EUP 1501 SEM 2 PORTFOLIO

EUP 1501 SEM 2 PORTFOLIO GINO LEE SWANEPOEL Section A Digital Divide in South Africa The digital divide is a gap growing in our country. Technology is improving and guiding us into a fully digital society, replacing previous ways of life. This change has divided the country into those who have access to technology and information and those who do not. Below is my descending list of factors that contribute to the Digital Divide in South Africa. 1. Poverty Most of South Africa lives in poverty and has a lack of basic needs, so the thought of having access to the internet or even a cell phone is a luxury. The restriction to this access inhibits people from acquiring the skills needed to apply for employment so, they become stuck in their impoverished low income bracket. Solution: Roll out free accessible Wi-Fi in rural areas. Especially at schools. The majority of rural schools are left behind, unable to cross the digital divide, resulting in thousands of children not having the opportunity to experience enhanced learning. More low cost cellular devices should be made available. This reduced cost of a mobile phone will make them less prone to be stolen. 2. Infrastructure South Africa’s infrastructure lacks in comparison to the majority of our population who need access to the internet. A lot of the infrastructure that gets laid down is also stolen. In our urban areas, network infrastructure like telecommunication towers, copper, optic and wireless networks are available for people to easily access information from the internet. Solution: According to Telkom, ADSL access is only available over a copper line and the cost of this line is covered by the telephone rental line. ADSL should be the most cost effective connection to the internet, but becomes a redundant system as most people do not use home telephones anymore. We need to replace these copper lines with fibre optic cables. They are less likely to be stolen because they are made of plastic. Wi-Fi spots can also be built where a lot of people gather. One Communications tower in a rural area will be better for the global community and more effective to build than 10 towers in an urban area. 3. Cost South Africa’s data and internet prices are high compared to other developing countries. The fact that most South Africans access the web through their cell is a large contributing factor to this. Solution: Cellular data normally favours the higher income group. If you buy a larger data bundle, the cost per megabyte is cheaper than a smaller data bundle. South Africa also pays way more for data, compared to other parts of the world. Cellular data is mostly one of the only options of internet connection that is available to people who live in rural areas. A lack of infrastructure, cabling, and towers in rural areas means that cellular data is the only option as opposed to fibre optic cable or ADSL. Cellular data providers need to lower their rates or come up with better reduced plans and bundles for students, pensioners and people who fall into a low income bracket. 4. Illiteracy The majority of websites on the internet are in English, this creates a divide as over half of South Africa’s populations mother tongue is not English. This inhibits those users from using and/or accessing the internet properly. Solution: T () is a website that has been set up to translate computer software into various official languages of South Africa. This is the first project of The Zuza Software Foundation, a non-profit organisation aiming to promote development and open-source software in Africa. A bigger effort should also be made in schools to teach basic computer skills and literacy especially in rural areas. After reviewing the discussion board on the myunisa site, I did not get many replies on my submission but I analysed the replies made on a few of the submissions I thought were similar to mine. I incorporated replies to these submissions by modifying my original post. I found that many people listed infrastructure and education as their top priority. I viewed a lack of education as stemming from the devastating effects of poverty. That is why I have kept Poverty as number one in my list. A lot of people had Age on their list but I still think it is of less importance than the points I’ve mentioned so I did not include it. References: Bridging the digital divide in Africa | IT News Africa – Africa's Technology News Leader. 2018. Bridging the digital divide in Africa | IT News Africa – Africa's Technology News Leader. [ONLINE] Available at: August 2018]. Bridging the Digital Divide in South Africa | Linux Journal. 2018. Bridging the Digital Divide in South Africa | Linux Journal. [ONLINE] Available at: IOA. 2018. The digital divide in South Africa’s higher education sector: why public internet access is important in the context of tertiary education | IOA. [ONLINE] Available at: TechFinancials. 2018. Open Access Fibre Infrastructure: Can Help South Africa to Bridge the Digital Divide. [ONLINE] Available at: August 2018]. EUP 1501 SEM 2 PORTFOLIO GINO LEE SWANEPOEL Section B MY DEVICE: Notebook REASON FOR DEVICE Portability is the biggest reason for my choice of the Notebook. It allows me to do my work anywhere and makes for a more streamlined working experience because of the lack of the need for essential external devices. Notebooks and laptops also use less energy than desktop PC’s.. FEATURES • CPU - Preferably Core i9 but at least Core i5 • Minimum 8GB RAM • LED Back lit display • Bluetooth • Lightweight & Thin • USB Type-C Port • Built in quality webcam and microphone • SSD Storage • 10 hour battery life minimum • Wireless connectivity • 15” screen • 2 in 1 with Touch Screen APPLICATIONS • Web Browsers: Chrome/Safari/Firefox • Operating system: Windows/MacOS • Cloud Storage: Dropbox/Google Drive • Messaging: Skype/Facetime, Facebook Messenger/ • Security: Norton Antivirus/McAfee • Media Player: VLC/QuickTime/iTunes • Office Suite: Word/Pages • Music Streaming: Spotify/Apple Music • Video Streaming: Netflix/Hulu • Email • Photo Editor: Photoshop • Adobe PDF reader