Moving Beyond the Classroom Walls - Byte Back

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Moving Beyond the Classroom Walls

Author: Byte Back
Published: September 16, 2016
Yvette, David Pierce NCTA edit rebrand

Yvette Scorse, Byte Back communications manager, and David Pierce, executive director of NCTA Foundation, in the NCTA lobby during a recent tour. Yvette is leading the new in-house video studio project for Byte Back.

NCTA Foundation Grant & Partnership Brings New Opportunity to Byte Back

By Yvette Scorse, Communications Manager

For almost 19 years, Byte Back has taught in traditional computer lab classrooms in Washington, DC.

Now the organization has the opportunity to expand beyond these walls, thanks to the NCTA Foundation, a 501(c)3 entity affiliated with NCTA – The Internet & Television Association.

Byte Back will integrate video and virtual learning into our classes with a new in-house video studio, planned to open in early spring 2017.

How Will Video Change Byte Back?

Byte Back’s ability to teach close to 900 students per year will expand even more – with our traditional students gaining access to additional hours of instruction and remote learners gaining access to lessons, thanks to virtual learning.

Students will access after-class video lessons to reinforce challenging material, they’ll watch job hunting tips from our career services team, and some will even be able to enter the video studio to intern and develop even broader digital and tech skills. These are just a few of the opportunities students will benefit from.

The in-house video studio will also expand our storytelling, helping Byte Back show how students’ lives can be transformed by putting tech within reach.

Why NCTA?

NCTANCTA represents cable and internet providers, cable programmers, and equipment manufacturers. Corporate social responsibility – giving back to their communities – has long been an important part of this industry, said David Pierce, NCTA Foundation executive director.

NCTA Foundation refocused on the Washington, DC community this year but didn’t just want to support existing programs.

They wanted to be a “catalyst” for something new, to help organizations grow in some direction they couldn’t before, Pierce said. They also wanted to be an active partner in the process, seeing how their contributions could affect an organization and change real lives.

After three months of research on organizations that might fit the bill, the NCTA Foundation’s Director, Kristin Buch, and team decided Byte Back could be a great choice.

Why Byte Back?

The Foundation wanted to support economic development, to help the underserved, and to “help people prosper in the digital world,” Pierce said. Byte Back was a natural fit.

“The thing we love about Byte Back,” Pierce said, “is they’re bringing more people to the table to learn the language of digital.”

The fact that digital skills can change lives also motivated the NCTA Foundation to choose Byte Back. “We really want people to be able to thrive here in DC, especially those who are underserved,” Pierce said.

It was obvious that Byte Back’s program was effective in the community, and they were interested in how it could reach even more people. The in-house video studio will provide that reach and help Byte Back make an even stronger impact on the community.

“The ability to reach people beyond walls is key,” Pierce said, and the opportunity to incorporate video technology and virtual learning will help Byte Back achieve this.

What’s Next: Follow the Video Studio Project

Byte Back is currently searching for a new home in DC, which will serve as one united space for the whole organization, classrooms, and the new video studio.

In the meantime, Byte Back will begin acquiring the equipment and expertise to produce video in the field starting in October. Look out for video updates from NCTA Foundation and from us throughout the winter and spring 2017. 

Byte Back and the NCTA Foundation will celebrate this special partnership on October 5, along with the other local grantee organizations – A Wider Circle and BUILD Metro DC.


Be a part of the experience by following Byte Back’s journey to the video studio on: