About Bytes & Bits
Education = Opportunities.
That’s not a slogan. It’s the whole reason Bytes & Bits exists.
In a lot of the country, learning to code, work in the cloud, or build with new technology is just a matter of access — a nearby class, a fast connection, someone who’s done it before and can show you the way. In rural Appalachia, those things aren’t a given. The talent is here. The curiosity is here. What’s often missing is the on-ramp.
Bytes & Bits is here to build that on-ramp.
What We Do
Bytes & Bits is a rural digital literacy initiative serving the communities of Appalachian Ohio. We bring computer science, cloud computing, and emerging-technology skills to the people and places that are too often left out of the conversation about the future of work — students, career-changers, small businesses, and anyone who has been told that this kind of opportunity is for somebody else, somewhere else.
We believe technology education shouldn’t require leaving home to find it. So we meet people where they are — in classrooms, in community spaces, and online — and we teach the skills that open doors: the foundations of computing, hands-on cloud work, practical AI, and the confidence to keep learning long after the session ends.
Who’s Behind It
Bytes & Bits was founded by Tasha Penwell, an educator with deep roots in rural and underserved communities and a career built on opening doors for the people behind her.
Tasha is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in Analytics & Information Systems at Ohio University with a background in cloud computing. She’s the author of two books on emerging technology for educators, and she has taught across an unusually wide range of audiences — university students, K–12 classrooms, corporate teams, and adults in recovery.
That range is the point. Tasha’s central conviction is that opportunity is a skill set, not a zip code — and that the surest way to change what’s possible in a community is to put real, usable skills in real people’s hands.
Why It Matters
The digital divide isn’t only about who has a device or a signal. It’s about who gets to participate in the work — and the wealth — that technology creates. When a student in rural Ohio learns to build in the cloud, or a local business owner learns to put AI to work, the gap between “here” and “everywhere else” gets a little smaller.
Every skill we share is a door. That’s the work.
Bytes & Bits is based in Appalachian Ohio. To learn more, partner with us, or bring our programs to your community, get in touch.
