Week 1 Blog Post
My name is Kelli Bier, and I currently work as an instructional coach and educational technology specialist at a middle school in District 49 in Colorado Springs. In addition to coaching teachers, I mentor new educators and support instructional practices across a range of content areas. I have been teaching for over fifteen years in numerous areas including social studies, broadcasting, educational technology, and TESOL. These experiences have strengthened my commitment to using technology as a tool for equity, particularly in supporting multilingual learners and students from historically underserved communities.
For this course, I hope to focus my learning and Call to Action on northeastern Colorado Springs, specifically the communities served by District 49. Although this region is often viewed as suburban and economically stable, preliminary examination of data show a range of economic and social conditions that shape families’ and students’ access to digital resources.
I began with looking up data for the ZIP code 80923, which is where the school I work at is located. The estimated population is over 32,000 residents with a median household income of roughly $103,556, which is above the national median (SimpleMaps, 2025). About 48.7% of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, and the poverty rate is relatively low (SimpleMaps, 2025). Yet, even within this comparatively high-income community, there are families who experience financial hardship and constrained digital access, where multiple students may need to share one device or depend on limited internet connectivity.
At the same time, our school community is changing. This is the first year my school has qualified for Title I status, reflecting an increase in students from lower-income households. We are also seeing greater linguistic diversity, with more students who speak a language other than English at home. These shifts bring tremendous strengths to our school, but they also require intentional systems of support, especially when so much of teaching and learning depends on technology.
Nicole Turner Lee’s photo essay on Staunton, Virginia really helped me understand what a meaningful Call to Action can look like in practice. Her work shows that the digital divide is not just about whether people have internet or devices. It is also about access to opportunity, education, and participation in civic life (Lee, as cited in Brookings Institution). This connects closely with Van Dijk’s (2017) idea that digital inequality goes beyond physical access to include how people use technology, the skills they have, and the long-term outcomes that result.
As the Technology Specialist at my school, I see this every day. Many students technically have devices, but they do not always have reliable internet, consistent adult support, or the digital skills they need to fully participate in learning. Additionally, there is a significant number of students that must borrow devices to use at home on a temporary basis to complete assignments.
Research also highlights how digital inequity affects students outside of school hours. KewalRamani et al. (2018) found that students without consistent access to digital learning resources at home face barriers to completing homework and developing independent learning skills. These barriers disproportionately affect multilingual learners and students from lower-income households, reinforcing existing achievement gaps.
This course gives me the opportunity to move from reflection to action. While my Call to Action is still in its early stages, my goal is to advocate for increased access, stronger digital literacy, and culturally responsive technology use that supports both students and families. Ultimately, I hope this work contributes to more equitable learning opportunities for the communities my school serves in northeastern Colorado Springs.
References
Bronzino, F., Feamster, N., Liu, S., Saxon, J., & Schmitt, P. (2021). Mapping the digital divide: Before, during, and after COVID-19. TPRC48: The 48th Research Conference on Communication, Information and Internet Policy.
KewalRamani, A., Zhang, J., Wang, X., Rathbun, A., Corcoran, L., Diliberti, M., & Zhang, J. (2018). Student access to digital learning resources outside of the classroom (NCES 2017-098). National Center for Education Statistics.
National Center for Education Statistics. (2021). Students’ access to the internet and digital devices at home. https://nces.ed.gov
OpenAI. (2026). ChatGPT (GPT-5.2) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat
SimpleMaps. (2025). 80923 and 80927 zip code demographics. https://simplemaps.com
Van Dijk, J. A. (2017). Digital divide: Impact of access. The International Encyclopedia of Media Effects, 1–11.
Hi Kelli, I really appreciated how you used local data to show that the digital divide exists even in communities that are often viewed as “economically stable.” Your example of ZIP code 80923 makes it clear that averages can hide real inequities, especially for families who must share devices or rely on limited internet access.
ReplyDeleteThe connection you made between Title I status, growing linguistic diversity, and digital access was powerful. It shows that equity is not just about income, but about building intentional systems of support as our school communities change. Your Call to Action feels timely and grounded in the real needs of District 49.
Hello Kelli,
ReplyDeleteI’m also interested in investigating my local areas access to digital resources. I’m in a more predominantly rural area, but I am intrigued by your thoughts on how digital inequity affects students outside of school hours. Do all of your students have access to devices, such as chromebooks, that they can bring home? If students don’t have access to the internet at home does your school provide hotspots? I hope during this class we can both use our reflections and investigations to provide real action for our community.