The "Digital Divide" has traditionally been framed as the dichotomy between those who have computers and Internet access and those who do not. In the United States in recent years, this disparity has diminished thanks to governmental, university and private programs that have put computers in poor and rural schools and hooked them up to high-speed networks. However, this does not mean that all gaps in technology access have been closed. The inequity that is perhaps more troubling, says UC Irvine education professor Mark Warschauer, has to do with "deep access" to technology. The level to which people have the support and skills they need to make effective use of computers and Internet connections varies widely, with those on the lower end of the spectrum in danger of becoming marginalized, argues Warschauer in his new book, "Technology and Social Inclusion: Rethinking the Digital Divide" (MIT Press). "In the early days of the 'Digital Divide' people tended to emphasize the physical presence or absence of computers," says Warschauer. "The main point of my book is that that's only one tiny piece of a broader situation. If you throw computers or any other technology into a dysfunctional system, you basically have a dysfunctional system plus computers. We should look at how technology can be part of the solution and not the solution in itself."

Mark Warschauer Vice Chair, Dept. of Education, UC Irvine Listen to Mark Warschauer read from his book (MP3 format, 9MB, 19:32 minutes),  > or read text of audio recording Read the introduction to "Technology and Social Inclusion: Rethinking the Digital Divide"

In "Technology and Social Inclusion," Warschauer, by highlighting technology programs from around the world, demonstrates how many have failed to make an impact because they did not address the social and cultural environments in which they were introduced. These programs "too often focused on providing hardware and software and paid insufficient attention to the human and social systems that must also change for technology to make a difference," writes Warschauer. "Content and language, literacy and education, and community and institutional structures must all be taken into account if meaningful access to new technologies is to be provided."

Deep access to technology is not only important for education, but also for participation in society at large, says Warschauer.

"This book takes as a central premise that the ability to access, adapt, and create new knowledge using new information and communication technologies is critical to social inclusion in today's era," writes Warschauer.

Warschauer also writes about online and distance learning programs and how they may be creating yet another type of gap.

"The book includes a critical analysis of distance learning and online learning programs to the extent that something that looks like it's creating more opportunity may end up creating more inequality by offering different types of education to different types of students," says Warschauer. "Online programs can be done very well but there is a lot of commercialization of higher education, especially as it relates to technology. Through this commercialization there's a pressure for low-cost online programs, which could create inferior educational opportunities for students who have less money while the elite would continue to go to universities with small classes, more qualified instructors, and other advantages."