ERIC Number: ED474827
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2002-Jan-24
Pages: 26
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Sustaining Technology in Low-Income Neighborhoods. A Consultative Session Convened by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Thematic Summary.
Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, MD.
This report summarizes the presentations of 35 professionals from diverse sectors of society working on different aspects of the digital divide. Various uses of technology have been supported over the past decade to improve outcomes for low-income groups. This session focused on the issue of technology sustainability in the face of increasing competition for long-term funding. It examined how technology investments were made lasting and valuable for communities, how technology investments were made profitable to companies who installed the platforms, and how to make technology access universal and sustainable. Participants identified key issues related to sustaining technology and proposed strategic responses. Barriers to sustainability included the escalating and overwhelming nature of the demand and redundancy of information on the Internet. Participants identified the significant lack of a unified national public policy agenda on universal access and sustainability, especially as related to low-income groups, noting inadequate standardization of research findings and lack of quantitative outcome measures for technology training, access, and programming in community-based organizations. Seven proposed strategic responses include crafting an appropriate national policy agenda, ensuring diversified and adequate funding streams, and ensuring consistent and continued information and resource sharing. (SM)
Descriptors: Access to Computers, Computer Uses in Education, Elementary Secondary Education, Low Income Groups
Annie E. Casey Foundation, 701 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21202. Tel: 410-223-2890; Fax: 410-547-6624; Web site: http://www.aecf.org.
Publication Type: Collected Works - Proceedings; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, MD.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A