Providing Internet Access to Students in Dalton-Whitfield

On January 24, Dalton Public Schools representative Will Esters met with University of Georgia Ph.D. student Lenie George and University of Georgia Assistant Professor of Learning, Design, and Technology Dr. T.J. Kopcha at the UGA campus to further discuss how to provide internet access to all families throughout the Dalton-Whitfield area.  This meeting reflects a three plus year conversation in the Dalton-Whitfield community about how to narrow the impact of the digital divide and correspondingly increase prosperity for all citizens.  After discussing many options, the group decided to narrow their focus and hone in on how to provide internet access to students provided with school-distributed devices to bolster engagement and success in school.  Lenie is currently researching best practices in other communities that have tackled this goal and will report his findings to the community in the near future.