Page 49 - Technology Plan for School Years 2017 to 2021

All students do not have equal access to technology outside of school hours, leaving some
students and parents/guardians without access to District online resources. These students
are at a disadvantage and cannot complete technology assignments at home, cannot
access the Internet for research, and parents/guardians cannot receive digital
communication from the school regarding student progress and activities.

Source: COSN http://cosn.org/sites/default/files/April%203%20DE%20Infographic%20.pdf

To assist in addressing this digital divide, the District’s “Shrinking the Digital Divide”
initiative was started back in 2005 with the goal of developing project-based learning
programs to refurbish and then distribute computers, no longer utilized by the District, into
the community. The “Shrinking the Digital Divide” program is a hands-on, real-world, service-
based project. The most powerful result of students working in the “Shrinking the Digital
Divide” program is that students are allowed to making meaningful contributions to our
community and developing real-world skills by gaining leadership opportunities.

This program addresses the following International Society for Technology in Education
(ISTE) Standards for Students:

 Technology Operations and Concepts
 Critical Thinking, Problem Solving & Decision Making
 Creativity and Innovation

In order to help bridge the gap created by the digital divide, the District has partnered with
several telecommunications providers to provide ultra-low cost in-home Internet access to
families in need. These programs provide Internet access, a modem, and a wireless router
to help these families’ access resources and services that would otherwise be unavailable to
them and offer a connection to the digital world.

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