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Here's how a Texas border city is closing its digital divide

Molly Smith

April 13, 2021 |

El Paso Matters |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, El Paso, Texas

Texan cities, like McAllen and El Paso, are bridging the digital divide for students and building infrastructure to connect whole communities. In El Paso, the city used $150,000 of the $84 million it received in federal funds to purchase hotspots, which are now available for check-out from public libraries. In McAllen, the city has taken on the $1 million annual cost to provide Wi-Fi to the entire city.

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Mississauga company reduces electronic waste & offers computers to those who can't afford them

Nida Zafar

March 18, 2021 |

The Pointer |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Canada, Mississauga, Ontario

Older electronics are being refurbished and redistributed to those in need by Renewed Computer Technology. The federally funded, Canadian nonprofit collected 13,500 computers and laptops last year for schools, libraries, and charities. RCT also provides steeply discounted electronics for economically disadvantaged families in addition to affordable high-speed internet access.

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Hays Public Library offers help with vaccine registration

Kaisha Batman

February 10, 2021 |

KSNW-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Hays, Kansas

The Hays Public Library ensured people without access to computers or the internet could register for COVID-19 vaccines online by offering free access to computers and internet, as well as staff to answer questions. Library staff also assisted people who couldn’t fill the form out on their own and, home-bound residents, could request a form and a tablet with access to the internet be brought to their home so they could fill it out themselves. Over 6,000 people used the library’s services to pre-register for the COVID-vaccine.

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To Bridge the Digital Divide, Cities Tap Their Own Infrastructure

Linda Poon

February 08, 2021 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

The digital divide has exacerbated the challenge of virtual schooling and has spurred communities to provide affordable internet access. Local governments, nonprofits, and school districts are piloting initiatives to increase digital access for children from economically disadvantaged families. Advocates are pushing for permanent solutions that last after the pandemic in lieu of stopgap actions that have been put in place specifically for virtual schooling.

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Getting vaccinated is hard. It's even harder without the internet.

Eileen Guo

February 03, 2021 |

MIT Technology Review |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

A focus on infrastructure has been emphasized as the solution to bridging the digital divide, with “billions of dollars going into expanding broadband infrastructure.” Rural communities have historically struggled with broadband infrastructure but many people living in cities are also kept from accessing reliable internet service due to high costs. Affordability, not just infrastructure alone, must be addressed into order to remedy a lack of internet access.

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Trying to improve remote learning? A refugee camp offers some surprising lessons

Javeria Salman

January 14, 2021 |

The Hechinger Report |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Iraq

Hello Future is a non-profit teaching digital literacy at a refugee camp in Iraq. The program aims to teach refugees aged 13-18 marketable skills, and does so through "mobile-first" initiatives, where "90% of the program is taught on a phone," coupled with in-person classes, where students learn how to use search engines, and Google Docs. The organization has now expanded its program to students in the U.S., while adapting it to fit into remote learning due to restrictions caused by the pandemic.

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California schools build local wireless networks to bridge digital divide

Sydney Johnson Ali Tadayon

January 04, 2021 |

EdSource |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, California

School districts and cities in California are looking to create their own local Wifi networks as a long-term solution to the digital divide, and an alternative to hotspots. Some are even becoming internet service providers themselves (ISP) — efforts, they say, that will make it easier to provide internet access to those who can’t afford it.

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'The largest classroom in Africa': How text messages mean millions of children can stay connected to education during Covid-19 school closures

Laura Joffre

January 04, 2021 |

Pioneers Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya

In Sub-Saharan Africa, “almost half of schoolchildren, or a total of 121 million pupils, are unable to access remote learning,” according to a 2020 UNICEF report, an even bigger problem during a pandemic when students can’t access virtual classes. Eneza Education is using texts messages to deliver classes. Their bite-size lessons delivered via text and “Ask a Teacher” feature are providing education to millions of subscribers.

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In India, Smartphones and Cheap Data Are Giving Women a Voice

Yasaswini Sampathkumar

January 04, 2021 |

Wired |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India

Smartphones and cheap data are enabling Indian women, even those who never learned how to read and write, to access new networks and markets. Voice memos and images shared via apps like WhatsApp make accessing information easier. As a result, women are running businesses, finding new customers, and even saving remote forests by alerting journalists to illegal logging. As the accessibility of smartphones and affordable data increases, so does this demographic’s autonomy.

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Teachers on TV? Schools Try Creative Strategy to Narrow Digital Divide

Kellen Browning

January 03, 2021 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

“Let’s Learn NYC!” Is the New York City Public School System's answer to teaching students via television. The program is one of many around the country, which began at a FOX station in Houston. Through the program, students are able to watch science, math, and even dance lessons. The program has been scaled and adapted to a variety of large cities like San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, and others.

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