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On this espisode of Connected Nation, we have a special guest in honor of Black History Month – Brelis Spiller, a man who must keep his cool in one of the most technologically advanced and stressful environments in the world as an air traffic controller.

Learn how he handles all that pressure. Plus, we'll discuss his role in getting more black youth interested in the aviation industry AND ask why he believes equitable access to technology and the internet is critical for all children.
 
pushing tin youtbue

Related links:
Website - https://obap.org/
Camps - https://obap.org/outreach-programs/ace-academy/#ACElist
WAVE3-TV story - Aviation program really taking off
WDRB-TV story - Summer program teaches kids about careers in aerospace
Brelis Spiller’s LinkedIn account
"Pushing Tin" scene (visualizing air traffic control) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drX435G0SZo

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On this episode of Connected Nation,  we return to Michigan for part two of our look at the MI Connected Future Tour.  It’s an ambitious 40-stop listening tour being conducted by the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office, which is developing a five-year internet connectivity plan for the state.

In part two, you’ll hear directly from, local residents, business owners, school leaders, internet service providers, and others whose opinions are helping to shape that plan. 

Related links:
MI Connected Future Tour Schedule - https://www.michigan.gov/leo/bureaus-agencies/mihi/miconnectedfuture/mi-connected-future-tour-schedule

Michigan High-Speed Internet Office - https://www.michigan.gov/leo/bureaus-agencies/mihi

Part 1 - On the road with MIHI: 40 stops, thousands of miles, hundreds of opinions

 
 

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On this episode of Connected Nation, we take you into the heart of Michigan where the Michigan High-Speed Internet Office (MIHI) recently launched an ambitious 40-stop broadband listening tour.

For the first time on our show, we’re going into the field to hear what residents, business owners. teachers, and other local stakeholders have to  say about the impact of being disconnected in America— and what can be done to fix it.
 
Related links:
MI Connected Future Tour Schedule - https://www.michigan.gov/leo/bureaus-agencies/mihi/miconnectedfuture/mi-connected-future-tour-schedule

Michigan High-Speed Internet Office - https://www.michigan.gov/leo/bureaus-agencies/mihi

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Imagine starting a new life in a new country unable to speak the language and unable to navigate the resources and services that could help you – simply because they are online. That’s the challenge for many individuals and families who immigrate to the US.
 
On this episode of Connected Nation, we talk with one man who works directly with Immigrant populations about what can be done to better help and support our nation’s newest residents.
 
Related links: 
Migration policy data - https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/digital-divide-hits-us-immigrant-households-during-covid-19

Ricky Santiago, Digital Inclusion Manager, Louisville Metro Government - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardosantiago787/

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On today's espisode of Connected Nation,  we talk with those behind a new report on school connectivity in America that finds more than 23.5 million students lack adequate internet speeds for digital learning in every classroom, every day.

Find out how the newest data can be used to improve those numbers, how many school districts are already meeting or exceeding recommended bandwidth goals – AND why NOW is a critical time for more than 4-thousand school districts to upgrade.
 
Related links:
Click here to read the 2022 School Connectivity report 

Connect K-12 website - https://connectk12.org/

Additional free educational and digital litercy learning resources:
Teens Teach Tech - https://connectednation.org/teensteachtech 
Achievery - https://www.theachievery.com/en?utm_source=Connected_Nation 
Digital Literacy and Learning Program - https://connectednation.org/digital-literacy-workshops/
Digital Works - https://digitalworksjobs.org/ 

 

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On this episode of Connected Nation,  we talk with those behind a powerful new partnership aimed at helping school districts remove barriers to the use of technology within special education.
 
We ask how the new partnership will work to support school leaders, what parents and teachers should know, and why this is a critical step in creating a more effective AND inclusive educational system within the US.
 
Related links:
CITES framework - https://cites.cast.org/get-started

CoSN podcast - https://anchor.fm/cosn/episodes/Creating-A-Framework-For-Inclusive-Technology--S3E5-e1p48vu

 CoSN website - https://www.cosn.org/

 CAST website - https://www.cast.org/

 Press release on partnership - https://www.cosn.org/cosn-news/cosn-cast-partner-to-make-digital-learning-inclusive-effective/

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On this episode of Connected Nation, we talk with two top executives within the broadband industry about the billions of dollars in federal funding now on the table for expanding access to high-speed internet.

Learn which subject matter experts they believe are being left out of the conversation, the measurable ways they’ve seen high-speed internet transform economies, AND where they believe tech innovations are taking us.     
 
Related links:
Juniper Networks - https://www.juniper.net/us/en.html

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On this episode of Connected Nation, we talk with a representative within the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology about advancing digital equity within our schools and communities. 

Specifically, we’ll look at a new resource that provides a series of recommendations for developing plans to close the Digital Divide and enable technology-empowered learning for ALL.
 
Related links:
Free resource guide: https://tech.ed.gov/advancing-digital-equity-for-all/
Digital equity story engine: https://tech.ed.gov/stories/story_tag/digital-equity/ 

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On this episode of Connected Nation,  we’re focusing on an issue of equity within the broadband space—specifically digital inclusion.  

We talk with a thought leader on the issue – who has both decades of experience helping vulnerable populations AND who now chairs a Federal Communications Committee that’s providing guidance to national leaders on closing the Digital Divide for those most directly impacted. 

Related links:
Follow our guest, Heather Gate, on Twitter at @hgate2

Digital Inclusion Week resources -  https://www.digitalinclusion.org/diw22/

Teens Teach Tech powered by AT&T - mentorship programs for teens 

Digital Literacy Workshops (at no cost to communities or organizations) – head here

Drive: free digital learning platform and resources

Connected: Creating a Community Technology Action Plan 

Free resources for students, parents, and teachers via Achievery 

REPORT: Bridging the Divide: Skills for Digital Financial Equity and Inclusion - 

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"[Veterans] should not have to march into a clinical sterile setting to try to explain the horrors of war.” ~Dr. Ronald Boyd

On this episode of Connected Nation, we ask our audience to consider a serious question.  "How do you believe your world view would shift once you’ve been shot at or been asked to shoot others?” 

Hear from one therapist, who is also a disabled combat veteran,  about how the country can  better leverage broadband access is to help more of the nation's veterans—who often struggle to adjust to the normalcy of life at home after experiencing traumatic and dangerous scenarios.
 
Related links:
Serenity Care Counseling - https://serenitycarecounseling.com/about/

Serenity Care Podcast - https://serenitycarecounseling.com/category/resources/podcast/

Stop Veteran Suicide website - https://stopsoldiersuicide.org/