Participate 3.1.1. Access to the Digital Community Quest

All access isn't equal:

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One's tools make a critical difference.

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                                                                      VS

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A seemingly "easy" assignment at times is like scaling a mountain for students. The National Broadband Map provides statistics that reveal Internet access and upload/download speeds can vary amongst counties within a state and between various states.

The combined percentage for upload & download speeds in Fulton County, population 996,000, is 100% compared to Wilkes County's 87.9%, population 10,000. This 12% access speed difference may not appear critical but it may mask other factors that are... such as direct access to broadband in the home (versus a public library), or on a mobile device like a cell phone (versus a PC) and general utility/familiarity with the Internet as a "family culture" (versus mere work-related or school-related needs). Many of these unspoken factors rest upon a student's family's economic situation. I may not be able to alter these factors.


As a Georgia Virtual Learning Teacher, it is my responsibility to equip all my students with the proper and needed tools to be successful in the course. These "tools" may take the following forms:

*extra time to finish assignments
*repeated attempts on an activity
*video transcripts & closed captions for the hearing impaired
*podcasts, use of large fonts & limited graphics for the visually impaired who may use screen readers
*options and multi-sensory resources to accommodate various learning styles so my students' mobility, hearing and visual challenges don't render them dependent upon others to excel in their studies.