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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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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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'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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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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What A Solar-Powered, Portable Library Looks Like

Christine Ro

December 30, 2020 |

Forbes |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Arizona State University’s SolarSPELL project developed a waterproof device with a solar panel and other equipment that allows users to connect to “offline WiFi” networks and browse preloaded webpages. SD cards store open access educational content and national education ministries have the ability to add national textbooks and other culturally relevant content. About 25 users can connect without slowing browsing speeds and the ASU team provides training on how to use the device. While the device is primarily charged using the solar panel, it can also be charged using electricity during cloudy weather.

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These Buses Bring School to Students

Kathleen Gray

December 17, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Jackson, Michigan

In Jackson, Michigan, 1 in 5 children have access to wifi through school buses. Out of the roughly 5,000 children, 70 percent qualify for free and reduced lunch. The buses guarantee they have reliable access to the internet during a pandemic. The buses park outside apartment complexes, a homeless shelter, and the rec center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It’s just one way the school district is adapting to student needs during a health pandemic.

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Internet Companies Don't Want to Serve the Clearfork Valley. So Residents Are Working to Build Their Own Access

Gabe Schwartzman

December 14, 2020 |

The Daily Yonder |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Clearfork Valley, Kentucky

Community advocates in Clearfork Valley created their own public internet hotspot to bridge the digital divide, especially as the pandemic rendered high-speed internet more of a necessity than a luxury. Broadband companies were reluctant to run fiber-optic cables through the valley because the rural area wouldn't bring in a profit for the internet providers. A small nonprofit, Community Tech, NY, stepped in to help solve the problem by providing Portable Network Kits which provide internet access. Although it creates a small network, it's a huge step toward "stepping onto the technology highway."

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How electric cooperatives are helping Texas students tackle pandemic learning

Tahera Rahman

November 09, 2020 |

KXAN-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Moulton, Texas

Around 20% of high school students in rural Moulton Independent School District in Texas don't have the vital internet connection they need to complete their assignments. Students at Shiner Independent School District, also a rural area school, faced similar issues. Both districts teamed up with Guadalupe Valley Electric Cooperative, a non-profit utility company, which distributed 20 unlimited data hotspots to Moulton at a $40 monthly cost, as opposed to $200+ cost. Along with individual mobile hotspots, GVEC also turned the Shiner school parking lot into a larger hotspot.

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Community rallies to create free learning pod for Philly students

Jessica Blatt Press

October 28, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A new learning pod at a church is serving at least 30 students in Philadelphia. The idea for the pod was the result of a listening tour with the community. “We heard directly from parents and caregivers about their needs.” Now, students are learning lessons they had missed out on before they joined the pod.

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