Millennials are tech savvy and can leverage technology to advocate for better education access. Social media can be used to build visibility, networks, and frame discussions around education inequality. The Internet of Things and interconnected devices allow sharing of information and organizing of educational resources and events. Big data helps with fundraising, research, and outreach while virtual reality shows education issues in immersive ways to generate interest and guide advocacy efforts. As technology continues advancing, these tools may help drive progress in the fight for more accessible and affordable education.

1. WITH TECH, MILLENNIALS WILL
BE THE FIGHTERS FOR BETTER
EDUCATION ACCESS
JAKE CROMAN

2. Millennials are obviously a tech savvy generation,
having grown up with the tools ourselves. As the
most educated generation in history, technology has
played an important role in offering us ways we can
access information. But with current threats to public
education and free internet access, this led me to
wonder what role tech could play in fighting for
better education access.
In an article published last year on Thought Catalog, I
wrote about How Millennials can Use Tech to Fight
for Better Education Access.
At a time when education reform is the subject of
serious debate in this country, I think that using
technology to mobilize and fight for fair and equal
education outlets for everyone is an essential issue
for today’s young adults and youth (if not everyone).
In my article, I highlighted the argument that social
media apps, The Internet of Things (IoT), virtual
reality and big data can be used in the fight for
affordable and accessible college education.

3. SOCIAL MEDIA
APPS AND THE
INTERNET OF
THINGS (IOT)
Online social media apps and sites are a necessary
way to build networks and dedicated communities
around central issues. Sites like Facebook can allow
education advocates to relay information through
shared links, blogs, and videos. Relying on IoT and
interconnected computing devices implemented in
everyday objects can send and receive messages,
allowing for the transfer of information. Education
should and will continue to use apps and chatbots to
receive real-time updates about advocacy campaigns
and education legislation. But social media can be
leveraged in advocacy campaigns to build:

4. Information, links, event information, and other resources are visible and
accessible to viewers. For students of lower and middle income brackets
this is especially important so their more integrated with the current
issues and networks.
VISIBILITY
Diverse relationships should be created through social media networking.
Building dialogues between different groups can help created a shared
identity while teaching and creating learning environments for those who
are new or interested to the cause. Interconnected devices allows for
collection action and the ability to organize informational events,
protests, and resources to gain more supporters and open new avenues
of dialogue.
NETWORKING
Millennials have a general understanding of problematic education
initiatives through the lense of inequality. Since public discourse can help
educate and reshape the way Americans think about the education
system, social media and other informational tools can help frame the
cause in the way of assessing cultural norms.
FRAMING
Since successful movements need supporters and materials, IoT can help
bind communities of both professional educators and citizens to improve
everyday education curriculums and even create DIY learning movements.
A cloud system can allow supporters to connect their devices in order to
interact, learn, and educate others on a local or national way.
RESOURCES

5. BIG DATA AND VR
Big data and VR can also be a beneficial tool to leverage support and unify communities that want to
fight for improved education access. For instance, big data can help support fundraisers and
advocacy efforts including marketing, research, and outreach. As devices are connected to the IoT,
education advocates can use big data to assess metrics for demographics and user trends. Sensor
can measure usage time, personal preferences, and the frequency of the tools that are used.

6. VR tech can implement these tools, tool. By using immersive
and advocacy journalism in campaigns, VR can showcase
instances of injustice in more visceral and cerebral ways. The
tool can help education advocates understand how niche
education reform issues can generate interest and guide the
fight for education access. Since there will be at least 20.4
billion interconnected devices by 2020, it may be a beneficial
time to generate VR content and movements that allow for
more citizen participation.
There’s nothing like the power of the human mind and
technology to drive us forward. As we are starting to traction
in the fight for more accessible and affordable education
reform, these tools are helping to spread the cause wider
than before. As we learn how to fight for education, perhaps
we can learn how to educate ourselves on ways to educate
ourselves in the process.

7. THANK YOU!
WWW.JAKECROMAN.CO