Digital+Equity

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=So you have read articles and been to many conferences where they discuss all the wonderful things they use in their classrooms. = =You're excited, pumped, ready to change your way of teaching. Just when you feel like you could conquer the world, you realize that technology is expensive and your school is in a budget crisis. To top it all of some of your students do not have the resources at home. In fact you may live in an area where high speed internet is not offered. Yes, it is unfair, but sometimes as a teacher you have to work around challenges. So, what do you do? Well, there are a few options. Besides free resources on the internet, school districts and teachers can apply for grants or tech products at a reduced cost. =

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= = =Quite a number of websites provide free or reduced cost tools to use in your classroom. The trick is to do your research and be patient. Below you will find a number of links that provide resources for teachers. Grants are also available to fund your classroom ideas. Reach out to your community for funding as well. Many universities, factories, business leaders, and companies are willing to donate to classrooms in return for publicity. Below are a few resources for grant opportunities.=



[|Digital Divide Article] This article gives insight into the digital divide amongst school districts. As a teacher I found it very interesting that more is not done to create a more even playing field, in terms of school technology. = __[|Digital Equity: Working Together For a Solution]__ = This article showcases how larger technology companies are partnering with schools and other learning communities.

[|SchoolForge] A great resource for educators. "SchoolForge's mission is to unify independent organizations that advocate, use, and develop open resources for education. We advocate the use of open texts and lessons, open curricula, free software and open source in education".-This site has many opportunities for teachers to implement in their classroom.

[|Digital Equity Alliance] A wonderful article showcasing how one community is benefiting from high speed internet.

[|Alliance for Digital Equality] This organization fights for digital equality in all communities. This site offers information on legislation that could bring technology to communities. Provides a blog for visitors to discuss their concerns.

[|The Benton Foundation]
The Benton Foundation works to realize the social benefits made possible by the public interest use of communications. Bridging the worlds of philanthropy, public policy, and community action, Benton seeks to shape the emerging communications environment and to demonstrate the value of communications for solving social problems.

[|Computers for Learning] A great resource that provides refurbished computers for classroom use. Simply register and answer questionnaire.

=**__Available Grants__**= [|http://www.refresheverything.com/]
 * Pepsi Refresh Grant**- This grant allows people to choose which idea they would like to vote for. The idea with the most votes is awarded funding for their ideas.

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 * Donors Choose**-This donation site allows donors to choose which classroom ideas they would like to supply funding for.

[|http://www.grantsalert.com/gsft.cfm?action=view&gsft=77]
 * Grants Alert-**This site lists a number of grant opportunities for teachers and is updated frequently.

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