SUMMARY:

The Digital Literacy Task Force held its first meeting on June 1, 2021, and included representatives from multiple sectors interested in resolving the digital divide in the Los Angeles County region. Task force members engaged in a fruitful discussion around priority areas to focus on at future convenings. In addition, all members had the opportunity to provide feedback through discussion, chat-box, or by responding to questions via a jam board. The jam board was a very productive tool and generated more than 90 sticky note comments, suggestions or inquiries.

Here are the key themes from the discussion on digital literacy:

1. Greatest digital literacy barriers impacting low-income households and small businesses:

2. Access to devices

3. Affordable broadband bandwidth

4. Marketing

5. Language barriers and age-appropriate outreach

6. “Digital Literacy/Skills” connected to tasks aligned with household needs

7. Dead zone areas

8. Current approaches working that should be explored to take to scale countywide?

9. Human-I-T offers free virtual beginner’s digital literacy course with wraparound interactive services via phone/social media

10. Long Beach City CARES Act Digital Inclusion Initiative

11. Wireless deployments by school districts

12. SIMM programs

13. Help desk access by transferring long-term device ownership to students/families

14. City of Los Angeles Aging Department pilot program

15. Ubiquitous internet access

16. Cox Digital Academy

17. Devices as the carrot to increase digital literacy

18. Partnerships are needed to improve the digital literacy of Los Angeles households?

19. Libraries and parks

20. VISTA volunteers from the state

21. Health care providers

22. School districts as trusted anchor institutions

23. Digital Inclusion/Equity training for stakeholders interested in delivering digital literacy/skills train-the-trainer

24. Service-learning programs that earn educational credit

The suggested breakout subtopic considerations are presented given the initial feedback from task force members:

1. Culturally responsive training and curriculum development

2. Age appropriate

3. Marketing/communications – targeted outreach

4. Assessing, adoption, and scaling in a sustainable manner

The digital literacy task force will meet virtually monthly and includes education, health, nonprofit, education, business, city municipalities, and internet service providers. To learn more, visit: ladeal.org/events.

Updated: Sep 2, 2021