New Digital Devices and Opportunities for CLC Students

At the Cambridge Community Learning Center (CLC), we are always looking for ways to meet the needs of our students — including teaching digital resilience, the ability to adapt to new technologies, devices and digital challenges.

The CLC is a literacy program, and this includes teaching digital literacy in all of our programs. Students practice skills like using QR codes, managing email, creating slide decks, and navigating online learning platforms. Some are also learning how to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) safely and effectively. This summer, ESOL students in the intermediate class explored using AI for learning.

“Before, I was in the passenger’s seat when I used AI,” explains Chaebin, a student in the summer English class. “I was passive when I used AI. Now, I’m in the driver’s seat. I know how to be in control, and I can direct AI for my own learning.”

The shift from passive to hands-on is only possible with the right tools in place. Last school year, 72% of students in our classes used Chromebooks at least once or twice a month. Teachers and students wanted to use them more often, but there weren't enough devices to go around. 

This year, that's changing. The CLC received 300 new Chromebooks and 60 laptops through a grant from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI), so every classroom now has a device for each student. Students in the Bridge to College and job training programs will even get to keep their laptops after the programs end.

Jim, a math teacher in the CLC’s High School Equivalency Credential (HSE) Program, is already planning to put them to use. “I want to use them more this year,” he says. “It will be so much easier now that we have a full set of Chromebooks in the room where I teach.”

The upgrade means the most in classrooms with the least room to spare. At the North Cambridge CLC location, where space is tight, classes used to take turns sharing devices.

“Now, we have a set of 20 Chromebooks in each classroom!” says Birgit, a level 2 ESOL teacher in North Cambridge. "The new touch screen Chromebooks are amazing! Students and staff are grateful. We are already using them this year!”

If you are interested in learning more about how the Community Learning Center support students, visit www.cambridgema.gov/CLC.