Edtech for the K-12 Classroom; Five ways the Pandemic Improved Equity for Students.

The COVID-19 pandemic showed how unequal access to technology is in education. When schools closed in 2020, some districts paused remote learning or gave out devices to help students stay connected. But getting online was just the start—educators also had to support students with special needs or difficult home lives. While there’s no perfect solution, the pandemic highlighted ways to make learning more fair and flexible for everyone.

1. Free Wifi. 

During the pandemic, wifi and hotspots were given out for free. Parents and teachers should continue to encourage this discount/free support to people who truly could use the break. 

2. School Bus Fleets. 

Some districts delivered food to students during the pandemic, as well as free wifi and library books. This was also a way for the school to stay in touch with families who needed it most. 

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3. Public Television. 

A school district in Los Angeles paired up with a public TV station to run educational programs from 7am-7pm during the pandemic. Each station made their content based on certain age groups. The ages ranged from elementary to high school and everything in between. The strongest quote from this whole article is "...learning doesn't stop when schools shut down." 

4. School Buildings.

Some families from certain districts would access the districts wifi by sitting in the parking lot of the school. Technology teams even went as far as jacking up the wifi signals so it could be more easily accessed even from inside of cars. 

5. Old-fashioned Paper.

Some students simply cannot work online. Whether that be from wifi issues, or another issue. One school district handed out both paper and electronic learning toolkits.