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Digital Equity Champions for All Learners: Preparing Adult Education Leaders for Upcoming Opportunities
In 2024, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) will announce the Digital Equity Competitive Grant to help eligible entities advance digital equity in their communities. The Digital Equity Champions for All Learners webinar and workshop series, a collaborative effort between several national adult education organizations, aims to prepare adult education leaders at the state, local, and institution levels for this unique opportunity.
Webinar & Workshop Series
Digital Equity Champions for All Learners comprises a series of webinars, culminating in a free pre-conference workshop at the 2024 COABE National Conference. We strongly encourage participants to attend all three sessions.
In addition to building awareness of relevant policy context for upcoming digital equity opportunities, this virtual session for the National Association of State Directors of Adult Education (NASDAE) will support state directors in seeing themselves as a critical component of the national focus on digital equity by sharing community-based, collaborative models that benefit adult education stakeholders. The featured speakers include:
- Jen Vanek, Director of Digital Learning & Research at World Education
- Chrissie Powell, Chief Growth & Impact Officer at Byte Back
- Dr. Doris Carver, Higher Education Consultant at the North Carolina Community College System and former Vice President of Continuing Education at Piedmont Community College
Resources: Recording | Slides | Chat | Guided Notes Worksheet
In the first part of this series, adult education leaders will build their awareness of the Digital Equity Act and the Digital Equity Competitive Grant, and learn why digital equity is important to their stakeholders. The webinar will also feature three experts leading diverse “possibility models” of successful and replicable digital inclusion strategies from around the country:
- Ashly Winkle, Associate Director of the Distance Education Professional Development Center at the Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy & Learning (TCALL) – presenting on the Texas Distance Education Professional Development Center & Call Center, which provides centralized statewide tech support for adult education students and educators
- Dawn Hannah, Chief Program Officer at Beyond Literacy – presenting on Beyond Literacy’s Title II programs’ partnerships with the City of Philadelphia
- Sammy Lowdermilk, Program Director at Tech Goes Home Chattanooga – presenting on Tech Goes Home’s integrated digital literacy, affordable device, and connectivity access model
Resources: Recording | Slides | Chat | Guided Notes Worksheet | Read a recap of the webinar from the Benton Institute for Broadband & Society!
In the second part of this series, adult education leaders will continue building their awareness of the Digital Equity Competitive Grant and learn from five experts leading diverse “possibility models” of successful and replicable digital inclusion strategies from around the country:
- Dr. Charles “Monty” Roessel, President of Diné College – presenting on Diné College’s community-based, culturally responsive digital inclusion programs
- Dr. Cris Fanning, Executive Director, Programs and Risk Reduction at the Kansas Department of Corrections – presenting on tablet and laptop access for incarcerated learners
- Luis Quiñones, Deputy Vice President of Workforce Development and Adult Education at UnidosUS – speaking about UnidosUS’s culturally responsive Padres Comprometidos and Digital Skills for Life parent engagement programs
- Markevis Gideon, Founder of NERDiT CARES – presenting on NERDiT’s pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs for IT careers
- Skye Downing, Programs & Partnership Director at Community Tech Network – presenting on Community Tech Network’s multilingual peer Digital Navigators model
Resources: Recording | Slides | Handout | Padlet | Read a recap of the pre-conference from the Office of Educational Technology!
In this free, virtual and in-person pre-conference session at the 2024 COABE National Conference, adult education leaders will have an opportunity to develop and refine ideas for Digital Equity Competitive Grant proposals, learn from peers, and develop critical relationships with other leaders in their states/regions. Attendees will also hear from national and state leaders in digital equity.
Resources
View our list of resources on the Digital Equity Act, digital inclusion models, coalition and partnership building, research and data, and federal grant writing and management below, or access the list directly.
If you know of additional resources, please consider submitting them. (If you are unable to access the online form, please email the resource and a brief description to shirley_doan@worlded.org.)
Collaborators
