Connectivity Outside of Class: Hotspots and Digital Equity Issues
The catch phrase “digital divide” often means different things to different people. Some researchers discuss how access is divided by age groups or by regions of the country. In education, observers have noted the differences between schools that have many devices available compared to schools that have few devices available. Additionally, many districts have high speed internet access while others still haven’t arrived at that point yet. While these issues are compelling, an increasing challenge of this divide is appearing with respect to a student’s capability of accessing broadband after school hours. In Beaverton, Oregon schools, Canvas has been adopted at the secondary level and students grades 6–12 have been issued chromebooks. Over the past two years, teachers have been integrating Canvas into their classrooms as a way to provide an organized platform of resources and opportunities for all students. For nearly all teachers and the majority of our students, connectivity has not been an issue. However, a significant number of our students do have problems with high speed connectivity outside of school and with completing their electronic projects, discussions, peer reviews, studying, etc.
Unfortunately, the question of connectivity is not and dried answer. When students are asked if they have connectivity at home, many will respond “yes” as they consider a browser on their parent’s cell phone as connectivity. A better question, as it turns out, is if they can connect their chromebook to the internet when they are at home. If they don’t have high speed connectivity for their chromebook, then they can’t access the types of learning environments and activities that their teachers are assigning. In some cases, there are no viable non-digital curricular alternatives.
To address this challenge, Beaverton started a small pilot program at one of its high schools to see how hotspots might work. Due in part to the pilot program’s popularity, we applied for and was awarded a hotspot grant from Sprint for high schools and as well as a grant from Kajeet for middle schools. To see how this can be a game changer for students, please watch the video below.
Hotspots are not the silver bullet for all digital divide issues. They can be costly to fund without a grant and they require school and/or district personnel to organize. As technology evolves and partnerships expand, perhaps hotspots programs will evolve and change. Until then, they remain an immediate and viable alternative and can make a significant difference for our most vulnerable students. For Beaverton Schools,our hotspot program proved to be a foundation for more in depth discussions on the nuances and challenges of digital equity.
