Addressing the Themes on the Local Level
Background
Throughout most of the 2019-2020 academic year, Highlands Community Charter and Technical Schools (HCCTS) was already successfully working toward a 1:1 digital device initiative. However, by March 13, 2020, not all students had received a Chromebook and/or wifi hotspot when statewide closures of schools were announced. One of the first priorities of the school upon closure was establishing contact with all students; this effort not only included trying to connect with students, but also to strengthen that connection by collecting secondary phone numbers, providing a stable student email address, and initiating regular correspondence via text or push notification. Continuity of education, consistent with the research, was also of the highest importance to HCCTS leadership.
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Also consistent with the research, HCCTS' students are highly likely to be negatively impacted by digital inequality. One of the key challenges at HCCTS is the socioeconomic status of many of the students, along with the subsequent impact of the digital divide. According to the California Department of Education, HCCTS students are made up of 87.1% English language learners, and 92.3% qualify for free or reduced lunch. This is significant because many of the students do not own a computer or tablet, have access to high-speed internet, have basic digital literacy, have basic English literacy—or some combination of these factors.
School leadership was very proactive early on with procuring technology and by late March 2020, HCCTS received a large shipment of Chromebooks and hotspots. By early April, a distribution plan was in place; safety staff ensured that employees and students were physically distanced, personal protective gear was provided, and technical assistance was available during the distribution which was facilitated by nearly 100 instructional staff and dozens of support staff. By late April, over 800 Chromebooks, many with hotspots attached, were distributed with additional orders already on the way.
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Student Demographics
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Staff Members Distribute Technology to Students at the Main Campus, Highlands Community Charter School (April 23, 2020)
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With a solid distribution protocol in place, HCCTS distributed 2,283 Chromebooks between March & September 2020. While these numbers are impressive, enrollment continued to increase topping 5,000 during this same period of time. After the initial mass distribution, day-to-day efforts were managed by a smaller team of tech volunteers who not only distributed the devices but provided an onboarding service and supplemental tech support. These services included:
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With more students gaining access to technology, and more teachers getting familiar with online learning applications and educational technology tools, the need for tech support started to increase. For many students, having access to a Chromebook may have been the first time they ever used such a device. For many teachers, this was the first time they had ever used Google Classroom or Zoom. In a pre-pandemic world, many of these issues either wouldn't exist or would be easily handled by an IT technician or a tech-savvy staff member.
Seeing unique challenges starting to emerge due to uncontrollable circumstances, work started behind the scenes to address the root causes. Outlined here is a concept that addresses both emerging themes mentioned in the previous section—continuity of education and digital inequality. Some may see the concept as novel, others as an existing concept reimagined. Either way, the concept aimed to help carry HCCTS through this pandemic and into the "new normal" of a post-COVID-19 world shows viability that can now be replicated by other agencies facing similar challenges.
Concept: Digital Navigator
Theme: Continuity of Education & Digital Inequality
On April 7, 2020, an email from the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) went out regarding the creation of a new working group to address the idea that, in addition to everything transitioning to remote, digital inclusion work is more reactive than it used to be. The shift to digital learning caused by the COVID-19 pandemic placed many adult learners in unfamiliar territory and I joined folks from all over the country who were trying to address similar problems: our "clients" needed to get connected (home internet, computer or tablet, and accomplish online tasks). What started out as an idea for a so-called Digital Caseworker quickly evolved into a robust framework for a Digital Navigator.
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Planting the Seed
Based on the model developed by the working group, HCCTS started to imagine a customized Digital Navigator position to help connect their unique population of adult learners to technology and training. By May 2020, teachers and paraeducators started reporting that they were spending a lot of time troubleshooting technology with students. This coincided directly with national research at that time that showed 87% of teachers reported that they were spending more time troubleshooting problems with technology than they did before schools closed (Herold & Kurtz, 2020). These proposed Digital Navigators, through the support they would offer, would free up time and resources for educators that could then be used to facilitate learning.
While the framework developed by the NDIA is well-designed enough for a typical community-based agency, there was a critical piece missing for HCCTS: language support for the thousands of students enrolled in the English Language Development (ELD) program. Therefore, it became a priority to hire Digital Navigators who speak the languages the students speak—namely, Farsi, Russian, and Spanish. It is my continued belief that by removing the technology-based barriers that our students face—especially our lower literacy learners—in their L1, they will be better equipped to engage online and receive high-quality learning opportunities every day.
Timeline: From Concept to Classroom
Digital Navigator Infographic (April, 2021)
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What are Digital Navigators? Digital Navigator Model. (2020, July). National Digital Inclusion Alliance. https://www.digitalinclusion.org/digital-navigator-model/
🎞 Watch: Voices From the FieldFrom Dream to Team
In September 2020, a diverse and talented internal applicant pool from a variety of departments interviewed for the new Digital Navigator (DN) position. Ultimately, six candidates were selected with six languages (other than English) represented: Dari, Farsi, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian.
Work officially began in October 2020 with the first objective being to take over management of the technology distribution project. Processes were created to begin streamlining repetitive tasks such as technology requests (distribution), technology support requests, and email account creation for new students.
With this being a novel program, the Instructional Technology department was keenly aware that it would be closely scrutinized, particularly from a fiscal cost/benefit perspective. Data collection has been a key component of the operationalization of this project in order to help evaluate efficacy/value. Early signs are overwhelmingly positive, both anecdotally and empirically.
The First Six Months
 A DN Helping a Student (n.d.)
From the beginning of October 2020 through March 2021—a span of only six months—the Digital Navigators have provided assistance to over 4,000 students and nearly 100 teachers and other instructional staff. In addition to managing technology distribution and support, the DNs also provide weekly EdTech professional development sessions called Level Up!. Each week focuses on a particular topic with a hands-on approach and a Q&A period in the end; topics have included: Edpuzzle Workshop; Level Up with Screencastify; Intro to Wakelet; A Stroll Through Tech Distribution; and Reimagine your Google Classroom!
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Next Steps
As COVID-19 restrictions start to relax in the state of California, Digital Navigators are once again on the front line of support for students and staff preparing to return to campus. The DN program is making the case that the unique service that they provide is not just a short-term solution for pandemic-related challenges, but a long-term student and staff support that is poised to grow and evolve. In fact, at the time of this writing, the DN team is looking to add up to three new members by the start of the 2021-22 academic year.
BONUS: Career Opportunity
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In addition to the staff position, HCCTS created a novel Career Technical Education course designed for high school and English Language Development students which will prepare them to become Community Digital Navigators. Through a combination of coursework based on Google's Applied Digital Skills curriculum and an internship, students gain knowledge and skills which will help them (re)enter today’s competitive workforce.
The course builds on students’ Digital Literacy skills and introduces them to real-world, hands-on applications of digital skills in a workplace setting. Through authentic learning opportunities, students learn how technology fits into everyday life; an exploration into how digital tools can make their academic, career, and personal lives easier is a major focus of the course. The course helps learners to apply digital skills with confidence, help others with technology, further their education, and consider careers where they can put their skills to work.
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Marketing Flyer for the Community Digital Navigator CTE Program (September, 2020)
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Coming Soon: Research & Development
Concept & Theme1:1 Smartphone Initiative |
Concept & ThemeLevel Up! EdTech PD |
Concept & ThemeBespoke Mobile App |
Concept & ThemeGamification for ELD |
Continuity of Education & Digital Inequality |
Continuity of Education & Digital Inequality |
Continuity of Education |
Continuity of Education |
References
- Herold, B., & Kurtz, H. (2020, May 11). Teachers Work Two Hours Less Per Day During COVID-19: 8 Key EdWeek Survey Findings. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/05/11/teachers-work-an-hour-less-per-day.html
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.