Inspired
20 03 2008I am so new to blogging, so today I took the time to read the blogs of prominent bloggers so that I will get some ideas on what to do on my blog. First, I have to say that I was totally inspired reading Will Richardson’s blog today. His words just truly touched me. I agree with him 100%, not only do we need a leader, but we need a teacher leading our country, and Barack Obama is most certainly that, a teacher. When we face our cultural differences, and embrace them, discuss them and move past them, then we can grow as a country. We are different, we have to recognize that, but we can move past hurdles that seek to trip us up, together. One concern of mine is the Digital Divide that exists between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. It’s there, lets face it and explore why its there, come up with solutions, and together bridge the gap that exists. I am so going to order Will Richardson’s Book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. I am so eager to learn how technology can be used to engage those students who are considered lost. As an African American woman working in a predominately black school district, I am confronted everyday with the faces of children who have given up on a society they feel cares nothing for them. As I read different blogs, and Mr. Richardson’s book, I am sure that I will gain some insight on how to use these tools, as well as other Web 2.0 tools, for students success.
Hey there Technicolor, welcome to the conversation, great to have you as part of it. This edublogging community is a talkative one, with many voices and yours is certainly welcome. The digital divide is real, as you say, and you will always find people here willing to explore ideas about how to address it. You’re in the right place.
Pass on my greetings from Australia to your students!
I teach in a large independent school in Sydney Australia,and I’ll have to be honest and say that we are very lucky in that regard… many of the students come from fairly fortunate backgrounds and the digital divide of haves and have-nots is not really a big issue in our school. However, I know that it is a huge deal for many, many people around the world so I need to hear what you have to say to keep me grounded and to remind me that there are others who are not as lucky as some of the students I teach.
This is one of the great things about this global conversation… it keeps us all in touch with how education works in so many other situations.
So welcome.
Hello Technicolor,
We need to talk! I am the CEO of WiHood, a service provider focused on closing the digital divide and protecting children while online. We provide children with a virtual desktop that provides every child with the latest services and applications while also filtering the web while they surf.
We are working with a school in Oslo, Norway to begin integrating their academic curriculum into the WiHood desktop. In New York City, we are working with the Boys’ Club of New York to introduce WiHood to families throughout NYC that want to close the digital divide in their schools.
I am a Puerto Rican male who grew up within an education system that sounds similar to what you have described you are trying to improve. I think we have many things in common and it would be very interesting to discuss how we can help one another.
Please contact me if you find WiHood interesting and would like to discuss. You can email me at Thomas(at)WiHood(dot)com.
Thomas F. Anglero, CEO
WiHood
http://www.WiHood.com