Digital Parents Archives - Community Tech Network

AT&T Supports Digital Parents Program

Anna Beth Lane — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 14:43:51 +0000

“AT&T believes that digital literacy is hugely important and more important every day,” says Cammy Blackstone, external affairs director at AT&T. “As a company, our bread and butter is making sure that people’s connections work. Once people are connected, we want to ensure that they can make the most of that connection.” Throughout the pandemic, it became increasingly evident that many people lack the access and ability to connect digitally. Such people may not be able to afford high-speed internet and devices, or they might lack the necessary digital skills to use the web. In response, AT&T has made a $2 billion, three-year commitment to help bridge the digital divide. This funding will go towards affordable broadband options via the Access program, educational discounts and opportunities, partnerships with community centers and nonprofits, the federal Emergency Broadband Benefit program, and developing nationwide learning centers. With a continuing mission to connect the unconnected, CTN is excited to be one of the many organizations to receive AT&T’s support. Last year, AT&T helped fund our emerging Home Connect program with a $20,000 donation to provide digital skills training to homebound seniors. This year, AT&T provided an additional $20,000 to support CTN’s Digital Parents program. […]

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Digital Skills Classes for Parents in Austin

Kami Griffiths — Tue, 10 Dec 2019 14:57:09 +0000

Last November, CTN partnered with Latinitas to provide a basic digital literacy class at Martin Middle School in Austin. The participants were parents and grandparents who use their smartphones for everything but were unable to access an important online tool, called BLEND, that the school uses to share grades, attendance, and assignments. Ms. Herrera, the parent support specialist at Martin Middle School, identified 15 parents to participate in this pilot program, which provided basic digital skills training on AISD’s Parent Cloud and BLEND, their digital learning space. Upon completion of the 8-hour course, each participant received a refurbished laptop. Additional resources were shared with the parents, including low-cost internet access, how to talk to their kids about online safety, and free online training resources. The long-term goal of the program is for parents and grandparents to better support their students for improved attendance and increased rates of homework completion. We would like to thank the individual donors who provided financial support for this program. Also, Google Fiber and Collins Technology Fund provided grants that supported curriculum development and the purchase of computers. The City of Austin helped by donating new mice for each participant, and Rockstar bagels provided bagels for the learners on […]

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Sunnyvale Parents Enjoy New Digital Literacy Program

Sabrina Tam — Fri, 01 Nov 2019 14:20:31 +0000

The days of textbooks and workbooks are numbered as our schools step up the use of online tools to communicate with parents, as well as to issue and receive homework from students. These days, it’s vital that parents be able to use a computer confidently so that they can best support their children’s passage through school. Community Tech Network is partnering with the City of Sunnyvale, California, to provide digital literacy training to parents at one middle school and five elementary schools in Sunnyvale. The goal is to train 650 parents in two years. The bulk of the training will cover basic computer skills. The aim is to teach parents skills that allow them to better communicate with the schools, monitor their children’s technology usage, and perhaps even find a better job for themselves. Currently, the topics include basic Chromebook operations: keyboard, touchpad, using email and the internet (safely), and Google Docs. It will also include “digital parenting,” which means helping parents become role models of responsible computer use to their kids and ensuring that their children are protected online. On October 9, CTN delivered the first class at Ellis Elementary School, welcoming 16 parents in total. Our trainer, Maria, […]

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Digital Literacy Training for NeighborNest Parents

Heather DeSmidt — Thu, 02 Nov 2017 14:55:38 +0000

In 2016, Twitter approved a grant in the amount of $30,000 to Community Technology Network to fund a pilot digital literacy program at Twitter’s NeighborNest. The purpose was to address the needs of parents who lack crucial computer skills as their families transition out of homelessness. They are referred to the NeighborNest’s wraparound services from Compass Family Services, Glide, Hamilton Families, and Raphael House. CTN offered four basic digital literacy skills workshops in 2016 in English and Spanish. The workshops developed clients’ ability to use a desktop computer to navigate websites safely, conduct job searches, and communicate through email. One of the students who completed the basic computer skills course in Spanish went on to get a job working in a shelter in San Francisco, bringing her closer to her goal of becoming a case manager. Her story is highlighted in this video, which was shared with the community and funders at CTN’s yearly Digital Leaders Awards. CTN was awarded a second grant of $30,000 to continue digital literacy training at the NeighborNest in 2017. This year, we offered the same basic skills workshops to clients, but we also began a new intermediate-level series dubbed “Beyond the Basics.” Its range […]

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Taking Families a Step Closer to Digital Literacy

Heather DeSmidt — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 15:00:13 +0000

While riding public transportation or walking around town, have you ever stopped to notice who around you isn’t staring at their smartphones? I have begun to pay more attention to this after teaching digital literacy to San Franciscans through Community Technology Network (@CTNBayArea). Even here in high-tech San Francisco, we have a digital divide. According to a report from 2015, over 150,000 of our neighbors in SF lack high-speed Internet at home. Having a home computer with Internet access is important if you want to apply for jobs online, help your child with homework, or find an apartment to rent. Twitter Addresses Barriers to Digital Literacy Twitter invited CTN to be part of the design and implementation of the digital literacy programming at its NeighborNest to address the needs of parents who lack crucial computer skills. What I learned about the clients from Compass Family Services, Hamilton Families, Raphael House, and St. Joseph’s Family Center was that they often asked their case managers for help with basic things on computers, and many didn’t have email addresses or didn’t quite know how it all worked. I also learned that many, in fact, didn’t have a home computer or Internet connection […]

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