This week in “What’s New in Digital Equity” — our weekly look at government digital equity and broadband news — we have a number of interesting items, which you can jump to with the links below:
ADDING AI IN SKILLS TRAINING
The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) has released a brief that aims to support practitioners as they learn to integrate AI literacy into digital skills training programming. The majority of jobs now require digital skills, and digital skills today include AI.
“[AI] increases the digital divide — 100 percent,” Angela Siefer, executive director of NDIA, recently told Government Technology, explaining that even basic digital skills like using Google to search something now requires an understanding of AI. As described in the brief, individuals should understand the importance of fact-checking AI-generated information and how to do so.
The brief, AI in Digital Skills Programs: Insights and Perspectives From Community Leaders, was created by a cross-sector working group, offering four key considerations for digital inclusion practitioners: access to tools, awareness of limitations, realistic expectations, and avoiding over-reliance.
NDIA’s blog entry announcing the brief described AI education as “a natural next step” in the work to bridge connectivity and access gaps.
The working group created an Instructional Materials Rubric, to help those engaging in AI instruction in better evaluating various resources and curriculum used to train learners. The rubric evaluates resources based on content quality, relevance, usability and credibility.
Some examples of the resources available to support AI instruction include Citizen Literacy, The News Literacy Project, 2Life Communities, DataCamp Blog, and Senior Planet. Using the rubric, these various resources can be assessed for effectiveness; The News Literacy Project tools are highly adaptable for all learners, while the 2LifeCommunities tools are best paired with foundational AI lessons, per the brief.
Models to teach AI skills in digital literacy training include multiweek classes, workshops, and digital navigator sessions.
“We believe you can’t teach digital literacy without AI,” the report said, quoting Victor Villegas, the broadband and digital technologies adoption coordinator at Oregon State University, emphasizing the importance of teaching underserved and underrepresented communities AI literacy.
The brief also underlines the importance of measuring outcomes to evaluate the impact of AI and related instruction.
NORTH CAROLINA SETS DIGITAL SKILL STANDARDS
In state news, a new framework outlines standards for digital competencies, the North Carolina Department of Information Technology’s Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity announced last week.
The North Carolina Digital Skills Standards outlines core knowledge areas that enable participation in the digital economy: digital identity, wellbeing, relationships, safety, reasoning and futures.
The resource was developed in partnership with the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation at North Carolina State University, with support from 25 other organizations and state agencies.
The goal is for this framework to act as a resource for practitioners to use, to ensure that as Internet connectivity improves, people in the state are also equipped with the knowledge to use the Internet.
ALABAMA LAUNCHES WORKFORCE INITIATIVE
The state of Alabama has launched the Alabama Digital Education Network (ADEN), a statewide workforce initiative that aims to support rural communities, in partnership with the nonprofit organization Ed Farm.
Through ADEN, community learning hubs will be established in partnership with anchor institutions such as libraries and schools to build digital skills and advance technology usage across the state.
The initiative, a public-private partnership, will use curriculum through the Apple Foundation Program and will leverage more than $16 million in state funding. The scale of the digital learning experience is made possible through Alabama Power’s connectivity infrastructure.
The largest hub in the network will be the Montgomery hub at Alabama State University, a historically Black college and university.
More information can be found on the ADEN webpage.
MASSACHUSETTS INVESTS MILLIONS IN DEVICE ACCESS
In other state news, the Massachusetts Broadband Institute has launched the Connected and Online Program, a $23 million device distribution initiative. Through this program, the state will distribute about 27,000 devices to support Internet access, including laptops, desktops and tablets. Notably, it includes assistive technology and supportive equipment to support people with disabilities.
This initiative aims to support the state’s work to expand access to education, health care, and workforce training, especially in Gateway Cities — midsize urban cities with regional economic impact — and rural communities.
Municipalities, libraries, health-care providers, workforce centers, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply to the program until Nov. 7. They can request 30 to 500 devices each. The initiative is funded by the U.S. Treasury Capital Projects Fund.
L.A. COUNTY TO BUILD EQUITY ROAD MAP
In local news, Los Angeles County government has kicked off the planning process to create its first-ever Digital Equity Roadmap. The road map will lay out a three-year strategic plan to ensure everyone in the county has access to the Internet and the skills to use it effectively.
“The Digital Equity Roadmap is more than just a plan; it’s a commitment to dismantling the systemic barriers that keep our most vulnerable residents offline,” Holly J. Mitchell, county supervisor and author of the motion establishing this process, said in a statement.
The timing of the initiative’s approval by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors coincides with Digital Inclusion Week.
