[Bridging_the_digital_divide] article on bridging the digital divide

[Jason Barkeloo]

Website opens up Internet to black students

BY ANDREA ROBINSON
arobinson at herald.com

Karnita Dumas and Christopher Emile laughed in delight at the animation  
that appeared on the website: black and brown children reading books,  
dancing and painting -- the same things they like to do.

''This is great,'' said Karnita, 11, glancing up from the computer  
screen. Like Christopher, 10, she is a fifth-grader at Linda Lentin  
Elementary in Biscayne Gardens.

Along with the ethnic images and information about local research  
libraries and museums, the site contains links to homework assistance,  
scholarship information and tips for taking the Florida Comprehensive  
Assessment Test.

The website -- www.links4youth.com -- was created by four civic-minded  
black women who want to help close the so-called digital divide by  
using computers to boost black children's interest in education,  
culture and volunteerism.

''Minority kids, and black kids in particular, are not on the  
information highway as much as other kids are,'' said Cynthia Curry, a  
local consultant and one of the women who developed the new site.

``Many of our children do not have ready access [to the Internet]. What  
we're trying to do is help them understand how much richer their  
information base could be if they had access to the variety of  
information on the Internet.''

Their belief that technology can help students achieve academic success  
comes as federal officials say more children are using the Internet to  
assist with homework.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, 42 percent of all  
students in grades K through 12 use the Internet to complete school  
assignments. And students rely more on the World Wide Web as they get  
older. One-third of elementary students reported relying on the  
Internet, compared with more than half of middle school students and  
two-thirds of high school students.

At the same time, federal figures show, minority students have less  
access to the Internet at home than do their white counterparts.  
Fifty-two percent of white students are more likely to use a home  
computer for completing school assignments, compared with 28 percent of  
black and 27 percent of Hispanic students.

When not at school, Artavia Smith, 17, a graduating senior at  
Northwestern High, travels 15 minutes from home to use her aunt's  
computer after school. She prefers researching the Internet to poring  
through reference books at the public library.

''It is a little hindrance,'' Artavia said. ``But if I have a computer,  
nothing stops me from getting to it.''

The creators of the website hope their project will help close the  
divide in the Miami area. Later this year they will award computers to  
three students as incentive to continue using the website.

  THE CREATORS

Curry and three other women -- retired city of Miami administrator  
Renee Jones, circuit court administrator Anne T. Herriott and attorney  
Gail Dotson -- developed the site for their organization, the Links of  
Greater Miami.

The women unveiled the project this month at three Dade schools:  
Lentin, Richmond Middle and Northwestern High. They plan a  
district-wide blitz when school resumes in mid-August. All Miami-Dade  
public schools have computers.

''We want this to be a resource tool for children in South Florida,''  
Jones said. ``If you're having problems with homework, you can [connect  
to] the tutorial service [link]. If you need information on financial  
assistance, it's there. This is a one-stop resource for youth of the  
community.''

The site is supposed to inspire kids to ''enrich their potential for  
success,'' said President Florence Strachan, a retired Miami-Dade  
school administrator. ``This supplements what the schools are doing. It  
can't hurt.''

Social scientists say kids are more apt to respond to information and  
images similar to their own experience.

Marvin Dawkins, a University of Miami sociology professor, said a  
localized, culturally sensitive website could become an invaluable  
resource for black students.

''The website is the first that I've seen of this type in Miami,'' he  
said. ``It has potential for having a tremendous impact on both raising  
awareness and attracting interest and developing an additional resource  
for black parents, students and teachers to use.

''It engages them more directly when [websites] feature information  
that relates to their experiences,'' Dawkins said. ``You get their  
attention, and then you can connect them to other educational tools,  
even ones that are not about them.''

Herriott said the team relied on input from students in determining  
content.

''They wanted to know more about HIV/AIDS and drug abuse. We were taken  
aback that they wanted to know such serious issues, but these are the  
times they are living in,'' she said.

Herriott and other group members introduced the site Tuesday to about  
20 fifth- and sixth-graders at Lentin Elementary. All the students,  
black and Hispanic, said they had a home computer.

  SURFING AWAY

The children busily explored dozens of pages that depicted hip-hop  
dancers, black ballerinas and cultural icons like Frederick Douglass.

Angela Bellamy, a retired Miami administrator and group member, stood  
near Karnita and Christopher and observed them as they explored the  
site.

''Information is power. The more information they have, the more it  
enlightens them,'' she said. ``It's all about access and information.''

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/education/8806241.htm? 
template=contentModules/printstory.jsp



---

Jason Barkeloo
President
TouchSmart Publishing
http://www.touchsmart.net
tele 513.225.8765


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