The Digital Divide
Too many students don't have access to computer technology at home, which makes it hard to keep up and become prepared for what will undoubtedly be an acceleratingly digital future. This digital divide has been a sociological problem for years, but the onset of the COVID pandemic and the sudden global necessity to transition to learning from home has only exacerbated this crisis.
At least students who couldn't access a computer at home could learn vital computing skills at school. But now that so many schools are closed and online education is the only way to keep up with your class, what is a disadvantaged student to do?
Luckily, the advances and abundance created by technological powerhouses – such as Raspberry Pi – now make it easy to solve this problem, especially in combination with support from the worldwide Raspberry Pi community.
Supporting Vulnerable Students
One of the pillars of Raspberry Pi's mission has been to remove financial cost as a barrier to computer access. According to their official mission statement:
"Our mission is to put the power of computing and digital making into the hands of people all over the world. We do this so that more people are able to harness the power of computing and digital technologies for work, to solve problems that matter to them, and to express themselves creatively."
In line with this mission, the team at Raspberry Pi works hard to make sure that high-quality, powerful computing devices are made as affordable as possible for everyone. The latest example is the Raspberry Pi 400, which can replace a desktop computer at about 1/5 the average cost.
Once lockdown started and students worldwide were required to learn-from-home, many opted for a Raspberry Pi 400 to function as their main PC. Raspberry Pi Foundation partnered with non-profit UK youth and grassroots youth organizations to ensure students across the country who did not have computers in their home had full Raspberry Pi desktop kits complete with monitors, webcams, and headphones.
Learn at Home Campaign
One of Raspberry Pi's more recent initiatives has been the Learn at Home fundraising campaign, launched in December 2020. This project is the expansion of a successful pilot program to distribute Raspberry Pi computers to students who lacked the technology hardware needed to complete their schoolwork from home.
The Learn at Home campaign has now collaborated with more than 70 individual and organizational donors to raise the equivalent of over $1.2 million dollars (£900K in the UK) and is set to deliver its 5000th Raspberry Pi Kit.
How You Can Help
While Raspberry Pi continues to make strides in conquering the digital divide, there are still so many students who need access to computing hardware and education. If you want to help support Raspberry Pi directly, you can donate on their website.
Will you get involved in one of the countless global initiatives to help students succeed with technology? Let us know – have you joined in the fight against the digital divide to make sure the next generation will be educated and equipped for an accelerating technological future?