It is critical to overcome the digital divide - Education Development ...

- How do youth define technology, what functions to they assign to technology, and whatdoes this imply about technology design? (both youth who are integrally involved andthose who are not)- What barriers need to be taken down for greater access and availability of technology?- How do the implicit and explicit values found in technology design and use affect theways that diverse learners interact with those technologies?In the area of education, we have identified the following questions:- How can learning technologies respond to ALL learners, not just those for whom currenttechnology models are most effective?- How can we assist teachers and others to become effective learning mediators, tointegrate and use technology in learning environments in a way that enhances studentlearning?- How can content and technology be aligned with the realities of individual schools?- How can learning technologies increase economic opportunity?In the area of technology design, we have identified other areas for further research:- Who designs the technology and what are the implications of this? As technologiesbecome more malleable and ‘user-friendly’, does this increase access or provide a limitednumber of options designed by someone else?- How can technology be designed differently, taught differently, and involve more diversepeoples and perspectives as part of these processes?In conclusion, we argue that further research on learning technologies should focus on therelationship between youth identities, learning mediators, technology designers, the learnersetting (school), and the technology itself.22