Net Literacy starts the 2015-2016 school year by helping increase access to technology in areas within Indianapolis where more than 85% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunches.

Says Net Literacy’s Daniel Kent, “Our friends at Bright House Networks are launching Connect to Compete (C2C) in Indianapolis, and this initiative provides affordable broadband to low income families with K12 students. Now that qualifying families can receive broadband for less than $10 per month, we’re doing our part to help students be safe while having fun online and to provide parents a no cost option to obtain the technology that they’ll need to access broadband. IPS 51 is the first IPS school where’s there’s a formal school coordinated C2C launch, and we’re highlighting online safety with a challenge to the 3rd to 6th graders to write a few sentences about what they’d tell a friend, a classmate or a family how to be safe while having fun online. The 30 best entries, to be selected by Net Literacy student volunteers, will win netbooks or thumb drives (IPS 51 Safety Contest). In October at a school assembly, we’ll announce the student winners at a safety assembly where we’ll show some of our student created safety PSAs and short videos to help progress the students’ learning about online safety.

Also, we have more than 1000 computers in IPS’s warehouse to support families interested in participating in the C2C program but finding it difficult to afford purchasing a new or refurbished computers.

Finally, we’re conducting our 3rd annual IPS Students Against Bullying Awareness Contest and encourage students to become TV stars and youth heroes by helping spread the word about safety with an initiative that allows teens to become youth heroes and TV Stars…with lights, camera, action! While the campaign hasn’t officially launched yet, it will be similar to past year’s programs ( http://www.netliteracy.org/?p=6941).”

For more information, email me at danielkent(at)netliteracy.org