The Rise of ‘Studyblrs'

https://medium.com/bright/the-rise-of-studyblrs-8916998179f9

Kaite Welsh

Bright Magazine

2 April 2015

Text / Under 800 Words

Students in today's technical world are now using blogging and other forms of social media, known as studyblrs, in order to help each other improve achievement through online homework help, communication, and encouragement.

How One School District Used Buses to Bring the Internet Home

https://psmag.com/news/how-one-school-district-used-buses-to-bring-the-internet-home

Rick Paulas

Pacific Standard

10 June 2016

Text / 800-1500 Words

Many in the rural town of Indio, CA, didn't have access to the internet. Darryl Adams, superintendent of Coachella Valley schools, devised a frugal way to provide internet access to many of his district's poor neighborhoods - mobile, school bus-based WiFi hotspots.

How Online Mapmakers Are Helping the Red Cross Save Lives in the Philippines

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/11/how-online-mapmakers-are-helping-the-red-cross-save-lives-in-the-philippines/281366

Robinson Meyer

The Atlantic

13 November 2013

Text / 800-1500 Words

After typhoon Haiyan, the devastation to the Philippines was hard to locate and track. The Red Cross staffed volunteers to sort through crowd-sourced data to create maps. The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap software application has helped the Red Cross better organize search and rescue operations.

The surprisingly simple economic case for giving refugees cash, not stuff

http://qz.com/750020/the-deceptively-simple-economic-case-for-giving-refugees-cash-not-stuff

Elizabeth MacBride

Quartz

7 August 2016

Text / 1500-3000 Words

In the Middle East, refugee camps are expensive to run-- particularly because shipping food aid is expensive, and the refugees feel victimized in an environment where they have no agency or purchasing power. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has moved refugees in Jordan out of camps and has given cash instead of in-kind aid, and new possibilities emerge with mobile money by the aid of new technology. The results have shown that refugees feel more empowered and the costs associated with their aid are reduced.

It Takes a Library

http://ksfr.org/post/it-takes-library-solutions-journalism

Lucia Duncan

Santa Fe Public Radio (KSFR)

4 October 2016

Radio / 5-15 Minutes

In New Mexico, public libraries are funded by municipalities. That means, if you live in an unincorporated town, there’s no funding stream for a local public library. But, in northern New Mexico, residents in several towns have joined together to create independent libraries that have transformed their communities.

Addressing The Digital Divide In Education

http://www.newmexicopbs.org/productions/newmexicoinfocus/small-towns-big-change-addressing-the-digital-divide-in-education

Megan Kamerick

KNME-PBS

7 October 2016

Broadcast TV Programs / 5-15 Minutes

Many families in rural New Mexico still do not have high speed internet access at home. In Farmington, the public school district, a local college, and nonprofits are working to close the gap in the digital divide for students by addressing access to technology and the internet.

The Students, Families Who Can't Afford Internet in the Bronx

http://www.wnyc.org/story/bronx-has-least-internet-connectivity-city

Sarah Gonzalez

WNYC

23 November 2016

Text / Under 800 Words

In an era when success in school and the workplace is so heavily reliant on internet access, almost 20 percent of New York City households still lack internet access at home. Fortunately, the New York City Housing Authority is taking steps to address the issue by providing solutions such as installing free hotspots, distributing complimentary Wi-Fi equipment, and even parking digital vans outside of public housing complexes so that residents can easily and freely access computers, printers, and the Internet.

How Libraries are Boldly Innovating to Meet the Needs of Changing Communities

http://www.shareable.net/blog/how-libraries-are-boldly-innovating-to-meet-the-needs-of-changing-communities

Anna Pratt

Shareable

16 November 2016

Text / Over 3000 Words

Libraries in the United States have traditionally been centers to consume information, offering users books in quiet isolation. However, a new movement across the country is transforming libraries by providing internet access, creating spaces to study and learn, and meet with members of the community. There has even been the creation of pop-up happy hour libraries at bars, and bike book deliveries to distribute free books. These new libraries are re-inventing how communities learn and demonstrating that even the oldest institutions are elastic to communities' needs.

Court Innovations' Matterhorn Allows People to Handle Court Cases Online

http://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/court-innovations-matterhorn-handle-court-cases-online

Stephen St.Vincent

The Philadelphia Citizen

12 October 2016

Text / 800-1500 Words

Low-income people often miss out on court dates because they cannot afford to miss work or leave their children. Michigan and Ohio courts have incorporated the Matterhorn “online adjudication system” to handle simple cases so individuals can participate through the Internet. The system also offers the advantage of having “less bias” than in-person trials, because the race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status of the individual is protected online.

Rwanda's 'solar smart kiosk' provides digital solutions to rural mobile phone users

https://www.devex.com/news/rwanda-s-solar-smart-kiosk-provides-digital-solutions-to-rural-mobile-phone-users-89956

Christin Roby

Devex

3 April 2017

Text / Under 800 Words

Although an estimated 75% of the world's population uses cell phones, in places like rural Rwanda, the availability and costs of electricity to charge them can be patchwork at best. ARED's 'solar smart kiosk' provides a stand-alone cart that runs on renewable energy and serves not just as a charging station, but a digital and internet center for users at the base of the pyramid. The company also ensures training and monitoring support to keep kiosk operators current on the technology.