Twitter: @misssmith11

Website/Blog: TechTruffles.com/

Bio

Sherri L. Smith is a veteran journalist, blogger, and online community manager who has written for and supervised online communities for Fast Company, IncBizNet, PopGadget, ZiggyTek and Blackplanet.com. During her career she has interviewed Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Ne-Yo and Diddy.

Currently, she is the managing editor for Black Web 2.0 where she covers gadgets, gaming, social networking and web trends. She also provides content for BET.com. An avid supporter of social media. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin – you name it, she’s probably there.

How can we use technology to close the digital divide?

We can best close the digital by starting in the schools, ensuring that every child has access to a computer with high-speed Internet. By providing access in schools, students learn that computers are more than just another entertainment option, they’re a way to discover and interact with the world in ways that previously would have been impossible. However, we can not place the weight solely on schools. The community must come together to create programs that grants computer access to the community at large, further increasing the sphere of influence and education.

When I was in elementary school, my first exposure to tech began with a Commodore 64. I also had the benefit of a community program for grades 4-8 where engineers and people in IT industry would volunteer 2-3 hours of their Saturday mornings to teach kids how to really use the computer. From word processing to researching the capitol of Zaire to basic lessons in Auto-CAD, we were shown the tools that would potentially change our lives. During high school I spent a year at a charter school, with a technology-focused curriculum including desktop publishing, auto-tech, robotics, and audio/visual.

If programs similar to these could be modeled and disseminated areas where the community is low-income, rural, or underserved it would greatly lessen the effects of the digital divide as well as have the potential to create the next generation of leaders and innovators in tech.