In the Community Stories

Schools in northern Wisconsin are using the internet in different classrooms to provide new opportunities to reach all types (and ages) of learners. For example, each teacher in the school district in Superior has a website where students and parents can log online and find out information on assignments and upcoming events. Additionally, through video teleconferencing, The University of Wisconsin-Superior provides distance learning opportunities for adult learners obtaining their degree through a distance learning course of study. Additionally, one-on-one course offerings are available to assist business owners, or aspiring business owners, through an informal classroom setting. Check out the video here to learn more.

YTECH digital literacy and civic engagement programs served 271 young people in the summer months of 2011. Each young person gained digital literacy skills while working as a team to learn about a social issue, connect online and in person with community leaders, create digital media and take action in their communities. YTECH is program of the Metrocenter branch of the YMCA of Greater Seattle.

“Armed with hard skills, access to technology and a forum for expression and action, we can create the next generation of employable, engaged, skilled civic participants,” said Chris Tugwell, YTECH director.

Fifteen high-school aged youth from a workforce development program in the city participated in a seven-week internship with YTECH and formed Seattle United Neighborhoods to tackle neighborhood-specific problems.

“We used photos to tell stories and reflect on issues around Seattle that needed to be changed,” said Chi Nguyen, 19. One of Chi’s projects was a photo essay that addressed a lack of lighting on the streets surrounding her house. Chi and other project participants shared their media and concerns with Seattle City Councilmember Mike O’Brien. After the meeting, Chi was able to take necessary steps to fix the lighting on her street.

“Youth voice is important because people listen. It’s not everyday you see a kid speaking out, so Councilmember O’Brien encouraged us to keep it up,” said Kidist Mengitsu, 17.

"The council members need to hear our young voices if they would like to hear what really matters,” said Ephraim Nelson, 15, “it will help prepare for the future and with that, we can make the new generation better.”

As their capstone Take Action project, Seattle United Neighborhoods planned a successful night out event in South Seattle “to give young people something to do.”

"We did lots of blogging and community outreach. I learned that young people can change the community and make it a better world,” said Jordan Chambers, 16.

Jordan and other YTECH participants use Puget SoundOff.org, a local social networking site focused on social issues, to share their digital media creations, blog and connect with their peers. Puget SoundOff.org is funded in part by the City of Seattle’s Information Technology Department.

"These young people were able to use their creativity and digital media skills to spread awareness about issues that matter most to them, empowering them to choose issues they care about as they become adults.Having an outlet for young people to voice opinions is the best way to engage the next generation in making our communities a better place,” said Colleen McDevitt, YTECH digital literacy instructor.

YTECH is part of Washington state’s Communities Connect Network, a Broadband Technology Opportunity Program grant recipient for 2010-2012. BTOP funds made it possible for YTECH to expand its equipment inventory of laptops and cameras and travel outside of the city limits to offer digital literacy trainings.

"To bridge the digital divide, to be competitive and keep up with our changing economy, we must guide young people in using technology. They must be encouraged to engage in online environments and to create their own pieces of digital media,” said Roni Ayalla, YTECH project coordinator.

Follow more of YTECH’s work at youthandtech.wordpress.com.

The School Board of Miami-Dade County launched the Learn Ideas, Navigate Knowledge (LINK) program in 35 low-income elementary, middle, and high schools across the Miami-Dade County Public Schools district. This program promotes broadband adoption among economically distressed populations by providing the necessary training and equipment to students and their families. The school board partners with non- and for-profit organizations to provide computers, Internet service, and multilingual digital literacy training to participating families.

The LINK program created an Introduction to Computers class through its partnership with The Parent Academy. Through this class, participants learn computer basics, Internet fundamentals, and how to use LINK’s Parent Portal. Once completed, participating families receive a free personal computer and access to its Parent Portal, an online tool that allows parents to view students’ grades and keep in contact with teachers. Additionally, a video of the Introduction to Computers class, available in English, Spanish, and Creole, is pre-loaded onto each computer along with anti-virus and word-processing software.

By the end of the project, the LINK program is expected to provide computers and Internet access to approximately 6,000 households.

In late 2010, Axiom Technologies, LLC launched sustainable broadband adoption programs to increase the utilization of technology in the healthcare, fishing, and farming industries in Washington County, Maine. These BTOP-funded programs are establishing the groundwork for defining new and innovative ways that broadband can improve production, service, and knowledge in each of these industries.

Healthcare
In November 2010, Axiom Technologies held a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Maine Fiber Company, a BTOP infrastructure grantee which is connecting the Central Maine Medical Center College of Nursing and Health Professions to a statewide fiber-optic network and announced new telemedicine learning capabilities. At the ceremony, both grantees announced new telemedicine learning capabilities. This faster network connection from the Maine Fiber Company will enable Axiom Technologies’ to help the College host video conferences with other state hospitals and learning institutions, so students can participate in remote distance learning. For instance, Axiom Technologies set up a similar remote learning program at the College of Nursing in Lewiston, Maine, where students can use video conferencing services to connect to the University of Maine in Machias and take their nursing pre-requisite classes. The College also set up video conferencing capabilities, allowing nurses and paramedics to view a more diverse range of medical cases than those available at the local community’s Down East Hospital.

Fishing and Farming
Axiom Technologies is working to build new applications that can help improve the use of land and water resources and increase business knowledge and productivity software for economic development purposes. In January 2011, Axiom Technologies provided 10 local farmers and 10 local fishermen with wireless equipment and rugged laptops as part of a pilot project that included 62 community members. Participants followed an online curriculum and were offered training assistance over the course of 11 weeks. The courses focused on building skills in Microsoft ® Office, QuickBooks, Adobe ® Photoshop, basic computer setup and maintenance, and other computer software. The 62 community members completed more than 1,500 hours of training in the 11 week period. As the project moves forward, Axiom Technologies will increase broadband connections in locations near farmers and fishermen, and will look to build industry-relevant applications and assist local industries with utilizing broadband for small businesses and economic development purposes.

The City of Los Angeles is tackling the digital divide in its most at-risk neighborhoods. Through the Los Angeles Computer Access Network (LA CAN) project, the City’s Community Development Department, Department of Parks and Recreation and various libraries will develop or upgrade 183 public computer center sites throughout Los Angeles. Additionally, the City will purchase 2,600 new computers, in some cases, replacing those that were seven to 10 years old.

The City looked at demographic information such as high poverty and unemployment to determine where to place the new computer centers. For example, one site in the South Broadway neighborhood, originally an abandoned lot full of trash, now hosts the Chicana Services Action Center, including a 25-station public computer center and offering health screenings and job placement assistance. Approximately, one-third of the visitors to the center currently receive public assistance to take computer courses that will enable them to find work.

The LA CAN project expects to serve around 250,000 users each week, including students, job seekers, seniors, and English-as-a-second-language speakers, who use the centers to do homework, find work, learn new skills, and access other Internet-based services.

The New Jersey State Library (NJSL), an affiliate of Thomas Edison State College, has already enrolled more than 1,274 students in over 180 computer skills and workforce development workshops in public libraries across New Jersey. This statewide initiative is designed to provide workforce skills training to unemployed and underemployed residents and boost broadband adoption.

Targeted to New Jersey’s economically vulnerable residents, the workshops focus on teaching computer fundamentals, resume and cover letter techniques, job search fundamentals, and e-mail basics. Additionally, the program provides professional development workshops for library staff members. Librarians learn techniques for managing the computer resources, allowing them to better meet their patrons’ technology requests. The program has already conducted 33 workshops for its library staff and is partnering with a consortium of 19 New Jersey community colleges to provide instructors for these classes.

As of May 2011, the program distributed over 800 new computers to libraries across the state.

The Freedom Rings Partnership offers digital literacy and workforce training opportunities at computer centers in Philadelphia. The 77 computer centers include 19 recreation centers, 29 community-based organization sites working with high-risk populations, 10 homeless shelters, 15 other affordable housing sites, and four mobile labs that will reach communities lacking space or the capacity to house a computer center.

In addition to services provided at citywide computer centers, the Freedom Rings Partnership will encourage Philadelphians to “get connected” to technology in their homes. The participating partners expect to serve approximately 15,000 people per year and use a citywide outreach campaign to deliver information about the importance of broadband technology to more than 100,000 households.

The New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) and the New York City Department of Education (DOE) launched the NYC Connected Learning program in 56 low-income middle schools across New York City. The program is a citywide initiative to boost sustainable broadband adoption and enhance educational outcomes among sixth grade students and their families. DoITT and DOE partner with a range of non- and for- profit organizations to provide free computers, discounted broadband service, comprehensive digital literacy training, and technical support to participating families.

Computers for Youth (CFY), a national non-profit focused on improving the educational learning environments for low-income children, hosts Family Learning Workshops at these schools, teaching students and their parents about the educational uses of home technology and broadband. CFY also provides participants with a broadband-ready Home Learning Center, broadband enrollment guidance, and access to high-quality, online educational software focused on math, English, social studies, and science. The program’s professional development partners, Teaching Matters and the Australian United States Services in Education (AUSSIE), provide each school with an Instructional Technology Coach (ITC) responsible for training teachers to use computers to enhance classroom activities. The program also provides teachers with digital literacy curricula through its partnership with Common Sense Media. NYC Connected Learning partners with The City University of New York (CUNY) and MOUSE Squad to help schools set up a student-run help desk that provides technical support and general troubleshooting. NYC Connected Learning participants also receive discounted rates for high speed Internet from Cablevision and Time Warner Cable.

As of May 2011, approximately 13,832 students and family members have participated in the program. The program has subscribed 2,566 families to broadband, trained 360 students in MOUSE help desk operations, and trained 1,287 teachers in ITC courses. By the end of the project, the NYC Connected Learning program will be operational in 72 schools.

The Central Coast Broadband Consortium Public Computing Alliance, led by the Monterey County Office of Education, is working to open three new public computer centers, improve 26 existing centers, and offer free digital literacy training to residents of California’s Salinas River Valley region. The Alliance, made up of education organizations, libraries, and other community organizations, hopes that improved broadband access will help address the needs of an area where over half of the population speaks a language other than English at home, and high school graduation rates are low.

On May 4, 2011, Salinas Mayor Dennis Donohue joined the Alliance to celebrate the reopening of the Chinatown Community Learning Center. The Center’s 16 lab stations are used to provide free training classes to the community. Classes include an introduction to the digital world as well as classes for Spanish speakers and job seekers. The Center also offers classes for the local homeless population. Students say the Center feels like a community and that classes are creating opportunities for them, helping them to advance and rejoin the workforce.

The Alliance’s primary public computer center is located at the Media Center for Art, Education and Technology (MCAET) in Salinas. In addition, MCAET is launching a mobile digital classroom in September 2011. The semi-tractor trailer truck will travel throughout the Salinas Valley to provide digital media and computer classes to students of all ages. Additional public computer centers and community partners offer training including basic computer and Internet skills, word processing, animation, web design, digital photography, and audio and video production.