Creativity Necessary for Minorities, Rural Residents To Get Connected, Calif. Officials Say
Schools and nonprofits in California have been forced to find creative ways to make sure youths and minorities get a fair shake on digital inclusion, some officials said Tuesday during the second half of NTIA’s California Broadband Workshop (see 1511170062). Part of ensuring that those who aren't connected can get online is meeting people where they are, doing hyperlocal neighborhood outreach, advocating for consumers and partnering with as many different organizations as possible, panelists said.
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One California school district has turned its buses into Wi-Fi hot spots and parked them overnight in the areas with the highest concentration of students so they can do their homework, said Israel Oliveros, Coachella Valley Unified School District director-technology. The Stride Center created a call center to assist consumers who want to learn how to get connected at home, Executive Director Barrie Hathaway said. “This idea of creating an expertise, sort of a consumer advocate model, connecting to the end-user and helping them figure out what they need and get access to those things, is our innovative approach.”
Minorities deserve a seat at the table where opportunities and choices exist, said Alicia Orozco, Chicana/Latina Foundation project manager-broadband awareness and adoption. The foundation has held computer fairs that allow people to bring their computers to be repaired -- if they are fixable -- for free, she said. The foundation also tries to reach migrant workers, Orozco said. Sometimes, they have access to the Internet, sometimes not, she said. "We need to remember that not everybody lives in an urban area and they are as interested in this as we are, and they need it as much as we do."
So much of the work in digital inclusion is sociology -- working with people and changing their behaviors -- said Erica Swanson, Google Fiber head-community impact programs. Another big section of digital inclusion is technology, and a lot of “meaningful things” can happen when sociology and technology are combined, she said. The key to Google Fiber’s approach is understanding that the scope and complexity of digital inclusion can't be solved by any one entity, but if everyone works together, a lot of headway can be made, Swanson said. “Figuring out how those pieces line up and how very local that needs to be is our approach.”
Once the digital divide is closed, Diana Rodriguez, Youth Policy Institute (YPI) director-digital learning and technology, asked what would come next and what skills could all of these nonprofits provide for people who are just getting connected. One of the things YPI wants to do once the divide is closed is to teach people how to learn online, she said. "That's one of the things that's going to be really important, incorporating teaching people how to learn online."
It's one thing for students to have the necessary online skills to succeed in today's digital society, but Oliveros said the school district recognizes the need to help parents as well. The district has been hosting workshops that offer parenting skills for this century, he said. "Moving forward, at least for us, the real challenge is going to be how to reach those parents and community members in undeveloped areas," Oliveros said. "How can the school district play a big role in bridging that gap?"