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Marshall McLuhan (1964) introduced the concept of the global village that helped us see what was happening with worldwide, inexpensive communication through technology. However, at the time we did not envision that it would result during our lifetimes with our students being able to see and talk with students across the ocean and around the globe. From Nebraska’s statewide video network (Robinson, 2004) to the Florida Virtual School (Johnston, 2000), the use of technology to connect students at distant locations with a central site has become almost commonplace. When students find that a course they need to take is not available at their school site, they can electronically register to complete that course online with students from many other locations—all connected together. If a teacher is presenting a lesson on exotic animals, but lacks in-depth expertise in that topic, he or she can go online and bring in an expert from one of the several online zoos or connect the students to a Webcam set up in the wild where the animals can be viewed in real time around the world. To get even more structured interactions with students in other parts of the nation or the world, and to have high-quality picture and voice exchanges, compressed video systems connected via broad bandwidth ISDN phone lines are being used.

The Internet has become an essential element of all society today. Those who can access the World Wide Web have become active participants in the Information Age. Unfortunately, many individuals throughout the world do not have ready access to the needed technology. Furthermore, they do not have the required knowledge and skills to use the technology and cannot participate actively. As a result, this has created a world of information haves and have-nots. In this chapter, after examining the concept of the digital divide, data is presented that shows that those with low incomes and those who are older have little access to technology and the use of computers. Low-income seniors are especially limited in their opportunities to own a computer, and they seldom have the skills needed to use one for e-mail, search the Internet, and so forth, even if they visit a public library where they could use a computer without any cost. Various approaches being used to help seniors learn how to use computers are described, andthen the chapter focuses on two projects that have proved to be successful in this effort. SeniorNet is a national organization that helps establish learning centers around the country. The approach used at one such center, located at Nova Southeastern University in South Florida, requires seniors to pay for their courses. A second project is known as SeniorComp and is supported by private foundation funds. Ten low-income senior citizens are selected for each group of seniors in this project. They are given a complete Dell computer system, and their tuition is paid to take four of the SeniorNet courses. At the end of the fourth course, ownership of the computer system is turned over to the individual participant. To date, the completion rate has been 100%. The approaches used can serve as models for others to modify and use in their own communities. By adopting a similar approach, the impact of the digital divide can be significantly reduced for those low-income seniors that participate in the project. In this way, this portion of the marginal community can be empowered.