Blackmon Reading

     This reading, while slightly outdated, focused on the trend of African American computer usage to be much lower than that of whites. While I'm unsure of whether this is still the case, the author of the article provided very strong evidence to prove not only that African Americans tend to be much more technology impaired than their white counterparts, but also why they have such a difficult time with technology, more specifically computers and the internet. According to the author, African Americans tend to be at a great disadvantage when it comes to learning the basics of computer usage; this is the case due to the fact that African Americans typically come from poorer school districts which are not equipped with computers. The fact that they are disadvantaged from the start does nothing to encourage African American students to get involved with a world they see as predominantly white. Students in the article saw the internet as a place where they might be stereotyped or judged, and therefore they chose not to use it or computers at all.
    I could relate to this reading on the basis that I come from a relatively poorer public school district, where we did have computers, but not excess money for some of the great new technologies afforded by other schools. While my school has computer labs in which all students learn to type and operate the computer in differents ways, we are not quite as encouraged to branch out into more specalized diverse groups to suit our own needs. Our school did not always have the resources to support us when it came to our own personal interests and desires. For example, one thing I've seen a lot of since coming to Tech is the FIRST Robotics teams. I've met many people who participated and helpled to build a robot while gaining some great work experience; were I an engineer, I would be seriously interested in FIRST and what it could offer me in terms of work experience. However, as  a second year with other educational interests and no other experience in the program, I turn away from it and completely eliminate it as a possiblity for my fuure. I also feel this way about any classes involving programming; while they could be very beneficial to someone in my area of education, I feel very intimidated by those who already have the basic knowledge and skills and who would be starting a step ahead of me.
      Overall, it was easy to see the theme of this article: until African Americans can feel that they are on a level playing field with whites in cyberspace, they will continue to avoid using such technology at all costs. As someone from a less fortunate school district with many options regarding students' future plans, I could relate to this feeling of unequal opportunity between two or more socioeconomic groups. I think that this article could serve as a reminder to all of us that we don't all come from the same levels of opportunity, and must remember to help those less experienced than ourselves to prevent any feelings of suboordination.