to my creation of this paper in several ways.

First, CSC101 covered computing concepts in general, so when I was exploring what the Global Digital Divide is, I had a deeper understanding of computing as being not just technology, but also the use of it for many purposes - purposes that might contribute to equity of power.

Second, several parts of my paper refer to connectivity as being a necessary condition for effective societal use of computing/technology. The Networking lesson in CSC101 provided background on how people and their devices are connected to the Internet. It discussed the wired and wireless hardware that is necessary - and may not be present in communities that are on the wrong side of the Global Digital Divide. Similarly, the Computing Hardware lesson helped me know about the devices that people need for computing and may not have adequate access to.

Third, the CSC101 Data and Identification lesson taught me about how information can be collected online from things like search engines and large databases. By understanding how vast the amount of data is, I was able to better make the point that people with out the ability to identify and access that data are at a huge disadvantage in the areas I listed in my analysis section (e.g. Education, Economic growth, etc).

Fourth, the CSC101 Data Analysis lesson helped me understand that if people have access to data, and access to computing technology to process the data to become knowledge, that they will be more powerful. For instance businesses that have, and can harness, Google Analytics information can be stronger businesses. In a global economy, businesses from communities on the wrong side of the Global Digital Divide will therefore be at a huge disadvantage.

Finally, look at how CSC101 was taught - video lectures, cloud-based software, online quizzes, a wikibook - none of that would be possible in a school with students on the wrong side of the Global Digital Divide.