Across the United States many schools had to shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, only to reopen virtually. The large brick and mortar buildings that make up the Philadelphia (and the surrounding areas) school districts’ places of education stood like quiet statues of education past, the lights stayed on but the life inside was gone. After the move to reopen virtually was chosen many school districts decided because of equity to give out computers in order to have students participate in online and virtual instruction. The biggest hurdle after distribution was insuring that many households had access to the Internet in some form or fashion. Many large internet providers across the United States began to offer free Wi-Fi connections to families and households that did not already have connections to the internet in order to help students connect virtually to their teachers and school’s supporting staff. Here we find the heart of what is know as digital equity, all people at any given time living within the school district have the right to access all the information that only the Internet can offer. It is here that the COVID-19 pandemic showcased a huge gap in citizens’ ability to access the Internet, especially in low-income and black communities across the United States. This overwhelmingly new form of energy vulnerability exposed many American citizens to the grim reality that they too are vulnerable in terms of digital equity and post COVID-19 the need or rather the right for fair and ever present access to the internet for a wide variety of reasons. For example those who became furloughed or unemployed needed the Internet to file unemployment claims. Those in need of reliable information about the spread of the disease required access to the Internet in terms of safety information and what precautions should be taken. Students needed access to education. Families needed resources like zoom to connect with family members living far away for free. Almost everyone in the digital age uses email, and therefore needs access to Internet. Lastly everyone needed a bit of entertainment and levity during the onset of the pandemic, which is something, the Internet was able to provide with streaming services. Once free Internet options were starting to be worked out it became easy to see that most low-income families has issues connecting or keeping a consistent connection to the Internet. Another obstacle was that even though many students had smart phones and seemed tech savvy, many leaders, educators and officials found out the hard way that many low-income students were not as computer literate as was first thought. That being said, many students did indeed rise to the occasion and were able to successfully navigate the virtual world of education that was given to them. Citizens of the United States have become hyperaware of their true connection—a real need for—the Internet. In terms of energy vulnerability one can consider this situation to be an assemblage of vulnerabilities. For example consider the possible case of a secondary student from a low-income neighborhood or residential area. This student most likely has a smart phone, but not a computer. This student might use the data plan provided to them by their parents or guardians, however, this student most like uses free Wi-Fi connections found in public spaces and at school, as most schools across the United States now offer free Wi-Fi connections to their students. When thinking about this potential case in terms of vulnerability we need to ask several questions. First, how did the student charge the mobile device used to connect to the Internet? If the answer is at home, were the energy utility bills paid, and is the electricity in jeopardy of being shut off at home? Does the household pay for high speed Internet in some capacity or does the household feed off of free Wi-Fi providers? Are there free Wi-Fi providers in the area? Remember when answering these questions it is important to notice that if the answer produces a negative result the student for one of many reasons is vulnerable in the this new “normal” situation. The upside to the COVID-19 pandemic is that it has exposed all these problems to most people living within the United States. It is here that hearts and minds of the masses have begun to change when thinking about digital equity. The hope is that these conversations continue and people are able to stay connected!
Anonymous, "2B School Districts are struggling to connect all students", contributed by Kyle Simons, The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 11 June 2020, accessed 2 May 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/2b-school-districts-are-struggling-connect-all-students
Critical Commentary
Across the United States many schools had to shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, only to reopen virtually. The large brick and mortar buildings that make up the Philadelphia (and the surrounding areas) school districts’ places of education stood like quiet statues of education past, the lights stayed on but the life inside was gone. After the move to reopen virtually was chosen many school districts decided because of equity to give out computers in order to have students participate in online and virtual instruction. The biggest hurdle after distribution was insuring that many households had access to the Internet in some form or fashion. Many large internet providers across the United States began to offer free Wi-Fi connections to families and households that did not already have connections to the internet in order to help students connect virtually to their teachers and school’s supporting staff. Here we find the heart of what is know as digital equity, all people at any given time living within the school district have the right to access all the information that only the Internet can offer. It is here that the COVID-19 pandemic showcased a huge gap in citizens’ ability to access the Internet, especially in low-income and black communities across the United States. This overwhelmingly new form of energy vulnerability exposed many American citizens to the grim reality that they too are vulnerable in terms of digital equity and post COVID-19 the need or rather the right for fair and ever present access to the internet for a wide variety of reasons. For example those who became furloughed or unemployed needed the Internet to file unemployment claims. Those in need of reliable information about the spread of the disease required access to the Internet in terms of safety information and what precautions should be taken. Students needed access to education. Families needed resources like zoom to connect with family members living far away for free. Almost everyone in the digital age uses email, and therefore needs access to Internet. Lastly everyone needed a bit of entertainment and levity during the onset of the pandemic, which is something, the Internet was able to provide with streaming services. Once free Internet options were starting to be worked out it became easy to see that most low-income families has issues connecting or keeping a consistent connection to the Internet. Another obstacle was that even though many students had smart phones and seemed tech savvy, many leaders, educators and officials found out the hard way that many low-income students were not as computer literate as was first thought. That being said, many students did indeed rise to the occasion and were able to successfully navigate the virtual world of education that was given to them. Citizens of the United States have become hyperaware of their true connection—a real need for—the Internet. In terms of energy vulnerability one can consider this situation to be an assemblage of vulnerabilities. For example consider the possible case of a secondary student from a low-income neighborhood or residential area. This student most likely has a smart phone, but not a computer. This student might use the data plan provided to them by their parents or guardians, however, this student most like uses free Wi-Fi connections found in public spaces and at school, as most schools across the United States now offer free Wi-Fi connections to their students. When thinking about this potential case in terms of vulnerability we need to ask several questions. First, how did the student charge the mobile device used to connect to the Internet? If the answer is at home, were the energy utility bills paid, and is the electricity in jeopardy of being shut off at home? Does the household pay for high speed Internet in some capacity or does the household feed off of free Wi-Fi providers? Are there free Wi-Fi providers in the area? Remember when answering these questions it is important to notice that if the answer produces a negative result the student for one of many reasons is vulnerable in the this new “normal” situation. The upside to the COVID-19 pandemic is that it has exposed all these problems to most people living within the United States. It is here that hearts and minds of the masses have begun to change when thinking about digital equity. The hope is that these conversations continue and people are able to stay connected!