Back-to-school special: Closing the digital divide in South Florida

For the Miami Herald’s 2015 Back-to-School edition, we take a look at closing the technology gap in education. Here are lessons in making the tech world more inviting for girls, poor kids and even liberal arts majors.

Juliana Hernandez, 16, of Miami, left, a rising senior at Robert Morgan Educational Center, works on coding with Alyson Palma, 15, of Cutler Bay, a rising junior at Doral Academy. They attended an intensive computer skills summer immersion program presented by Florida International University's School of Computing and Information Sciences and Girls Who Code, a national non-profit organization that equips girls with computing skills. MARSHA HALPER MIAMI HERALD STAFF

Wanted: Girls to take on the (sometimes hostile) world of high tech

Computer science has proven a hard sell for females, but now educators across South Florida are starting to address the mostly social problems behind the gender gap. Read more

For liberal arts majors, all is not lost in the digital future

Despite the surge in STEM majors, experts say the thinking and communications skills of a liberal arts education are needed more than ever. Read more

Your kids can tweet, but are they really digitally literate?

Today’s students seem to have been born with a cell phone in their hands, but studies show they lack crucial skills to navigate the online world. Read more

In the media center at Liberty City Elementary School, Christian Fussell, 11, a rising fifth-grader, and his grandmother Phyllis Richburg talk about how Christian benefited from having the school-issued laptop at home last school year. MARSHA HALPER MIAMI HERALD STAFF

With tech, schools try to level the economic playing field

A growing body of research shows that not all access to technology and the internet is equal — a finding that has dramatic impacts as classrooms become more digital. Read more

Do smartphones make for smart students?

With mobile devices part of daily life, South Florida teachers and professors are trying to turn texts and tweets into teaching tools — but phones can be a distraction. Read more

Teachers, students see promise in blending digital tools with traditional teaching

Test scores don’t show it yet, but South Florida teachers are banking on growing use of digital tools. Read more

Zachri Hall, left, and Gabriel Sanchez study coding at a pre-college academy offered over the summer by Palmer Trinity School in Palmetto Bay, which teamed up with the Flatiron School. PETER ANDREW BOSCH MIAMI HERALD STAFF

Coding class: It’s the hottest education trend

With everyone from President Barack Obama to Shakira extolling its importance, parents sign kids up to learn the daunting mysteries of coding. Read more

Florida’s virtual school options boom

A state mandate to take at least one online class has made Florida the king of online classes; a new study will assess how well they work. Read more

Study finds encouragement is key for math students

The tools kids need to keep them on track: confidence, clear explanations of concepts and encouragement. Read more

Dr. Carmen Caicedo, assistant professor, shows nursing students different views of the human anatomy that can be studied on The Anatomage Table. Allison Diaz For the Miami Herald

High-tech and high-touch: FIU introduces ‘virtual’ dissection

Tables that work like giant iPads provide life-size and lifelike images at human anatomy for nursing and health science students Read more

Kids (and parents) need to know safety rules for surfing online

With kids increasingly using computers for school and socializing, setting limits isn’t always easy for cyber-wary parents. Read more

Apps you should know (and your kids may already use)

10 sites your kids may be checking out. Read more

School calendars

Miami-Dade Schools 2015-2016 calendar

Broward Schools 2015-2016 calendar

This story was originally published July 28, 2015 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Back-to-school special: Closing the digital divide in South Florida."