Everything Under The Sun: Bridging The Digital Divide At The High School Level

Friday, April 15, 2016

Bridging The Digital Divide At The High School Level

The initials of Computer Angels, made in computer parts.

Sometimes it takes an observant high school student to notice a need. That observant student was Joseph Valenti, who noticed that some of his classmates had to do their homework at school, using the school computers, because their families couldn't afford to buy one.

Joseph, a student at a high school in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, came up with a way to help. He formed an organization, COMPUTER ANGELS OF STEM (CAS), and he started collecting old computers. He also began collecting money so he could refurbish those computers with upgraded RAM, updated USB and ethernet ports, adding a new hard drive, and providing the latest version of operating system.

Once the computers were humming again, he gave them to classmates and local families, who couldn't afford a home computer. Now, the classmates, who had previously stayed at school to use those computers, could go home and use their home systems. Also, by providing these computers to local families, Joseph had hit upon a method of reducing the technology gap among his fellow students. That means that even during their free time and vacations, the students, who had previously had no technology access in their home environments, could become more proficient and catch up with their technology-endowed classmates.

Mr. Valenti's generosity was no surprise, either. He has always had a passion for helping others in need, especially when that difference impacts their ability to succeed. Indeed, he has also encouraged other students to take their passion and provide similar opportunities for those who would not otherwise have them.

Joseph is hard at work with another computer.

Computer Angels has a Facebook page, where those who follow this organization can check out a daily computer tip. Every so often, there is a video about the accomplishments of this group in tearing down and restoring used computers. So, if you happen to be a techie student with a little free time, you can also do something similar and help to bring technology to the homes of students who previously had none.