Attachment
Gates Package, p.1122 · gates:exh:00532
Page text: p.1122 · original PDF
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1t computer or
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The Jetsons, with a small live image embedded in a
Of course, the ability of new digital education tools to transform the classroom is
dependent on kids having access to technology at home. The gap has narrowed since the start of
the pandemic5 and will continue to narrow, but a lot of kids still don't have a decent computer or
reliable, fast internet at home. (This is especially true for students of color6 and those from lowincome families, who stand to benefit the most from digital tools that can help close educational
outcome gaps.) Finding ways to expand access is just as important as the development of new
innovations. Ultimately, the extent to which digitization takes hold--whether it's in education or
any other area--depends on how widespread adoption is.
***
In 1964, Bell Telephone exhibited the first-ever video phone at the World's Fair. The
Picturephone looked like something from The Jetsons, with a small live image embedded in a
futuristic-looking oval tube. I was eight years old at the time. I saw pictures of the phone in the
newspaper and couldn't believe that what I was looking at was possible. Little did I know that,
decades later, I'd spend hours of my day on video calls.
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Virtual meetings have come a long way since this early prototype of AT&T's
Picturephone in 1964.
It's easy to see technology as mundane when it's just part of our day-to-day life. When
you take the time to think about them, though, today's digital capabilities are miraculous. We're
now able to connect with each other and with the world in a way that once seemed like pure
fantasy.