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Show The Salt Lake Tribune OPINION U.S. Must Not Delay Investment In Internet Infrastructure BYPAUL RESNICK rolling. Akin to a century ago, whenpublic libraries beganoffer- ing classes for immigrants to Wecan’t wait to narrow the bridge the literacy divide, many libraries offer Internet stations “digital divide.” In the early2ist century, we must ensurethat ev- and basic training on skills like Web searching. eryone is included in a society that will only become moredriven The challengeforlibrariesis to expandtheir visionto includecitizensas producersofinformation, by information. It’s notjust, as the new Commerce Department report says, that people without not just consumers. access to information technology how to design Websites, and had much more fundamentalissue at the teens create sites for local stake for both the digital haves and have-nots. non-profits. Community technologycenters Full participation in an information society requires that everycitizen be able to publish and organizing civic projects in addi- - a new breedof public institution — are also emerging. They're broker information, as well as consumeit. This is the democratizing feature that sets the Inter- tion to providing access and training. Some of these centers net apart from mass media like television and newspapers. Publish a Web page, or forward a compelling e-mail message to a group of people that you want to influence, and you've bypassed are doing so). In addition to com- mitting more monetary resources to these critical public institu- Clinton's drive to have every classroom wiredto the Internet. tions, we will also need a new eadre of information Fortunately, somepublic institutions have already got the ball a face with a name,find each other’s pets, organize block parties, and provide other old-fashioned mutual support. The sobering new Commerce studyis actually the third annual report on widening inequalities in ety is still taking shape. If FOR THE ANGELES TIMES We've been hearing a lot of held accountable for the results In New York City, we discov There is one problem that wil! require far greater investment thegap in school achievement be. midst of the nation’s biggest sys: tem, we organized hundreds of small, unique schools. Parents werethenfree to choose a public tion. But noneofthesewill pro duce what oursociety needs: smart and thoughtful adults. school that had the curriculum, faculty and spirit that was best for is to reinvent schools in which youngpeople keep comwe need to break up thebig centralized school buildings and create smaller schools with smaller This mirrorsthe gap that’s always beenthereand is growing greatur as income and other “quality they are not only Deborah Meier leads the Mis sion Hill School in Boston. good for THIS WEEK ONLY! HEARING AIDS UP TO 65% OFF now,we can besureto includeevBut the U.S. is so prosperous these days, and so smitten with the financial benefits of the Inter- OFFER EXPIRES FRIDAY, AUGUST 13TH e FREE HEARINGTESTS! off investmentin a public Net in frastructure. Let's not be so shortsighted. Just as its re- ® FULLY GUARANTEED HEARING AIDS making the marketplace and the workplace, information technology is rapidlyre-shaping ourcivic life. Without access, training, and opportunities to participate, too many Americans won't even knowhowto get to the next cen: tury’s town square. ° EXTRA DISCOUNT WHEN PURCHASING TWO HEARING AIDS Conventional Conventional Digitally Programmable (Compare at C838) Digitally Programmable $895 $995 (Compare at $2595) Cito Canal $1295 (Compas at Out of Sight ‘Hearing Aids For a Low $1595 each (Compare at $3495). | 40 YEARS @ | EXPERIENCE HARRIS HEARING CENTERS It Lake Office 0 Office 4568HigherDe ilo _424-2849 330 West Cenlerst 373-6827 cane TheSalt LakeTribune!6B Deseret News WHO CAN RESIST A CROSSWORD? Down ny 1 Namesgiven to books . Someone who writes a literary work First name ofa latter-day prophet . www.deseretbook.com Finale Wels Biggest Feu EFMTNE CuTsd MOU ECE LOLAiracd Na Across 1. Verbal appreciation 3. Songbooks 6. Proof of purchase 8. It was in the beginning WHO CAN RESIST A DESERET BOOK SALE! 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JORDAN, 11400 SO, 1100 WEST ACCESS FROM 1300 WEST Open Daily 11 am 9 pm / Gates Close 9 pm : ial ‘None Sites Throughout the Valley and Tooele. of Folks around the country who. havetried similar reforms have found the same thing: It works. The hard data proves the case: ass es where teachers and tween the haves and have-nots. life” divisions grow apace. Wecan improveeducationfor all children if we don’t turn our backsonpublic schools. theirchild. pany with suchadults. Todo this, cust Oureconomy is in good shay in part because we have a good public system of education ereda way to dothis. Right in the quickuggestions for improv ing our schools: more standard ized testing, vouchers, privatiza The key achievement, they're effective. principals have the freedomthey need to be successful and then BY DEBORAH MEIER we act Paul Resnick is associate pro: fessor at the University of Michigan. Sunday, August 8,1999 In School, You Get What You Pay For access to IT. How many more wake-upcalls do we need? The Internetis still in its infancy, and the form of our informationsoci net, it would be easyfor us to put libraries and community technol- America’s communities, is a companion initiative to President guides are springing up e where. I've just begun a micro. project that can be easily adapted by a variety of communitygroups. My students and are helping one block at a time to create a photo directory and an e-mail list, so neighbors can more easily match eryone in this process. ogy centers are the digital safety net. They're the only places millions of Americans can ramp onto the Net (and only a tinyfraction but they'll do little to close the skill gap. What we need for centers and organize civic informationprojects. Whencitizens become information producers and brokers, not merely consumers, they have exciting meansto renewciviclife. In electoralpolitics, on-line voter other community organizations. Through their neighborhoodtech center, Harlem youth have become Web journalists, publicizing Department study shows, public would be the simple solution. They will, to some degree, help close the technology access gap, public access are independent,othersreside in libraries, schools, YMCAs, or local events, interviewing local personalities, and documenting theirculture. Quite clearly, the Commerce the old channels. If this were only a cost issue, the “free PC” entrepreneurs aa rere. For example, a few years ago the Flint (MI) Public Library taught teenagers will lose out on the best job opportunities ahead. There’s a professionals who canstaff the ory Continuous Soft His Southfran MurdoekTravel CarlsonWagonlit tes Meme ee neuenhee rm. alee Ne ee nime SS j |