Introducing, Connect Canyons, a partnership to provide computing devices and connectivity to every Canyons District student and equip every teacher with the livestreaming devices and amplification equipment needed to continue making advances in e-learning.
Canyons District has set the goal of providing every student with a device and connectivity, as well as every classroom with streaming technology, by the end of the 2020-2021 school year. To achieve this goal, the District has secured grants, invested its own resources, and forged partnerships with technology companies. But help is needed to fill the gaps.
Bridging the Digital Divide
Up to 5,100 of Canyons School District’s 34,000 students have no access to a computing device or reliable Internet service at home. Most cite affordability as the reason. In any year, this puts these students at a disadvantage for acquiring the digital literacy they need to thrive in today’s computerized world. In a pandemic when 17 percent of our students have chosen to learn online, and thousands have had to be quarantined, it robs them of the primary connection they have with their teachers, counselors, coaches and schools.
Student-Centered Learning
If the pandemic has revealed how inequity in access to technology can be a barrier to student success, it’s also reinforced how technology can remove barriers. No two students learn the same way, or have the same educational goals. So why should we assume they all benefit from a uniform set of teaching methods? Equity in education isn’t about producing the same outcomes for all students, it’s about connecting with students where they are and helping them find their passion and purpose. Learning need no longer be confined to the four walls of a classroom. Today’s students should feel empowered to choose the pace, place and path of their education. Today’s teachers should be equipped to connect with students face-to-face and remotely. Today’s schools must find ways to ensure students have the tools they need to excel in both learning environments.
Partnerships in Connectivity
Of all the goals Canyons District has set for itself, this is the most urgent and all-encompassing. It’s an ambitious goal, to be sure — but one that, with your help, is well within reach. Join us in building bridges of connection, understanding and learning with the students who need it most. Thank you to all our business, community and municipal partners for your generous commitments of support.
Questions? Contact Denise Haycock, Development Officer for the Canyons Education Foundation.
denise.haycock@canyonsdistrict.org
801-826-5178