Gates Package — page 1122

1t computer or /- 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. <~?~Insert 038_Gate_9780593534489_art_r1> 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.