Digital Divides
The process of making the Sakura star was not an easy one. Gathering the required materials was relatively straightforward since I already had an idea of what is needed in order to make origami. I gathered some scissors, some paper, as well as a ruler and a pencil. Not being able to access the Internet or any other type of digital medium was intimidating and somewhat frustrating, especially considering that the watermark for the website to make this Sakura star was on the bottom right of the picture. This is when it hit me that this was going to be impossible for me to accomplish.
I began by trying to outline on the paper possible folds that would be needed to create the pedals. This was then followed by creasing them and increasing them constantly until I got a base that I was happy with. I had created a star. Which, at this point, looked nothing like the picture, and I was at a point in the creation process where I couldn’t fathom how to make any more folds on this same piece of paper to create the inner blooms of the Sakura star. At this point, I tried a couple more times, making different variations of the same star, however none as complex or similar to the one in the picture.
I realized something quite early on in the process of making this origami star. I was drastically hindered by the lack of access to the Internet. I had no other sources for information at my disposal. I looked through my entire bookshelf and actually found an origami for kids book, however it had nothing even close to the provided picture. I’ve become so reliant on this technology that I simply thought, “Well this is impossible, how could anyone be expected to pull this off!” In fact, I honestly believe that no one in the class will be able to do this without having lied and accessed the Internet.
This brought about an important point that was discussed in the class as well as the Rojas et al. article. I felt overwhelmingly helpless in making this creation and I actually had Internet access available to me at the snap of my fingers. However, some people don’t. Depending on a multitude of factors, including but not limited to: social class, family culture, and education, there are plenty of people who don’t have easily available digital technologies to help them or guide them through what in this day in age would be seen as a relatively simple thing to do (considering all you do is type it in google and viola). These ‘digital divides’ hinder ones ability to connect to a vast and easily accessible resource of knowledge that exist online. Consider those who don’t have a computer at home, or were taught that technology isn’t important because they grew up impoverished. As discussed in class, these end up being limiting factors for a persons potential growth educationally.
This puts into perspective the potential future of education. As schools and organizations progress more and more towards the use of digital technologies in order to provide education, the greater this problem of digital divides becomes relevant as there are still people who cannot either afford or adapt to the required digital technologies. While in theory knowledge is more accessible this way, it’s also a limiting factor for those who don’t have access.
My experience with this project hasn’t been a very pleasant one. Having no access to digital resources and having completely isolated myself from any other forms of obtaining information all my life, I ultimately failed at creating the origami structure. It was sad, however enlightening at the same time to realize how dependent I was on digital technologies.
