4-H Teens Teaching Digital Literacy to Help Close the Digital Divide, With Dr. Daniel Collins

4-H State Extension Specialist Dr. Daniel Collins joined the show to discuss how 4-H is training teenagers in Tennessee to help close the digital divide by teaching computer skills to adults. The teenagers will co-teach with other teenagers or 4-H agents to teach adults basic computer skills, such as internet safety, shopping online, or video calling.

What is Lead Tennessee Radio?

Lead Tennessee Radio features conversations with the leaders who are moving Tennessee forward. Topics include rural development, broadband, technology, legislation, policy and more. The podcast is produced by the Tennessee Broadband Association.

Intro:
The following program is brought to you by the Tennessee
Broadband Association.

Lead Tennessee Radio – conversations with the leaders moving our
state forward.

We look at the issues shaping Tennessee's future: rural
development, public policy, broadband,

healthcare and other topics impacting our communities.

Carrie Huckeby:
Hello, I'm Carrie Huckeby, the executive director of the
Tennessee Broadband Association.

And in this episode of Lead Tennessee Radio, we're talking to
Dr.

Daniel Collins, who is the state extension specialist in UT's
extension department at the University of Tennessee.

Daniel's specialties are STEM, 4-H camping and performing arts.

Three areas that I know require creativity and some hard work,
but sounds like a little bit of fun might be involved too.

Daniel, I know your summer has been crazy busy as school is back
in session, so I really appreciate you taking some time to

join me this morning.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
Absolutely. I appreciate the opportunity.

Carrie Huckeby:
Well, tell us about your background, your history with 4-H and
how long you've been the state extension specialist.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
Well, I'll tell you, I have a long history.

I am a lifer.

I started 4-H when I was five with my mom, who was a 4-H
volunteer and a 4-H teacher in one of her

schools. And so I've been going through the 4-H program.

I went from being a participant to being a teen counselor to
being an adult volunteer to then go on

to college trying to figure out what I wanted to do.

I had a life plan kind of figured out.

But then my 4-H agent, who was a second mom to me, really pulled
me in and took me to lunch and was like, "I need to talk to you

about an opportunity that I think that you need to look at." So
I finished my bachelor's at Emory & Henry College in Virginia,

and then I pursued a master's at Virginia Tech in extension,
career and extension.

And so then I moved into a role of being a 4-H agent for many
years.

I was in Grayson County, Virginia, for five years, in Smith
County, Virginia for three.

Then I went moved to North Carolina in Sampson County, North
Carolina, where I was a 4-H agent there.

And then I got the opportunity to go back to school, and then
had the opportunity to work in the state 4-H office

and work with the International Exchange Program through North
Carolina 4-H, while I was working on my doctoral

degree. So I most recently graduated in May with my doctoral
degree in agriculture and leadership education, focusing on

training and development.

And now we're here.

I've been working at University of Tennessee now for about a
year and a half.

I'm about to cross that threshold.

So it's been very interesting and very exciting in the things
that we've got going on in STEM, camping and performing arts.

Carrie Huckeby:
Wow. That's a really deep rooted history in 4-H, since you were
five.

I have found that it seems in many cases once you're a 4-H'er,
you're always a 4-H'er.

So you're definitely proof of that.

And you said you've been involved since you were five, but
officially in the school system, do I remember

correctly that students can get involved in 4-H around the
fourth grade?

Dr. Daniel Collins:
That's correct. In Tennessee, we do fourth grade and up.

In Virginia, we did a Clover Bud program, which was five to eight
year olds.

So that's how I got to be involved a little bit with some after
school opportunities that my mom had kind of started with another

teacher at the school, and then we kind of move forward after
that.

Carrie Huckeby:
Well, I don't remember a lot about school, but I do remember
making that dairy poster for the 4-H project.

And I remember making cornbread with my mom in the kitchen, you
know, as part of another project.

And, you know, those are really good memories.

Once the students are in the program, what kind of experience do
you work to provide to them in those early years, and what keeps

them involved through their entire education?

Dr. Daniel Collins:
Well, some of the focus that I have is, as we've mentioned a
couple of times, the STEM and camp and performing arts, of

course. But project work is really what keeps our kids involved.

They get the opportunities to do public speaking.

They get the opportunity to do a portfolio, an e-portfolio
that's submitted.

So it's actually a compilation of what they've done throughout
the year, their experiences, their project work, and then they

get the opportunity to send that in to be judged and to kind
of.

There's monetary awards in some instances as well.

So it just keeps, we just keep adding some things, and we keep
adding more experiences that keeps them involved.

You know, education is a very, very diverse thing now because
we've got all sorts of competition out

there for us. But we're trying to keep it where we, you know,
we're research based, so we keep everything kind of pushed

forward in that instance where everything's aligned to Tennessee
education standards and national standards as well.

Carrie Huckeby:
Great. Well, the National 4-H Council, 4-H, the TNBA, we
certainly have some things in common as we work

to close the digital divide.

And you also focus on broadband adoption, digital literacy.

The 4-H Tech Changemakers and the STEM Ambassadors is one of the
programs that does just that, focuses on those

areas. Tell us about how that started and what the mission of
the group is.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
Well, one of the things that I was approached by a couple of
different people, Sreedhar Upendram is a specialist

within the institute at UT, and he actually is one of our
national program leaders on this

program. And so he kind of approached my boss, Mr.

Justin Crowe, and kind of looked in my direction of, you know,
he's a STEM specialist.

So let's look at, you know, let's look at some opportunities.

And one of the big things that, I've been working in rural
populations for a long time.

And even when I went to North Carolina, it was very rural.

And one of the big things that I feel growing up in a very
Appalachian, very rural area myself,

that there were opportunities that some people got that – well,
I felt this way, we'll say it that way.

I felt this way that there were opportunities that others got by
having that digital access, and by having that opportunity to

have a computer that was not ten years old and was able to
connect without dial up.

So growing up in that aspect there, it was one of those that I
struggled with because I was like, "All these people get to see

all these things and have all these opportunities." And it
actually became a passion of mine to make sure that the kids that

I was working with and the kids and the parents and the families
that I was working with were able to be connected and see the

things that we're doing. So I had to do some extra steps.

Working in Grayson County, Virginia, as a 4-H agent is actually
making some phone calls.

Even though they didn't have the Internet, I was making phone
calls.

I was sending letters, which that was something that we did in
the nineties when I was as a 4-H member, we got our letter, and

we were like, "Oh yeah, we're going to have a meeting."

We'd have all these things.

But now today's age is really moved in that direction of people
don't have time to really sit down and make a phone call

to individual families or to be able to do that when they're
trying to get the information out.

Now, we do have some agents out there in our state that are
still kind of doing the things that they need to do because of

the limited access and the digital divide, as you had mentioned.

But we also just kind of, I look around the fact that we still
have a lot of Tennesseans that do not have that

access. So being able to provide that through a 4-H program was
a key goal for us.

And so being able to show that youth can teach adults and youth
can model the opportunities that they

have. And I think one of the other things, too, is that the
safety that goes along with the Internet and digital access is

something that even my parents will call me.

And we've had Internet there since I graduated college, but
they'll call me and say, "What?

What is this? Why does this keep coming up?" Or, "What is this
information?" So I became the technology guru of

our family. So that's really how that kind of played out there,
too.

But the passion really, it really shows through.

And our agents and our teens, we've had a few [people] very
interested in this information because of the fact that

it is rural access plus urban areas as well.

Carrie Huckeby:
Yes. And I think, you know, we all knew broadband was important,
or broadband access was important before.

But then the pandemic came along and just, you know, drove that
point home.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
That's correct.

Carrie Huckeby:
And so, I think all of us are working really hard in our state to
make sure that everyone has

access. And you hit on a point about being in Virginia, not
having that access, and you felt like you were missing those

opportunities to be connected out beyond your community or in
your community.

And last year, the National 4-H Council and the Harris Poll,
they did put together a digital impact

survey to look at those economic and social effects of broadband
access on teens and the

communities that they live in.

And as I read through the survey, as I said, it supported what
we're all saying anyway, that broadband is a necessity for

so many reasons.

But what really jumped out at me is something you just said.

Teens with no broadband or unreliable broadband connection are
likely to stay within their community to look for

work. And we've talked a lot about students that have broadband
access, get to

look at all these opportunities or they get to work from home.

They get to find a job and find something that they can do at
home and stay in the community they love but

have access to other careers.

So I was a little taken aback by this because I hadn't realized
that not having a broadband

connection, that you feel like you're very limited, that you
maybe just have to stay in your community to look for work.

So, touch on that a little bit.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
So, I'll just give you a personal example of the fact that my
ambition was to go to a local college.

I was going to be a teacher.

I was going to be a coach at my home high school, just because
it was one of those, at that time, I had never

really experienced outside of southwestern Virginia.

And it was one of those that because I didn't even have a cell
phone at that time.

So imagine people are like, "Oh, my gosh, cell phones." I didn't
have one until it was almost college.

And I was going to be going away and doing some different things
and traveling quite a bit.

So my parents decided that it was time for me to have one.

And I've had one since with the same phone number, which most
people are like, "you have the same phone number that you had the

very beginning?" I said, "Yes, I have."

Carrie Huckeby:
Hey, me too.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
See, it's one of those, but it's a rarity, I guess, because some
people are like, "Oh my gosh, how do you, you know, maybe you

needed to get like.." If people need to get a hold of me,
there's no excuse of that.

They have my cell phone number.

Carrie Huckeby:
Yeah, me too.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
But that whole part there of speaking to the limited access.

So I just finished my dissertation, and it was focused in rural
Appalachia.

And one of the biggest things that came from that research was
the outmigration of, you know, like, they

call the term "brain drain" is what they call it.

And when we send our brightest and smartest and things of that
nature who are traits, who

have knowledge in those trades, and they found out that there
are more opportunities outside of there to make money, to

start a family, to get more type of assistance if they need it.

It's outside of the region.

And that was one of the big things that when I started working
in the region, because I had already experienced travel

and being able to go to other places at that time in college.

And I was like, you know, I want to show these kids that, yes,
we do live in a great area of Virginia, but there are also some

opportunities out there as well.

So I started doing some some teen programing where I would take
them on trips and expose them to other

cultures and to give them an idea of what our nation's capital
looked like, you know.

So there were a lot of things that kind of motivated me with
that.

And it really boils down to that digital access, I believe.

Carrie Huckeby:
I think you're right, too, because whether they choose to stay in
their community or they choose to go, we want them

to have the tools that they need to make that decision.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
Absolutely.

Carrie Huckeby:
Yeah. You don't want them to be forced to make a decision because
they're doing without that knowledge.

Was were there any other "aha moments" from that survey findings

that you were surprised by, or anything that just confirmed what
you believed?

Dr. Daniel Collins:
Everything, to be very honest, because I read through that as
well and looking into the

information of that because people are like, you do know that
they did this.

And I was like, obviously, I did not know that because it was
something that I kind of had gotten word about but didn't know

completely about. But once I did look at it, and focus on the
fact that.

We are hitting a very big opportunity for our 4-H'ers right now
and for our volunteers and our agents as well for

this program. But that really just kind of justified it for me.

When I was looking through this survey, it was just like, yes, I
grew up that way.

I know exactly what you're talking about.

And it was just one of those things that I kept talking through
my head as I was reading through those is, "Wow, this is amazing

that they actually have some empirical evidence to be able to
prove that."

Carrie Huckeby:
Yes, I read through it.

And I think, as we've said before, there were things in there we
knew, and it just reaffirmed

what we believe.

But I sent it over to Pioneer, my account manager, and I said,
this is fantastic data.

You know, we should use this to educate everyone and in our
social media post and get it out there.

You know, it may be a best kept secret, but it's great
information.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
I love that.

Carrie Huckeby:
The TNBA Marketing Committee had the opportunity to visit UT and
to be there.

And we also, a couple of years – well I guess it's been three
years ago, pre-COVID – that we attended Round

Up that event.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
Oh yeah.

Carrie Huckeby:
Yeah we had a great time.

But the last time we were up there, you shared some great news
about the National 4-H Council and a grant that you will

be receiving for the digital literacy.

Tell us about that: how you plan to use that and what good that
will do.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
So the grant is a one year grant.

It's called the 4-H Tech Changemakers Grant.

And it is the availability of funds for us to train and develop
teenagers,

our training teams of teens, to go out into their communities
and train adults.

Now, it can be a range from 18 to 99 and training them.

But training them in STEM concepts to kind of break that digital
divide is what we're trying to do.

We're trying to build that digital access.

So we've also got some funding to be able to purchase some
materials and some training opportunities to be able to give out

to our offices and our trainers to go out into their communities
and actually show

individuals how to use digital concepts.

And that could range from netiquette to just basic computer
skills.

We have a lot, and I know this for a fact, we have a lot in Knox
County, and Knox County is one of the...

And I live in Knox County now, but I know that there is quite a
bit of urban parts of Knox County, but there are

really a lot of rural parts of Knox County that still have
populations that do not use Internet very

well or very much because one out of fear, two out of access,
because there's still some limited access

around the area.

And three, most of them just think, you know, I read my newspaper
.

I read the things that I have to have to get my news.

I don't really need to need the Internet, but we're hoping to
build on some horizons of you've got

opportunities to check out things at the grocery store before
you even make a trip to the grocery store.

You can check out things at a department store that kind of even
shop online and be safe about that.

And so we're trying to open those opportunities for those
individuals, and I use Knox County as an example.

But we're trying to do that in all 95 counties throughout the
state.

So we're opening this up to, we started it out with 20 trainers,
but I feel like we're going to have a few more than

that when it comes to our teen opportunities, because we pay to
train them.

We pay for them to get out there and do those lessons and do
those opportunities to get out

there and really hopefully close that STEM gap and close that
digital divide.

Carrie Huckeby:
So you did say that you hope to have it in all 95 counties.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
Yes. It's an opportunity.

I mean.

It's an opportunity for everybody in all 95 counties.

We'll say it that way. Now will we have all 95 counties the
first year, probably not.

But our attempt is to have as big as a spread as we can when it
comes to this opportunity.

Carrie Huckeby:
Okay. So you've got 20 trainers.

Will those trainers go into each county and train 4-H students
to go

out and work with anyone for between 18 and 99?

Or how is that going to work in each county?

Dr. Daniel Collins:
That's a great question. So the trainers are actually the teens.

So the teens will take, we'll put them.

We have a curriculum that we do with training and development.

I'm working with a couple of other of our state specialists to
get this training done.

But we're going to train these trainers who are the teens, and
it's kind of a train the trainer type thing.

They're going to go out, and they're then going to either teach
individually with their agent or team teach with their agent, or

team teach with another team, and go out and do some of these
digital access curricula.

So what we're working with is, we're working with another part
of a grant through Sreedhar, which Sreedhar has been

very instrumental in a few things for us and developing some
very great digital access curriculum, and it's

focused toward adults.

So what we have to do is, we have to train these teens because
normally teens are really, they're focused on working with

younger 4-H members.

Carrie Huckeby:
Right.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
Now, we're going the other direction.

So we're having to train them how to work with adults.

And so that's one thing that as a teen, I worked with adults
very well because I had adult volunteers.

We had a very big adult volunteer base in my home county.

And so I learned that difference.

You know, fourth graders is a lot different than 37 year olds.

So we're working on getting that information together to put a
great training together so they can go out and be those STEM

ambassadors for this program.

Carrie Huckeby:
So I live here in Warren County.

And our extension office is here.

And so how will you find those adults for the teens to work
with?

How will you, will you go to the local senior center?

Will you advertise it, market it and have people sign up?

Or how will you find those students?

Dr. Daniel Collins:
It's a great question.

So what we're going to be doing is we're going to be working on
community action plans.

So the way that we're going to be working with that is, you
know, we may take them by a region.

We may take them by an area.

We're not really sure exactly because we're still working out
some of those kinks.

But in developing, you know, who can you ask?

Can you go to the library?

Can you go to churches?

Can you go to Ruritan or Kiwanis?

Can you go to certain things and be able to say, "Hey, we have
this opportunity.

We would love to bring it and share it with you." And that's
another thing that I think as a teen I would have

appreciated to be able to learn how to identify who to reach out
to and how to reach out to them.

And so we're hopefully going to be able to teach them how to
identify those individuals, our groups, and how to

work with them to get something planned, where to go to, those
type things.

Because I wish that I had been told earlier before I became a
4-H agent that, you know, the worst somebody can say is no.

I mean, really. So that's one of those things that, you know,
most of the time when you attach a 4-H name to something,

people are like, oh, yeah, I would really love to know more
about that.

But the impact, I think, is going to be the biggest difference
there too, because we've got some really exciting lessons for

them to work with.

Carrie Huckeby:
Yeah, I think it's a great opportunity.

I know that I'm in between that 18 and 99 age group, and last
night I'm trying to clear my browsing history

or clean out the cookies and things on my computer.

And I was struggling with it.

So, you know, I know the training's more basic with virus
protection and just how to use FaceTime or Zoom

or things like that, but what a great opportunity for the
students to work with that

demographic of the community.

And, you know, just such a great learning experience for both.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
Well, I think it's going to be an opportunity for them to
understand that technology for that older crowd has

completely evolved for this younger crowd.

And that's how, I mean, just looking at the opportunities, like
when I first had a cell phone.

It didn't have Internet capability.

It was just a cell phone.

And then text messaging came along, and then the Internet kind
of connected to it.

And now we have apps that do a lot of stuff for us.

So that's the whole thing that I'm excited about.

For them to see and understand that this has evolved a lot.

Like I think that they see that it's evolved, but actually
experiencing it is going to be a total different experience

though too.

Carrie Huckeby:
Right. They've been raised with technology where someone like
myself remembers back in the early nineties when

we were saying, "What's this Internet thing again?"

Dr. Daniel Collins:
Yes.

Carrie Huckeby:
You know, and then we've just had to keep up – and try to keep
up – with the technology as it's gone along

. Where it just comes natural to them.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
Yeah, it's unreal how the difference of that, too.

Carrie Huckeby:
Yes. Fantastic.

So after the year, this grant is for one year?

Dr. Daniel Collins:
That's correct.

Carrie Huckeby:
Will the program go on after that one year or will you be trying
to find other ways to finance the program?

Dr. Daniel Collins:
It's a great question. So this is a grant available every year.

Carrie Huckeby:
Okay.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
And so now, funding changes and funders change.

But this is something that they feel is very important for
National 4-H Council, and we feel it's very important in

Tennessee 4-H. So we're going to continue, our plans are to
continue this program for many, many years.

Carrie Huckeby:
That's great. It sounds like too good of a thing to let it end
after one year.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
I agree with you.

Carrie Huckeby:
Fantastic.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
I definitely agree with you on that.

Carrie Huckeby:
Well, I think we've said this to you before too.

Many of the TNBA members, you know, we cover about a little over
30% of the state.

And so if there's anything that we can do to be of help with
this program, don't hesitate to reach out and ask.

We love to...

Dr. Daniel Collins:
I will definitely be doing an ask.

I'm just going to let you know that right now.

Carrie Huckeby:
All right. Fantastic.

I mean, we're all after the same thing is, you know, doing
better for our communities and reaching those people

that that need broadband access, for sure.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
Absolutely.

Carrie Huckeby:
So, Daniel, as we wrap up, is there anything else you'd like to
add about the 4-H program, or just what you love about what you

do every day?

Dr. Daniel Collins:
I tell you what I love about what I do every day is the "aha
moments" that kids and volunteers and even our agents

get, especially when it comes to a concept of what we're talking
about.

And I'll just use, for example, this.

We have a STEM Steering Committee, 4-H STEM Steering Committee,
made of agents and regional program leaders now and a couple of

specialists. But this is.

We are in a very technology driven era right now.

And to be able to hand something or to share something with a
kid with a professional, whatever, and them say,

"Oh, wow." That's what I get up out of the bed every day for.

And so I love being able to share that as a specialist.

Camp is the same way.

Performing arts is the same way, but STEM is really one of those
that there's a lot of impact out there right now, and we

are really gaining some leeway when it comes to our STEM
programing.

I'm hoping to grow this program statewide even more.

Digital access is very important, but there's other parts of
STEM that I want to really focus on as well.

We've developed a partnership with the College of Engineering on
UT's campus, and we're doing some outreach and grant writing with

them. We're doing some other work with some other departments
right now to hopefully get some more

collaboration going on as well.

So we've got some exciting things coming down the pipe for us in
STEM.

And I'm hoping that we can keep moving forward and not get set
back in it.

Carrie Huckeby:
Well, you're certainly doing some great things that matter and
make a difference for sure.

So I thank you for all you do Daniel.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
Well, thank you so much.

I love this opportunity.

Hopefully, we can do this again after, and I can have some kids
and some agents be a part of this after we get kind of started.

But I would love to be able to highlight what they're doing as
well.

Carrie Huckeby:
That's a great idea.

I love that.

Dr. Daniel Collins:
Yes.

Carrie Huckeby:
So my guest has been Dr.

Daniel Collins, who is the state extension specialist with the
University of Tennessee.

And you've been listening to Lee Tennessee Radio, produced by
the Tennessee Broadband Association, cooperative and independent

companies connecting our state's rural communities and beyond
with world class broadband.