{"id":3678,"date":"2020-08-14T14:07:06","date_gmt":"2020-08-14T14:07:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/?p=3678"},"modified":"2023-03-27T15:52:38","modified_gmt":"2023-03-27T15:52:38","slug":"with-help-durham-schools-prepare-to-start-the-school-year-online","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/9thstreetjournal.org\/2020\/08\/14\/with-help-durham-schools-prepare-to-start-the-school-year-online\/","title":{"rendered":"With help, Durham schools prepare to start the school year online"},"content":{"rendered":"
While working as a technology specialist in Durham Public Schools, Laura Fogle learned about a student whose phone screen was so cracked, glass shards cut her fingers when she typed. Yet she tried to write an essay<\/a> on it. Unlike other classmates, she did not have a computer at home.<\/span> A high-profile step was the purchase of over 20,000 <\/span>Chromebook<\/span><\/a>s for grades <\/span>kindergarten through 12<\/span><\/a>. Students lacking internet access are getting hotspot devices too, to ensure they can connect.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n And even with this process, there have been bumps. At some schools, like <\/span>Parkwood Elementary<\/span><\/a>, Chromebook shipments have been delayed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Achieving an equitable experience for <\/span>almost 33,000 students<\/span><\/a> is a far greater job than merely giving each a device and internet access, however. Teachers have to redesign courses, students need to master their devices, and when the technology fails or things break, money must be available for repairs and replacements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
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\n<\/span>With the school year set to start online on <\/span>Monday<\/span><\/a>, the local school district has been working for months to collapse such digital divides among students.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n