Case+Study--A+Canadian+Perspective

In addition to sharing a global perspective on the digital divide, we also wanted to reflect on a Canadian (local) outlook and approach to defining and bridging the digital divide. Below is a powerpoint which gathers thogether key points relative to the well knowed research based in part from the results of a Statistics Canada survey in 2002. Dianne Looker, professor and researcher from the Department of Sociology at Acadia University in collaboration with Victor Thiessen, similarily a professor involved in research from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Dalhousie University, collaborated a research paper entitled" "The digital divide in Canadian schools: factors affecting student access to and use of information technology" (2003). 

However relevant and impactful the above article is, we recognize how quickly technology and how we use it and how this affects the landscape of the digital divide. To supplement the above research and share another more recent perspective on the state of the digital divide in Canada, Marlene Scardamalia, professor and experienced researcher at the Institute for Knowledge Innovation and Technology at the University of Toronto, has gathered some new interesting dadat in her report "21st Century model of assessment for emergent competencies" (2010). Scardamalia's research show us that as the digital divide widens, wemust be aware of the new skills that can still be learned and assitive in bridging this gap. The most important skills she highlights, is the ability for individuals to create new knowledge by working in collaborative learning environments. 

Conclusions!