New+Resource+for+the+Societal+Issues+Forum-Internet+for+Everyone

Widespread availability of quality internet connections is fast becoming an issue in America, and the website [|Internetforeveryone.org] creates a platform in which to engage in this discourse. Fundamentally, it is a discourse that revolves around notions of access to resources and information. This site is yet another reminder that the digital divide is real and becoming yet another barrier toward an equitable and democratic society. Internet for everyone is an advocacy group that seeks to place the issue of internet availability at the forefront of the technology debate. It's a collaboration of various organizations that are committed to the struggle for equity at various social levels.

Driving its mission statement, Internet for everyone articulates four distinct principles: 1) Access to high-speed internet for EVERYONE 2) Consumer choice over internet content and providers 3) The internet as a sight of unfettered freedom of speech and commerce 4) The internet as a sight of innovation, the dissemination of ideas, and creation of employment.

As part of its work, the organization records and presents testimonials of people from various backgrounds and geographic locations that deal with the issue of availability and use of high-speed internet access. These regular people invite us into their lives and speak in terms of how vital this resource is to their economic livelihood, educational achievement, and overall empowerment stemming from utilizing a resource that allows an unlimited access to knowledge and information. In one particular testimonial, an African American carpenter asserts that access to a high speed internet connection provides a sense of capability and being in touch with this 21st century world. In another, a North Carolina farmer suggests that his dial-up internet connection prevents him from accessing vital information in a timely manner that would make his work a more competitive endeavor. This was expressed similarly by a writer living near the Smoky Mountains whose poor connection did not allow his craft to reach editors and others in a timely and efficient manner. In addition to compiling these testimonials, Internet for everyone also provides startling statistics on the unavailability of high-speed broadband. All too often, communities that remain disenfranchised are working-class and from ethnic backgrounds.

As a history/social studies teacher, I could use a resource like this to exemplify the manifestations of new democratic movements in the context of 21st Century America. Like the struggles for U.S. naturalization, the vote, and anti-discrimination legislation, the fight for access to quality internet connections is a part of this movement toward a just society. By introducing these concepts to my students, I feel that perhaps they may gain a deeper insight into societal implementation of this technology and its implications. At the same time, I hope to get them to think critically about their own usage of the internet and how it affects them in terms of the knowledge and empowerment they derive from it. Questions that I would want to pose to them would go something like this:

How does access to broadband internet affect your ability to remain engaged in our communities? What is the correlation between a democratic society and access to technologies like the internet? Do you think that high-speed internet access provides you with an appropriate tool to fully comprehend important social issues affecting you, your family, and your community?

While these questions may seem a little complex, the benefits from bringing this type of resource into the classroom lie in the opportunities it offers to students to reflect on their own usage of this particular technology. Another benefit discerned from this resource is the platform that it creates as an entry point to become part of a societal discourse that is quickly taking shape in THEIR time.

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