Next Century Cities Executive Director Deb Socia joined Executive Director of Kansas City Public Libraries Crosby Kemper, Project Director of CoSN Jayne James, and Superintendent of Hamilton County Department of Education Keri Randolph on a panel at SXSWedu in Austin, TX titled “Digital Equity: Power of Community Collaboration.” The panelists discussed how they and their organizations are working collaboratively to provide creative solutions to narrow the homework gap for students in their communities.
Specific recommendations from the panelists included:
- Programs need to include training – devices and access alone are not sufficient.
- Engage the whole community – include community members impacted, such as faith based organizations, schools, libraries, business, city leaders.
- Flexibility is important – ensure that the program is responsive to the needs of the people in the class.
“I have seen many members of Next Century Cities achieve great success working with public and private partners to create viable and sustainable interventions that address digital inclusion,” Deb Socia said. “From E2D in North Carolina, to Tech Goes Home in Boston and Chattanooga, cities and counties across the country are utilizing their unique assets to create innovative solutions that close the digital divide and ensure their communities are connected.”
Learn more about the SXSWedu panel here: http://schedule.sxswedu.com/events/event_PP69444