Are all students going to have access to technology and the internet?

Many of our students are from rural areas without consistent access to the internet, and a digital divide continues to exist in eastern North Carolina where access to the internet is not available to everyone. For example, in Eastern North Carolina, there are counties where up to 43% of households do not have internet access. In Pitt county, 17% of households do not have internet access (NC Dept. of IT). Where broadband exists, the majority of counties in Eastern North Carolina have the lowest speed available (< 25 Mpbs) (NC Broadband). If students do have access to the internet, it is very likely they will be sharing this access with others who are also working or learning from home. Multiple devices on a lower internet speed that is potentially competing with a smart tv will challenging.

That said, the majority of students in the US do have a smart telephone. Seventy-one percent of rural residents in the U.S. have a smart phone and overall 96% of the U.S. ages 18-29 have a smart phone (Pew Research). Many of the tools offered by ECU can be accessed via a phone, and students can participate in online web conferencing from a smart phone. In this pandemic, try and keep assignments and content phone friendly and only use video and higher end technologies if you know your students will be able to access them.

Some thoughts to consider:

Many cellular plans provide the ability to make your phone a hotspot. Using your phone as a hotspot enables you to connect your computer to your phone for internet access. In response to the COVID-19 crisis, several cell phone carriers have increased data limits at no charge. Check with your cell phone company for details.
Broadband providers are offering free internet service for a limited time to households currently without internet access. Check with your local provider for details.
Most public libraries and some cities offer Wi-Fi access and large spaces in public areas for social distancing.