Manual RedEye Editor-in-Chief, Piper Hansen, explores what it would be like to do a week’s worth of homework in the shoes of a student who does not have access to a computer or the internet at home. Follow her as she checks-in daily and summarizes the difficult week:

Dear reader,

Overall, this week was incredibly difficult and challenging.

I found myself constantly reaching for my computer or phone to look up a word I didn’t know or to turn in assignments. I had no idea how much I was actually relying on the internet to complete my school work.

Moving forward, I hope that I, and other Manual students, start to use hard-copy resources because the digital age may not be around forever. I hope that viewers of my experience will understand that not every student is the same. I would love to see teachers all over Manual and around Jefferson County providing their students with alternate assignments and equivalent modes of communication than those through the internet.

I have linked the research and resources I used and talked about in the video here: Census: Computer ownership, internet connection varies widely across U.S., Jefferson County Public Schools Computers & Technology, Pew Research Center’s Internet/Broadband Fact Sheet, 11% of Americans don’t use the internet. Who are they? and the National Center for Education Statistics Computer and internet use Fast Facts.

The music is courtesy of Just Normal on Epidemic Sound.

Sincerely,

Piper Hansen, Editor-in-Chief

Featured image by Piper Hansen.