As much as we would like to think that here in the US we have everything we could want or need and that the internet is a right and a necessity. However, there are a lot of folks with out internet. According to a recent Pew Research survey roughly 15% of Americans do not have internet, and of those 25% are from families that make less than $30,000/year. This becomes even more relevant when you work in a school that has a high Free and Reduced population.
In my school we are moving to a 1:1 Laptop program that will let students take their assigned laptop home. This is a great idea, but for those kids that do not have internet at home this only meets their needs half way. There are options for cheap internet such as the Comcast Internet Essentials program that offers cheap internet, but sometimes it is not cheap enough. So what can we do? One option is to set up assignments that can be done offline.
The video below is one that I crafted for our staff. There are many, many types of lessons that could be done offline, this is just to present one option. Hopefully it will inspire people to think of the non-connected, how to design lessons that are accessible to all and have discussions about best practice. Feel free to add your ideas and thoughts below to help this conversation grow.
