Why is Digital Literacy so Important When it Comes to Laptop Donation?
Image courtesy of IRC
For almost a century, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has helped newly resettled families achieve stability and self-sufficiency by providing essential services including cultural orientation, housing, employment support, and other skill-building programs.
In 2019, in collaboration with the Endless OS Foundation, they launched the Digital Access Project to address another challenge in these communities: the digital divide. The Endless OS Foundation was a natural partner: their mission is to help all people and communities connect with technology, guided by the belief that access to personal computing is critical for productivity, learning and job skills.
The Digital Access Project started with the procurement of over 1,300 refurbished computers that included the Endless Operating System preloaded with highly personalized content for refugee communities. For example, the Endless OS and IRC teams jointly created Rescue Tools, an offline app that contains multi-language fact sheets, podcasts, and videos about important information such as housing, healthcare, transportation, employment, refugee rights, and other topics. Further, the customized Endless OS desktop highlights other apps that are especially useful for newly resettled refugees: resume writers, social media, budget planners, and games.
Beyond the need for physical laptops and internet connections, the partnership highlighted how important building digital literacy skills was for the program participants.
According to Learning for Justice, digital literacy “means being able to participate meaningfully in online communities, interpret the changing digital landscape, and unlock the power of the internet for good. Digital literacy, in the modern United States, is fundamental to civic literacy.” It encompasses both the technical skills of navigating a computer (moving a mouse, typing, etc.) and the ability to navigate the online world (understanding privacy concerns, identifying reliable news sources, and avoiding scams).
Image courtesy of IRC
Why is digital literacy so important for wide-scale computer distribution efforts? Here are a few key takeaways from the Digital Access Project:
Technical Skill-building is Key
Many of the families that received the laptops were true digital beginners, learning skills such as turning on the laptop, charging it, and connecting to the internet. Even skills that others might find “basic,” like the eye-hand coordination to get the cursor to point and click, was a barrier for many. Laptops equipped with Endless OS are great for populations new to technology because the OS resembles a phone interface, but technology training on Zoom or other computer based platforms may be inaccessible to some. IRC staff found that the technology learning curve greatly diminished once a client gained three basic skills: 1) connecting to WiFi, 2) navigating a website, and 3) typing on a keyboard. With those skills, clients can self-teach and access more learning resources on their own.
Despite Challenges, Digital Literacy Improved
Though the pandemic made it challenging to hold in-person skill-building classes, IRC staff worked hard to build these skills with remote classes: 71% of adults who received a laptop showed an improved digital literacy score on post-implementation evaluations. With comprehensive learning offerings like Technology Orientation and Job Readiness Training, the IRC staff were able to deliver high-quality digital literacy offerings based on the needs of their families.
Access to Classes Was Essential
Further, 95% of the clients who took classes accessed them remotely. Clients who used the laptop to practice or improve English and/or remote tutoring sessions showed great improvements, emphasizing the importance of wide access.
The Digital Access Project was a key partnership to provide laptops to families on a wide scale. The partnership highlighted where challenges remain for this type of implementation, and why access to offline resources is an important part of the solution.