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Hi, my name is Sonja Clark. In my community, I’ve definitely seen digital inequity, especially as a teacher. During COVID, many of my students didn’t have reliable Wi-Fi or devices at home, which made online learning difficult. Some families had to go to public places like libraries or McDonald’s parking lots just to connect. Even today, there are students who only have access to a phone, not a computer.

To help, I think schools should provide loaner devices, free or low-cost internet hotspots, and create partnerships with local businesses to make Wi-Fi access easier. Teachers also need training to support students who can’t get online easily, like offering printed materials or flexible deadlines. Digital equity isn’t just about having a device; it’s about making sure students can fully participate no matter their situation

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Hello! My name is Andie Coulter, and for as long as I can remember, technology has been heavily relied on throughout school. In elementary school, we would use school computers in the library or in our classrooms to help us learn how to type, and we would play learning games or take reading assessments on them. However, we never had homework that required technology. It was all on paper. In middle school, we were required to do homework on iPads that were given to us. Every student got an iPad, and we did not have to pay anything for them, but we were responsible for keeping them charged and completing our work on them. As far as I knew at the time, there were no issues with this, but as a 13-year-old, I never thought about how some kids may not have internet access at home, but I am sure teachers had solutions for that, hopefully. In high school, we were also all given Chromebooks that we also had to do most of our schoolwork on and keep track of them, keep them charged, all the things. I know as a middle schooler and high schooler, my parents were appreciative of these because the rule in my family is that we don't get our own computer until we go to college, so although some of my friends would use their personal computers to get work done, I was always thankful that I had the Chromebook. As a future teacher, I will definitely be utilizing technology, but also keeping in mind that some students may not be able to use technology at home, which is completely okay, and in that case, I would provide accommodations for those students and make sure those conversations are private so no child feels embarrassed for not having internet access.

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Hi everyone! My name is Aubrey Padgett, and I grew up in Clarksville, TN, a town located outside of Nashville. Growing up in the CMCSS school district, I felt there was digital equity even before the COVID-19 pandemic. In elementary school, we had no homework or assignments on the computer. Beginning in third grade, we would visit the computer lab once a week to learn skills such as typing and knowing all the keys on the keyboard. I never had a computer in the classroom until middle school, which was when each student was assigned a laptop during the school day, and they had to leave it at night plugged into the cart. It was this way up until the eighth grade when we were allowed to take them home. This increased our digital assignment load, but only for things such as papers and IXLs. During my freshman year of high school, COVID-19 emerged, and the district did not mandate any outside learning because most students lacked access to technology. Going into my sophomore year, school consisted of Zooms, online assignments, and online exams; all requiring wifi. It was then that students were not completing assignments due to a lack of internet. However, educators quickly found creative ways to circumvent this. As a future educator, it is not the child's responsibility to worry about internet access. We should provide alternate accommodations such as cutting out class time to work on outside assignments, after-school clubs for kids to get their work done, and relaying the message of public places having free internet and public transportation to get them there.

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Hi my name is Anna Pierce and I am from Nashville, Tennessee. In my experience in school, technology has been used from a very young age. When I was younger I went to a school that provided us with computers to borrow and scheduled us a time to go to computer class where we had the opportunity to learn how to use the basic functions of the computer.

As I got older, technology became used more and more on a daily basis, but it was not provided anymore and we were expected to get this on our own. I am lucky to have been able to get my own computer to use for school, but I know there were some of my classmates who did not have that same privilege and it really prohibited them in school. I think that right now the school system is too based around technology to not provide them and allow all the students the same opportunities that having access to a computer brings you.

I think that there is so much work that can be done and the idea of using access, affordability, and adoption as a guide to close these gaps of the digital divide is very smart. I think one specific place that can be targeted is for schools to provide free or discounted tablets for students or families. Schools could even partner with brands and buy a lot of computers in bulk at a lower price. I think this is a necessary first step to closing the digital divide amongst people in different social classes and this could really set us on the right track going forward.

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Hi! I am Addison Brewer, and I grew up right here in Knoxville, TN. I went to Shannondale Elementary, Gresham Middle, and Central High School. All of my schools were economically very diverse. In early elementary school most of the school work if not all was on paper. Towards the end mostly 5th grade we were assigned a Chromebook and we could complete assignments in class on them. We had a few kids in my class who did not have wifi and, therefore, could not complete those assignments at home. They were embarrassed and did not tell the teacher so they earned a grade that did not reflect their learning. As I got to middle school, computers became more of our learning and every student had one. My teachers did a great job of providing a paper version of the assignment to keep everything fair. As a future educator, I think it is very important, as technology is improving, to have multiple pathways for students to complete their assignments.

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In my personal experience with technology throughout my time in school I found it to be very heavily relied on for teachers and for students. As long as I can remember computers have been a part of learning. In Elementary school the last two years we would work on chromebooks, but before that we would go to the computer lab at least once a week. When I moved up to middle and high school we had our own chromebooks and we kept up with them all year because that is where most of our school work was provided and where teachers would communicate with us or post announcements. Throughout school I was never very aware of people who didn’t have internet access at home, but I remember the teachers always offering extra support or other resources if this was ever the case. I think that technology can be hard to work with if you don’t have the proper information or proper knowledge on technology, and that is why I am glad I am in this course. I think all teachers would feel a lot more prepared and organized if they were comfortable with technology and their schools specific software, and they would be able to support their students well with any questions and by providing them extra resources. I think a mix of technology work and hand written leads to better understanding and learning. I think technology learning is nice so it all gets turned in to the same place and nothing gets lost, but handwritten provides a level of understanding and memorization.

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I grew up with limited computer access due to the newness of it all. My family had a computer, but it was strictly used for ABC Mouse and whatever my parents needed. It was a chunky thing and really did not do much, and when it finally died, we just used it as a toy. Then we got a new computer, and we could do so much more with it, but my parents were strict, and we were not able to be on it for more than 30-45 minutes a day. I got to middle school about this time, and I was now in a “Computer Applications” class that taught me to navigate Microsoft Word and got me addicted to “Cool Math Games.” I slowly watched as more of my classes began to integrate some form of technology into their lessons. We had online quizzes and games for studying and some of my teachers got these fancy projector white boards that they never used to their full potential because half of the teachers had no clue how to work them. I even had one teacher who got an entire system for studying and quizzes where each child had their own remote to answer questions with. (This is hilarious to think about now that we all have phones now.)

My main use of computers consisted of typing papers and playing games up until I got to high school and started really learning how to use the internet. We had to start researching online, but you must use the “right” research websites; and we could start watching more informational videos, but you can’t believe everything you see on the internet, and you have to take everything with a grain of salt “or else.” I started editing videos for my film class and was constantly working on computers that I finally asked my mom for a laptop because “I just couldn’t share the family computer now that I had all this extra work online.” Luckily, I was fortunate enough to get a laptop at Christmas from my grandmother and was able to access the internet through our ethernet cable until my parents (finally) got Wireless Access!

Throughout all this time, I find acquiring technology was hard especially when my original laptop died and I had to find a way to afford a new computer or else I was stuck borrowing a friend’s computer or staying on campus and finding an empty computer lab to set up in. The prices for necessities (yes, computers have become basic necessities now) is astronomical. Look at all of us now, we are in fully online courses and would not be able to log into class and earn a degree if it weren’t for the technology. With most of the world being primarily online, the standard for technology access needs to rise to meet the demand.

Not only do we need the essential technology, but we all need to know how to use it. For most of us, we grew up technologically advanced since we have grown up in the age of computers but for many of the professors and students who are coming back years after, it is quite the adjustment. I work with a lot of ladies at my current daycare who call me the “tech guru” just because I know how to work the printer. I am very thankful that I had to go through a computer applications class when I was younger because it did help me understand how to do certain things and how to use the technology to its capacity.

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Captions (could not figure it out/finicky): Hello, I am Kayla Grant. I am originally from Ohio and luckily most of my experience has been more like digital equity. I haven’t really faced much digital inequity. Throughout my elementary, middle, and high school I had a decent amount of technology. But in elementary school I did not have much. Only when I had gone to middle and high school where we were given our own computers that it really became more obvious when there were people facing digital inequity and equity. For instance, everyone was able to get a Chromebook. It was pretty easy to get it wasn’t that expensive. But the biggest problem where we faced the most digital inequity was wi-fi availability. For me personally, I luckily did not have too much of a problem, but of course there were some moments when it was very windy or stormy when it would be very slow or just not work at all. I know that some of my classmates and friends had much more difficult times where they needed to go into a different public place to do their work. Luckily the teachers were pretty understanding and gave them extensions. The students or their parents would email the teachers saying, “we are trying to get the assignment done, but the wi-fi is just working against us.”. That’s a pretty big problem for everyone. Since I moved to Tennessee I have much better wi-fi so I don’t have a problem with that anymore. But of course, there are still people that have these problems. Even here some people don’t have that great wi-fi. I think a good solution is for teachers to do is by offering students places where they can get wi-fi. Like at libraries, community centers, even restaurants. I also think it would be a good idea to try to get as much after school, after class time, or at the end of the lesson and make that free time where students can get their online class work before they head home. Another way is if they have an assignment where it’s basically just a writing assignment they could just print off the paper and write it and turn it in in person.

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Personal experiences: Technology was introduced to me in high school when COVID-19 hit. Where I grew up a lot of people did not have access to internet or WIFI at home due to lack of money and a lot of us lived in areas where we did not have service. So when schools shut down and everything moved online, we were all stuck for an entire semester with no school a all, just because we did not have the tools we needed to learn. When the school system figured out a way to provide laptops and WIFI hotspots for the people who needed them the next year, but it was still very rocky. A lot of students and teacher did not even know to use the platforms, so it was very inconsistent. I personally had to sit in a McDonalds parking lot just to attend zoom classes because where I lived, I did not have service, and I know a lot of other students who had to do the same thing. That experience alone made it clear to me how critical digital access is for learning.

To combat these issues several changes like:

1. Increasing school funding for technology and not just a one-time thing but long-term technology support.

2. Free internet access because I believe that internet is a basic utility and if someone cannot afford it or have access to internet there should be free or even low-cost options available.

3. We need to offer technology training not just for the students but for teachers and parents as well. Learning to navigate online platforms should not be something people are expected to just figure out.

4. We also should have community WIFI places where students can go if they cannot get WIFI at home.

5. Finally, schools should also have tech support.

Digital equity is not just about handing out laptops it is about making sure everyone has the tools, access, and the knowledge they need to succeed.

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Personal experiences: Had access to technology in schools starting in elementary with iPads then later receiving personal chrome-books in high school to have all school year. Internet access was held to a standard. Families were expected to provide that, if not it needed to be communicated to the teacher/school immediately to find an alternative way for the schoolwork to be completed. Ideas to combat issues: -increase device access, one way is to boost affordability. Continue to expand digital equity to low income areas and those with disabilities. Providing more outreach, education, and access are needed throughout all areas.

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I had to click the CC tab for the subtitles to work for me.