Who has had positive experience volunteering internet education to those with limited resources?
I agree with the above comments that the digital divide is great within the USA. However, I can talk a little bit about going abroad to teach basic computer skills. A friend helped start a foundation in a mountain village in Guatemala and invited me to teach an adult introductory computer course (I used to work part-time for my university’s IT department as a student lab consultant). I taught about 18 Mayan adults in Spanish (their second language) and sometimes they translate explanations to one another Chuj (their first language). This experience has taught me about the language barriers that exist with computers and certain populations– for instance, everything is in either Spanish or English and I wish there was more available in Chuj. I was able to encounter a number of tutorials online in Spanish, especially through the GCF Global Learning site (and a good mouse tutorial through the Ocean County, NJ library site). To answer your question, I have found this experience rewarding.
The Peace Corps also has an IT program. The experience is incredibly rewarding, of course, but also fascinating. This is the coolest job in the world. I help people connect to each other and feed their families by just sharing the things I love. My work ranges from teaching introductory classes (this is a computer, this is how you turn it on, when you move the mouse, the arrow on the screen moves) to teaching university level web development courses. I also do a lot of web design and knowledge management-type stiuff. And of course, there’s the whole physical aspect, like making sure our equiptment is protected from unreliable and irregular power, etc. Keep in mind that the digital divide doesn’t have to refer just to computers, per se, but also information and communications technology in general. Illiteracy can be an enormous barrier to getting connected to the Internet, but it doesn’t automatically preclude the use of technologies to teach. For example, “toys” like playstations can b
