49ers EDU today announced a collaboration with the Endless OS Foundation, a 501(c)(4) social-welfare nonprofit committed to helping people around the world gain access to education, knowledge, and opportunity through technology. As a result, 49ers EDU has lent their virtual education materials to Endless to help close the digital divide through their Endless Key Program.
The Endless Key is a 128 gigabyte USB drive that is designed to provide a robust, engaging, and safe digital learning environment, with high-quality learning and discovery resources that can be accessed offline by students using Windows computers. Once received, a student simply plugs the Endless Key in the USB port of their offline computer to access educational materials that are typically only available online. Throughout the next several months, Endless and their partners plan to distribute over 3,000 Endless Keys to students without regular access to the internet across the country. All keys will be equipped with the 49ers EDU Digital Playbook significantly extending 49ers EDU's reach and impact.
On December 2nd, 49ers EDU hosted an Endless Key distribution event at Levi's® Stadium, where USB drives were handed out to a group of Title 1 students from Bracher Elementary School in Santa Clara County. During the event inside the 49ers Museum presented by Foxconn Industrial Internet, students were given a tutorial on how to use the offline education tool and the 49ers EDU Digital Playbook.
"COVID-19 reminded us all how vast the digital divide really is. Remote learning was much more feasible for some students compared to others," said Jesse Lovejoy, Director of 49ers EDU. "For the last 18+ months, our EDU team has focused primarily on digital education materials, so we were thrilled to hear that Endless wanted to include our Digital Playbook in their collection of offline education materials. We share their commitment to closing the digital divide and enjoyed distributing some Endless Keys to local students yesterday."
"Up to 16 million students across the USA still struggle with connectivity outside of school, so we are very excited to be collaborating with 49ers EDU to bring their Digital Playbook and the Endless Key to offline students," said Rob McQueen, CEO at Endless. "The Endless Key program relies on partnerships to assure that quality learning and discovery resources are available to those in need."
Created in a direct response to the pandemic, the 49ers EDU Digital Playbook is a collection of STEAM education lessons that were previously taught during the program's in-person field trips to Levi's® Stadium. Lessons have been adapted to now be offered in an interactive, digital format that uses the game of football to teach topics like physics, engineering, geometry, reading comprehension, and more. EDU digital resources impacted nearly 55,000 students across 96 school districts in 2020.
