Participate 3 - Accessing Digital Learning Communities

Answer: What types of barriers might impede students’ opportunities to access digital learning? What might we do to eliminate such barriers?

The first lesson in accessing DLCs has been an eye-opening experience for me, starting with the research on services available in my area. I've learned a lot about access in general and a few eye-opening things about my area of Georgia specifically, as well as some great strategies for leveling the playing field for people with disabilities. I'll elaborate on these in the sections below.

About Barriers in my "Neck of the Woods"

I recently changed internet service, in hopes of gaining faster speeds at a slightly lower rate than my previous contract. I've been a little disappointed, by the way, because if anything, service with my new provider seems slower. Maybe it's just me, because the speed test did indicate I was uploading and downloading at speeds close to what was advertised.

Anyway... After analyzing the maps and ranks about broadband and ISPs in my area, I was surprised at what I found. I teach in Floyd County, but my family and I live in a more rural area outside of the county where I teach. I was very surprised to find that the county where I live actually ranks higher on the list for speeds than the county where I teach (Polk county was 39, and Floyd county was 99). What this showed me was that (at least generally speaking), folks living in my area have access to slightly faster broadband than the students and families I serve. Of course, all of this depends on specific location, ISPs, etc. But the general trend was somewhat surprising.

Additionally, after looking at the providers available in the county where I teach, I realized that the main service provider is one of the most expensive. This may explain why I have so many students who don't have internet at home.

About Barriers to Access in General

The Pew report on differences in American digital life was probably the most enlightening resource from this assignment. Key things that I have noted from the article are:

• Race/gender alone are "not part of the story" when it comes to being able to general access to the internet.
• Age, level of education, and income of the head of household are the limiting factors.
• However, minorities including African Americans and families from Hispanic/Latino backgrounds are less likely to have access via broadband connections (Only 1/3 have broadband access at home).
• In those minority groups, as well as in households with low income and/or education attainment, smartphones are the primary means of accessing the internet.
• 88% of adults 18 and older have a cell phone.

The WebAIM article and UC2B pages were also very enlightening as well. Here are a few things I noted from these two resources:

• Technology, specifically the internet is potentially the best tool for making information more accessible for the disabled.
• However, factors such as web-design, format of hosted content, and overall site navigation are often large obstacles that stand in the way of tapping into the internet's potential.
• This ties to the data from the Pew research; because of these obstacles, people with disabilities are less likely to have broadband access or internet access period.
• 54% of disabled adults use the internet, compared to 81% of adults without a disability.
• 41% of disabled adults have broadband at home, compared to 69% of those without a disability.

Implications of the Articles:

These articles and resources have given me such a better perspective on why there are such disparities in internet access among the students in my classroom.

• My students may not have reliable internet access at home because it's not available in their area.
• Even if it's available, my students may not have access because it's too costly.
• Some of my students are less likely to have internet access because they live with elderly or disabled guardians, guardians with a low level of education, or guardians with a low income.
• Some of my students have disabilities that limit their interaction in our online learning environment.

Eliminating Barriers:

What we're already doing:

• All students in our district are provided a Google Apps for Education account, giving them access to collaborative tools for word processing, presentations, video, and more.
• My school is almost completely 1:1 with Chromebooks in every classroom.
• The district has a B.Y.O.D. policy that allows students with devices to use them in the classroom as needed.

What we can do going forward:

• Extended hours in the school media center
• Partnerships with local businesses and organizations (churches, community clubs, etc) to provide public access to computers/devices
• Partnerships with local businesses and organizations to provide free wifi to be used for school work, bill pay, job applications, continuing education, etc.
• Publicize this list of organizations for the public to view. (I will DEFINITELY be posting a list of local free wifi hotspots on my teacher website and in a letter to parents!)
• Expanding digital literacy training for students in the schools
• Digital literacy training workshops/fairs for families hosted at local businesses or libraries covering topics such as basic computer use, using the internet, software training etc
• Connect students/parents to low-cost internet plans and providers
• Re-evaluate and redesign school websites and resources:
• Ensure they are accessible on a smartphone, since most of our traffic will be mobile users
• Ensure accessibility by people with disabilities. (I will DEFINITELY be adding alt text to all my images and captions or transcripts to all my online videos.)