Below are some tools, websites, and documents that we have found useful.
National Digital Inclusion Alliance Resources
- Affordable Connectivity Program
- Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program
- Capital Projects Fund
- Digital Equity Act (DEA) Programs
- Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF)
Learning Opportunities
- Class Central – Digital literacy courses
- Everyone On – Free resources on computer and internet basics, online learning resources, online employment resources
- google – Courses on how to use Google suite (google docs, drive, etc)
- GCF Learnfree.org – Skills for Microsoft Office
- Npower – Pathways to economic prosperity by launching digital careers for military veterans and young adults from underserved communities
- Per Scholas – Provides skills training and access to employer networks in tech careers
- Tech / Prep – Free website to discover computer programming and learn about jobs available to programmers
Coding Programs for Youth
- Girls Who Code – Free summer programs and after-school clubs for teen girls.
Typing and Mouse Control
- Canva – A simple graphic design tool. A great no-risk environment to practice typing, clicking and dragging, changing fonts, text size, etc. A fun way to give context to computer fundamentals.
- Mousing Around: Mousercise – A simple mouse-control exercise. Relatively limited, but a great primer for the beginner.
- Typing Club – Learn touch typing for free (with the option to upgrade), and save your progress. Available in several languages, including Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Instructions on one-handed typing also available.
Community Resources and Digital Inclusion Information
- RECE at JCHA – Computer Lab – A list of resources curated by the Jersey City Housing Authority. Perfect for discovering new websites, learning of local events, and building a more digitally inclusive Jersey City.
- Newark Trust for Education (NTE) – Partnerships between schools, families, and community members
- New Jersey Future – Information on the implications of broadband Inequity
- New Jersey Institute for Social Justice – Seeks to empower people of color by building reparative systems that create wealth, transform justice and harness democratic power–from the ground up–in New Jersey.
Refurbished Devices
- Digital Health Connectivity Project – Collects and distributes smart devices and chargers to help COVID-19 patients connect with loved ones and telehealth providers
- Electronic Access Foundation (EAF) – A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established for the purpose of donating surplus electronic equipment to other qualified charitable institutions.
- Laptop Upcycle – Montclair, NJ-based division of HackNCraftNJ, INc. committed to obtaining, refreshing, and distributing technology to students who need the tools to succeed in school.
- National Cristina Foundation – The National Cristina Foundation works to promote technology reuse by educating the public that technology resources coming out of their first life can be given a second. The Foundation’s Cristina Network screens non-profits and schools, then provides free tools to facilitate reuse agendas that benefit people with disabilities, at-risk students, and persons who are economically disadvantaged.
- TDI Connect – All-volunteer organization, part of United Way of Greater Mercer County, refurbishing donated computers and distributing them in collaboration with greater Trenton school and community initiatives
Internet Access for Homes and Nonprofit Organizations
- Internet Essentials – A Comcast program providing a 15 Mbps connection to qualifying homes for about $10. A contract-free, credit-check-free, in-home wifi connection for households that are eligible for programs such as National School Lunch Program, Housing Assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, etc.
- Mobile Citizen – Mobile internet for educational entities, nonprofit organizations, and social welfare agencies
- Mobile Beacon – Affordably connecting nonprofit organizations to high-speed internet access
Advocacy, Policy, News, Opinion, and Volunteering
- Digital Equity Act – The Digital Equity Act of 2019
- NDIA – The unified voice for home broadband access, public broadband access, personal devices and local technology training and support programs. NDIA is a great resource for financial and operational resources for digital inclusion programs. The organization also serves as a bridge to policymakers and the general public.
- EFF -The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) defends civil liberties in the digital world by championing user privacy, free expression, and innovation through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and technology development. They work to ensure that rights and freedoms are enhanced and protected as use of technology grows.
- New York Times Opinion: The Privacy Project, exploring technology and convening debate about how it can best help realize human potential
- Mozilla – Firefox browsers and other products
- New Outlook Pioneers Chapter 132 – Morris, NJ Club
- NTEN – Education, resources, community, and membership opportunities with a vision of nonprofit organizations fulfilling their missions through skillful, racially equitable use of technology