Connected Nation

Beyond access: Learning the digital skills to thrive online

• Jessica Denson • Season 6 • Episode 6

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Imagine living in today’s digital world without knowing how to access the internet, use a computer, or even navigate a mobile phone. It may surprise you to learn that this is a reality for millions of Americans.

On this episode, we explore the critical impact of digital literacy and how lacking essential skills affects everything from economic opportunities to health outcomes. Host Jessica Denson speaks with experts behind a new report that sheds light on the growing need for digital skills and what can be done to bridge the gap.

Tune in to learn why digital literacy is more important than ever—and what steps can be taken to ensure no one is left behind in the digital age.

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READ THE REPORT HERE

Jessica Denson (00:08):

This is Connected Nation, an award-winning podcast focused on all things broadband from closing the digital divide to improving your internet speeds with talk technology topics, and impact all of us, our families, and our neighborhoods. Imagine living in our increasingly digital world and not knowing how to access the internet, work a computer, or even use a mobile phone. It may surprise you to learn that's a reality for millions of Americans. On today's podcast, we focus on the impact of digital literacy by talking with those behind a new report that discusses how having or not having essential digital literacy skills affects everything from the economy to health outcomes in America. I'm Jessica Denson, and this is Connected Nation. I'm Jessica Denson, and today my guest are Shauna Plath, who is a research assistant with Connected Nation and Alec Argenta, who is a digital inclusion trainer also with Connected Nation. We're going to discuss a new report just released nationally that's titled Beyond Access Learning, the Digital Skills to Thrive Online. Welcome, Shauna and Alex. Alex, excuse me. Alek Argueta (01:21):

Hello. Hello. Jessica Denson (01:24):

We are all a remote workforce at Connect Nation. I'm in Louisville, Kentucky. Where are you based, Shauna? Shauna Plath (01:31):

I am in Golden, Colorado, just outside of Denver. Jessica Denson (01:35):

And what about you, Alec? Alek Argueta (01:38):

So currently I am in Alpine, Texas, which is a very remote town in west Texas, kind of near Big Bend National Park. Jessica Denson (01:47):

And with your role with Connected Nation, Alek, you travel all over, right? Where did you just return from? Alek Argueta (01:53):

So last week, both Marco and I, the other trainer, were in Arlington, Virginia. So glad we're back because back to 80 degree weather versus 20 degree weather in Arlington. So a little bit better. Jessica Denson (02:10):

That is a lot better. Before we dive into this report and about the importance of digital literacy, I'd like to share with our audience a little bit about each of you, something we do with all of our guests so people know who we're talking to. I'd like to start with you, Shauna, since you're the lead author of this project, share a bit about your background and what brought you to Connected Nation. Shauna Plath (02:31):

Yeah, sure. So like you said, my name's Shauna Plath. I am currently the research assistant at Connected Nation, and I've been here for about a year and a half now, and I'm loving it. It's great. I love working here. A little bit about my background, I've always worked in the nonprofit sector for my professional career. As soon as I graduated from college, right after I graduated, I joined AmeriCorps and I served with AmeriCorps for about two years. And in that experience, I just really learned about the importance of nonprofit worked and how it positively impacts the community. And so that's kind of where I decided I think this is where the trajectory of my career is going to go. And so I went back to school to earn my master's in public administration where I learned more about public service. And I think that degree really prepared me for the research work that I do here at Connect Nation. And then, yeah, after I graduated a lot of people during the pandemic, I became really aware of the digital divide and how a lot of people were really struggling to get connected online because they either didn't have internet access or they didn't own a computer at home. And when I came across Connected Nation, I was just really drawn towards their mission. And then I pursued a career here and now here I am today Jessica Denson (04:04):

As your official title is Research Assistant. But you've done a lot of different projects with this. Share one or two of your favorites before other than this current one that we're going to talk about. Shauna Plath (04:17):

Yeah, definitely. I have really enjoyed the telehealth projects that we've been working on. Telehealth probably isn't the first thing someone thinks about when they think of the tools someone can use online. And yeah, I've just been really fascinated by the results that we've gotten from the surveys that we've done in different communities. I think telehealth can have a huge impact on health outcomes in this country, and you can't utilize those services unless you have access to the internet and a computer. And it's just been really interesting to see people's perceptions of telehealth. A lot of people aren't even really aware of everything that you can do from a health perspective online that can really benefit them. So it's cool to see just their perceptions, what they think about it, and for people who are using it, how they've really benefited from those online telehealth services. Jessica Denson (05:19):

You guys have done some interesting, the whole team, the whole research team has done some really interesting things in telehealth. And even before you came on, right before the pandemic, the first telehealth report we did was literally two weeks before shutdown. So yeah, it's an important topic. Let's turn now to you, Alec. Talk about your professional background and what brought you to Connected Nation. Alek Argueta (05:45):

So my background's a little kind of all over the place. I graduated back in 2021 with a Bachelor's of Science in Kinesiology, so nothing do with broadband or internet or anything like that. So just Shauna. After I graduated, I did a year of AmeriCorps. I graduated in 2021, so it was kind of like still pandemic. Everything was still chaotic. And so the original plan was to go into physical therapy school, but with the whole pandemic kind of turned my plans around a little bit. And that's when I decided to do the year of AmeriCorps. And I volunteered with a council of governments out here in Marfa, Texas. And during that year I was doing economic development kind of work. And so I had found out about Connected Nation actually this program, the program through at t that they're doing this year as well. And so luckily I helped them connect with the libraries in my area to set up some of the classes that we offer through Connected Nation.
(07:07)
And so luckily I was able to host some of the classes all over our area. And then Tammy Spring actually reached out to me and asked if I wanted to help out with the project. Since I could speak Spanish, they needed someone to give these classes in Spanish to kind of expand our service. And so that's when I decided to hop on with Nation and started giving the classes in Spanish. And then after I think about eight months is when I became full time. I finished my year of AmeriCorps and I needed a full-time position, and so I started full-time with Connected Nation. And so it's been honestly great been doing Jessica Denson (07:55):

It. I've seen a lot of the testimonials about the classes that you do, a digital skills training program and almost to a single one, there's usually some kind of comment about how much they love Alec and Marco and how great the trainers are. And what do you enjoy about doing this type of work? Alek Argueta (08:18):

So honestly, I think the best part is working with people and really being able to help them gain the skills to expand the horizons. I feel like technology does bring a lot of access to a lot more opportunities. So I think that one-on-one and that human interaction, I mean, that's why I wanted to be a physical therapist is to work with people. And so that's kind of one of my favorite parts of the job is just being able to talk to people, connect with them, and also help them out to expand their skill sets. Jessica Denson (08:55):

Well, you could tell that they love you. I read all of that and use that in our comms a lot, so great job. Okay, let's dive in now to this report. I mentioned it at the top, but just a reminder report is titled Beyond Access Learning the Digital Skills to Thrive Online. And Shauna, as I mentioned, you were the lead researcher or author of this report. Talk about why this topic? Shauna Plath (09:20):

Yeah, definitely. I think the first thing was just to bring awareness that there's still a lot of people who are left behind when it comes to internet access, computer access, and then digital literacy skills. I think it's easy to just assume that because we live in a digital society, everyone is connected to the internet or everyone has a phone and knows how to use it or a computer, but that's just not the case in reality because I'm sure Alec will go into more further detail later. But that was the main thing. And then secondly, we just wanted to highlight the work that Connected Nation has done and kind of leading the way in closing that gap and all of the trainings that they provided to thousands of people across the country and just highlight the programs that we're doing and the people that we're reaching. Jessica Denson (10:22):

Yeah, we passed a hundred thousand recently, which is pretty incredible. Yeah. First in the report you define digital literacy. So if I may you say digital literacy refers to the ability to access, manage, understand, integrate, communicate, elevate, and create information safety safely and appropriately through digital technologies. That's quite the mouthful, but essentially it means to be able to navigate through a digital world in all areas, correct. And do it safely. Shauna Plath (10:56):

Yes, that's correct. Jessica Denson (10:57):

So how did you tackle this report? As in what sort of approach did you take? Shauna Plath (11:04):

Yeah, sure. So the first step in this report was a literature review to see what kind of other information is out there, what other studies that have been done on this topic. And the first step was trying to define what digital literacy is. And in our research we found several definitions. One was the first one that you just read, which is the definition of digital literacy. And then the other one we found was the definition of digital competency. And I say we, I am referring to myself and David, who's the other research who also had a big role in this, so I wanted to give him credit as well.
(11:52)
Anyway, so what we found that there's two different definitions, and the second one, the digital competency, they have a framework to what kind of skills that includes to be digitally competent, and it involves information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation, and then online safety and problem solving. And so that was kind of the framework that we started with when we were doing our digital literacy or our digital, our literature review for the first part of the report was defining those two terms. And then we wanted to deep dive into connected nation's program and highlight some of the feedback that participants are giving after they complete the courses. Jessica Denson (12:47):

So give an example of one of those. So for instance, digital content creation, is that just anything that's digitally online or what does that mean? Shauna Plath (12:58):

Yeah, anything someone can create online or via a computer, and it doesn't have to be super complex either. It can be as simple as creating an infographic or creating a digital birthday card or something like that. It doesn't have to be like you're creating a video or something like that. Also, something that's notable when it comes to digital competency is that it's kind of a step above digital literacy. So digital literacy is kind of the basics, understanding how to use a computer or a phone or how to search the internet, but being digitally competent is kind of a step above that. But you need digital literacy to get to digital competency because digital competency is making the most use of all of these online tools. Jessica Denson (13:51):

So really this report, you could really continue to explore things even further Shauna Plath (13:56):

Beyond Jessica Denson (13:57):

This. Definitely. And Alec, you're often in the room with adult learners or others who are learning some of these basic skills. What are some things you hear about how this impacts them in their lives? Alek Argueta (14:13):

Well, so we do end up getting a lot of people from various backgrounds, and so we also like to meet people where they're at. So depending if a class is a little bit more beginners, we'll go down and break down the basics. And so usually we have a set skill sets that we teach in our classes, and so we just try to focus to make sure that everybody's on the same page and everything. And honestly, I feel like the impacts that people have received, sometimes it's even just getting them a little bit more comfortable with using the computer. I know we've had a lot of people that fear technology because of all the scams that go out and nowadays. And so I think also I want to always make sure that everybody in these classes are making sure that they're feeling comfortable with the technology so that they're not scared to use it in the first place.
(15:17)
And I always say learning technology is kind of learning a new language in a way. You just have to keep practicing it, and the more you use it, the more easier it becomes. And so I just encourage everybody to kind of start using it a little bit more. And I like to also pull examples of ways technology has helped me specifically and just to broaden their horizons and show specific examples of how they can use technology. And I feel like that's kind of opens their minds up a little bit and be like, oh, I never thought of using technology that way. So I feel like it's always kind been a little comfortable. Jessica Denson (16:00):

There been, I'm sorry to interrupt you, Alec. Alek Argueta (16:03):

No, you're good. Jessica Denson (16:05):

Has there been any time, any responses or anything that surprised you, especially early on about when people come in and things that they want to learn or their excitement over it when they figure out how to use this? Alek Argueta (16:22):

Well, you can definitely see their change from fear to a little bit more accepting the technology and being a little bit more comfortable with the technology. And I mean, I feel like everybody has also different learning styles, so that can also kind of impact their learning methods and stuff like that. So I feel like all of that, just sometimes you just see there's change of attitude towards technology, and that's kind of what I love seeing in the classes. Jessica Denson (17:02):

Shauna, you looked at both digital literacy for adults and for children. Correct. What did you find that was a little different about how this impacts kids versus adult learners? Shauna Plath (17:14):

Yeah, definitely. I think for children, the greatest impact having digital literacy skills was that they had better educational outcomes. They're able to perform better in school, they're able to complete their homework assignments, digest online material. And so yeah, that was the main thing for kids was educational, but also it was social as well, and developing appropriate social skills online, whereas adults who maybe didn't grow up with technology would struggle with that more children on the other hand would really excel in that area. And then for adults, I think the greatest impact was instead of career education outcomes, it would be career outcomes. So having the skills needed to perform well at work or to get promoted or to even just have a job in general, since almost every job these days has some sort of digital or online component. I'd say definitely employment was the Jessica Denson (18:28):

Biggest thing, the big one, biggest thing. Yeah. Alec, when we talk about digital literacy, there are a certain set of essential digital skills that are often referenced. What kinds of lessons cover that? You mentioned basic computer, but are there other classes that your team tends to focus on when you go into the communities? Alek Argueta (18:52):

So there's a set of the basic skills that we go over in each of the classes. So I know for computer basics, we don't go in depth on how to use the keyboard and the mouse. We'll kind of do an overview. So we have seen in some classes, we have to go over that a little bit more in depth because some people don't even know how to use a mouse or some people don't even know how to use the keyboard itself. So we have to stop and make sure that everybody's able to use that. And I think as we practice throughout the classes, they start to get a little bit of a feel for using the little mouse in the keyboard as well. So we like to make sure that everybody has the very basic skills, even how to use a mouse and the keyboard
(19:44)
And stuff like that. And then that usually sets them up for the rest of the classes because that's like, and then we'd go into the internet basics, how to open up your web browser, because some people, they don't understand or grasp what is a web browser. And I just kind of had to explain, oh, the web browser is where you go to access the internet and stuff like that. And kind of explaining the difference between a website and the web browser and how to view websites on the web browser and stuff like that. So I think I honestly love how each of the classes kind of build on top of each other and allows them kind of to basically apply all the skills that they've been learning throughout the classes, and they can just apply them to each of the classes after that first initial computer and internet basics one, Jessica Denson (20:40):

It reminds me of things that you've done just naturally forever for years. You don't even think about somebody you might not know. I remember teaching my dad to use a computer for the first time, and he could not understand quite what I meant with double clicking on something. I'm like, no, no, no, really fast. Double click, double click. So it took forever, 30 minutes for us to get there, but we got there and he got to the point where he loved computers. So I completely understand what you're saying. And then some of the classics I just want to list off for our audience. So include internet basics, computer basics, internet safety, video conferencing, mobile device basics, and email basics. And the reason it's interesting to me is you don't think about that. Imagine being locked out and not knowing how to access all that, how isolating that must be in a world that's digital, especially where, like Shauna said, your jobs online, telehealth, online education, online, new opportunities are online, connecting with people that you love online. Shauna, I'd like to get back to more of what's in this report about the impact of people learning these kinds of skills. How critical are these really? We've talked about in past podcasts, I've talked about the economy, education, health outcomes, all of that's affected by having access to broadband, but digital literacy skills play a role in that, correct? Shauna Plath (22:08):

Yes, that's correct. Digital literacy skills play a huge aspect, and that almost every single job these days is online and people need to have those skills to perform well and to advance in their career. And it just increases job opportunities for the individual, which has a huge impact on the economy today. Jessica Denson (22:32):

And just for some data points, you could find these on our website@connectednation.org. One third of American workers lack digital skills, 16.9 million children were in the homework gap, meaning they don't have access at home, that they do at school. And that impacts future jobs, not just work now, but work in the future. And then as for healthcare, you talked about some of the research you've done including with tribal areas, correct? Shauna Plath (23:06):

Yeah, that's correct. Jessica Denson (23:08):

Talk a little bit about the tribal telehealth research that you've done. Shauna Plath (23:14):

Yeah, so we've done several telehealth studies. One of them was with the Sioux St. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians in Michigan. And that's just one example of the telehealth studies that we've done. But like I mentioned earlier, there's been a lot of huge benefits that these surveys are uncovering in those communities. So for example, a lot of people are saying that telehealth saved them time, it saved them money, especially in the more remote regions of the state where there's not a lot of healthcare resources. People don't have to drive hours to go to the doctor, they can just hop online and have a virtual telehealth appointment, which again, I think is huge for health outcomes, Jessica Denson (24:04):

But you can't access it unless you understand it. So I want to come back to you, Alec, and talk a little bit about, you've mentioned how you've approached this. What are some lessons that you've learned that maybe other groups who want to help people learn these digital skills can learn from as well? Are there some mistakes, common mistakes made, or some things that you always make sure you do that you could share with our audience? Alek Argueta (24:35):

Yeah, so honestly, one of my favorite parts is getting learners and the participants to actually practice alongside. So that's one thing that we like to do is just making sure that we show them what they need to do and then have them practice it. I feel like it's very different from just sitting there and listening to the presentation versus them actually getting to practice the skills that they're learning. And it sometimes helps 'em also register them practicing alongside the presentation. And so we honestly love doing a live demo versus using the presentations and all of that. So we make sure that we just go over everything that's in the presentation, but we just do a live demo and have them practice alongside us. Jessica Denson (25:30):

So really, I feel like there's a theme for you that you really need to listen and pay attention to what the person needs and then react. Do I have that correct? Yes. Alek Argueta (25:40):

No, and that's correct. Every class is kind of different, so we just like to cater to the class. I mean, we try not to change as much of the class. We obviously can't cater to everybody, and there's been one or two people that end up being like, oh, this is too much for me, or something like that. But overall, we do end up getting everybody's practicing alongside, and we have some helpers to help around the class to make sure that everybody's on the same steps Jessica Denson (26:12):

And Connect Nation. We offer several different versions of digital skills training. We offer the teens Teach Tech powered by at t, which is team led, and now in 36 states. The digital skills training program, which you lead or you're part of you, Tammy and Marco, and Digital Works, and the digital skills training is really led by you guys. Digital Works is more of a telework specific training, and then we have Drive your learning platform, which offers self-guided online classes. I know that the digital skills training program has some cash incentives with it. Can you tell people how that works? How they can earn that? Alek Argueta (26:49):

Yeah, so each month we do a little competition. So throughout all the organizations that we partner up with, we do a competition each month. So if you're the organization with the most people trained, you can earn up an incentive. And then we also like to, since we're only there one time, we also like to share with them all the presentations that we offer in hopes that they can continue the training after we leave. And so I know sometimes it can be difficult with smaller organizations who don't have the capacity to have a trainer on their staff. So we usually like to tell them ahead of time. So maybe they can have, I know in past organizations there's volunteers that end up doing it or a specific staff member that end up doing the training, but there's quarterly incentives as well. So if you continue doing the training and filling up the surveys that we have after each class, if you're the organization with the highest amount of people trained in each of the quarterly, you can also win up an extra incentive. And that's kind of to encourage the organizations to continue doing the training on their own as well. Jessica Denson (28:24):

And it's worked. Like I said earlier, we've trained over 100,000 learners over the last 24 years. So how would somebody bring one of those programs to their area, Alec? Alek Argueta (28:36):

Yeah, so we usually do an outreach as well, so we can contact your organization. But if you do want to find out more information about our program, you can go to the connected nation.org website. And under programs there should be Digital Literacy learning, and there should be an interest form that you can fill out. And one of us, either Tammy, mostly Tammy, will be getting in contact with you, and we will then we'll just go and talk about dates and to further set up the trainings and all of that. Jessica Denson (29:16):

I'll include a link to that section of the website as well as to the other programs I mentioned in the description of this podcast. Shauna, back to you. Is there anything that surprised you about this report or something that really stands out that we didn't touch on that you really think is important? Shauna Plath (29:36):

Yeah, I mean, I guess a part of the report that I really enjoyed doing was going through all of the participant feedback and just reading all of the quotes from the participants who have taken either the teens Teach Tech program or been involved in the digital skills trainings programs that we do. It's just really cool to see how just what they've been learning and the skills that they're leaving with and how it's impacting their lives. And then also, like you mentioned earlier, every single person has something great to say about Alec and Marco and how patient they are and how good they are at presenting the information in an easy to understand way. And yeah, it's just really cool to see what they're leaving with. Jessica Denson (30:26):

Awesome. And I will include a link to the report in the description of this podcast as well, so people can really take time and look through it. Before I let you both go, I want to ask you each, what's one thing you hope people remember from our discussion today? And Marco, I'll start with you. And I mean, excuse me, Marco. Alec, I've confused you with your other trainer who's not even joined us today. Alec, I'll start with you, and then Shauna will let you have the final word. So what's the one thing you hope people remember or take away from our discussion today, Alec? Alek Argueta (31:02):

Just that these skills are basically open to anybody, and we always encourage everyone to be curious about technology and not fear it. I think that's what I try to tell everybody in all of the classes. Yeah, I think there's a lot of good that comes out from technology, and so don't fear it. Jessica Denson (31:32):

And what about for you, Shauna? Shauna Plath (31:34):

Yeah, I'd have to agree with that as well. And I also think that, or I hope that people leave being more aware of the digital literacy resources that are available and everything that CN has to offer, and I hope maybe that some more people will get involved, whether it's either attending a training themselves or partnering with us as a host organization or being involved with teens Teach Tech. There's so many different ways to get involved, and I hope we can continue to grow in those areas. Jessica Denson (32:07):

I would second that. Thank you. Thank you both, Alec and Shauna for your time. I really appreciate it. Alek Argueta (32:14):

Thank you. Thank you all for Jessica Denson (32:15):

Having us again. We've been talking with Shauna Plath, who is a research assistant with Connected Nation and Alec ar gta, who is a digital inclusion trainer also with cn. They each contributed to a new national report titled Beyond Access Learning the Digital Skills to Thrive Online. I'll include a link to the report in the description of this podcast, as well as links to learn more about bringing the programs we talked about such as Teens, teach Tech, powered by at and t, and the digital skills program, training program that Alec is a part of to your area. I'm Jessica Denson. Thanks for listening to Connected Nation. If you'd like our show and want to know more about us, head to connect to nation.org or look for the latest episodes on iTunes, iHeartRadio, Google Podcast, Pandora, or Spotify.

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