Computer center expansion at LCDC in Chicago, IL, USA

The September 2004 newsletter, The Witness, announces the expansion of this faith-based organization's computer facility to include a 12-computer satellite center (located about the first center). This new facility will serve the Lawndale College Opportunities Program and provide space for education staff members. Microsoft provide funding of $93,000 through its Unlimited Potential grant program.

Youth services at Lawndale Christian Development Corporation include:

• Lawndale College Opportunity Program (LCOP) for 8th to 12th graders involving tutoring, mentoring, test preparation, technology training, and assistance in applying for college.
• Lawndale Legacies Community Technology Center for K-12 students (36-station computer facility) providing access to computers for the purpose of aiding the development of technology and academic skills.
• Young Legacies is an afterschool program for K-7 students that includes tutoring, educational and computer skills training for the purpose of strenghtening academic skills.
• Youth Internship Program for high school students helps prepare them for careers through job readiness training, work, community service, and field trips.
  

Information on the Lawndale area of Chicago can be found at the Steans Family Foundation website on the North Lawndale Today page.

Secretary of State Colin Powell visits Digital Garage partner

Here are the remarks of Colin Powell during a visit to a Digital Garage partner, Meninos do Morumbi program for at-risk youth in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He mentions the computers donated by Hewlett Packard but emphasizes how the program -- though focused on music -- engenders discipline and teamwork.

This page from a music website in the United Kingdom Maroon Town helps clarify how and why kids come to Meninos dos Morumbi. According to this website, kids from favelas (squatter settlements) agree to attend their public schools full-time in exchange for the chance to attend this music school.

The Brazilian version (in Portuguese) of the Meninos do Morumbi website. It is much more artsy and exciting than the English version that I found.

According to this abstract of a course in architectural design at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Sao Paulo has experienced significant globalization over the past 40 years. Television watching, for example, has grown from 5% in 96% in 2000.

One of the NGO partners in the Digital Garage project is Cidade Escola Aprendiz Association. Their website is not in English. Cidade develops the educational methods used to present programs.

The third NGO associated with this project is the Abrinq Foundation for Children’s Rights, which provides organizational services to ensure proper administration of financial resources. The Shine-A-Light website offers insight into the methods that NGOs in Latin America take to addressing child homelessness. Pages of interest in this site are about the Abrinq Foundation; Current Conditions of Street Life in Brazil; Understanding Street Kid Services in Latin America; Lessons Learned from the Brazilian Experience. A profile of the Abrinq Foundation is found at the
International Youth Foundation's website with a link to the foundation's website/.

Four Corners, USA

I visited the Four Corners area in 1993 with my husband. We stayed at a hotel on Navajo Nation property in Window Rock, Arizona, USA; visited Canyon de Chelly (see history); and ate dinner in Gallup, New Mexico. Although I had visited the Cherokee Indian (Native American) reservation in my home state North Carolina, it was only after I visited Arizona and saw its vast undeveloped lands that I began to understood the tragic impact of U.S. policies on these Native American/American Indian nations. Even though I live in a suburban area of North Carolina that is fairly well-developed, everywhere I go I see more and more development. New home communities, condos, shopping centers, schools are being built in areas that I didn't realize had enough land to accommodate them. Deer are being pushed out of their habitats (often tucked away in wooded areas very near development) and appear on roadways (not often but more frequent than a few years ago.) That we (humans) could live without more and more development and that we could preserve green space is something that doesn't seem to be a priority.

Feeding a culture while being robbed of its nutrients (land, natural resources, intergenerational connections) seems to be a nearly impossible task. U.S. government efforts have ranged from assimilation through public schools in the late 1800's, early-to-mid 1900's to policies
that support the preservation of language and culture. (more on the history of assimilation efforts).

Loss of natural resources (some have been restored through treaties and reparation plans) has made it difficult for nations to thrive. In addition, trust between nations and the government and outside entities has often been strained. For example, payments for land use may not be made in a timely manner (see this 2002 story)

Still programs and projects exist. A section of the Four Corners areas has been designated the Four Corners Empowerment Zone. According to a government report, unemployment is 45.8% and 49.1% live at the poverty level. There are federal government efforts to improve the economic viability of the area through development of physical infrastructure, educational services, and community services.

It is in this context of respecting a culture while bring information and communication technology to its people that the Gates Foundation and its Native American Access to Technology program began.

The Door-Baltimore Urban Leadership Foundation

The Door, also known as Baltimore Urban Leadership Foundation, is a faith-based, non-profit organization in the East Baltimore area of Baltimore, MD, USA. It was started by former NFL player and Baltimore Colt Joe Ehrmann in 1986. According to a website hosted by the New Media Center of Loyola College (MD), the group provides services in three areas: community development, economic development, and church-building capacity.

I am most interested in the community development segment, which is the channel through which The Door delivers youth and family services. These services include a computer access.

Residents of East Baltimore have suffered from high unemployment and lack of educational attainment and opportunity. Currently, the area is undergoing revitalization through efforts led by East Baltimore Development Inc.

Dublin, Ireland - The Digital Hub

Dublin, Ireland is the site of another Intel Computer Clubhouse that I am studying. According to the city's website, Dublin is the capital of Ireland and has a population of over 1 million people (city and county). Languages are English and Irish. The predominant religion is Roman Catholicism.

The Liberties is the location of the Digital Hub, where multiple entities (government, private sector) have concentrated economic development efforts to create an technology and creative-talent infrastructure. One of its products is a storytelling website. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Liberties has been designated as a site of economic development to address high unemployment, poor living conditions, and inadequate housing.

Lee Komito, Ph.D., of University College-Dublin discusses Ireland as a developing nation in his research paper, Politics and Clientelism in Urban Ireland: information, reputation, and brokerage. His section on Dublin emphasizes the divide between haves and have-nots throughout the city including the Liberties section.

Addendum: The Digital Hub describes the concept for economic development in this area of Dublin, that is it is a center or hub of activity for digital enterprises and programs. The Intel Computer Clubhouse is located here and has collaborative relationships with some of the business and organizational residents of the hub.

Pascua Yaqui - background

Pascua Yaqui, Arizona is located near Tucson in southern Arizona, which is in the southwestern region of the United States. There is a Pascua Yaqui tribe and my title-post links to this American Indian / Native American tribe's official website.

The computer clubhouse is associated with the Boys and Girls Club, and is located on the reservation (tribal land).

According to this 1999 report, Commerce in Pascua Yaqui (PDF), approximately 3,000 people live on the reservation. Unemployment is over 20%.

A discussion of the Pascua Yaqui's Approach to Language/Culture Preservation:

"The language competency of the members of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe encompasses, to varying degrees, the Yaqui language as well as community dialects of both Spanish and English. Even though this unique trilingual linguistic pattern has been functional for their survival needs, it has also served as a barrier to educational achievement where competency in the standard forms of Spanish and English is required. Because of the considerable discontinuities that exist between the sphere of public educational institutions and those of the Yaqui community, many Yaquis have not acquired functional literacy in any of their three languages.

In responding to the broader educational and social needs of its members, the Tribe has focused its educational program development efforts on reviving and encouraging the use of the Yaqui language in order to promote a language and cultural renaissance, encompassing both the desire to reassert the role of the language in the culture, as well as to provide a vehicle for enhancing the attainment of improved English and Spanish skills."


Here are links that will provide insight into the Pascua Yaqui history and culture:

• Pascua Yaqui Connection
• History and Culture
• Short History

Te Awaroa Youth Club - Microsoft Grant Recipient

Te Awaroa Youth Club in Helensville, New Zealand was one of the 2004 recipients of Microsoft's Unlimited Potential Grant program. The club provides a fairly broad range of services that include homework assistance, job readiness training, Maori language and customs classes, and programs for at-risk youth. The grant funds are to be used for a computer center that will help to gain technical skills for use in school and work.

I am particularly interested in services that reinforce the value of native cultures while using ICTs, so I was pleased to learn that "Te Awaroa" is the Maori-equivalent of Helensville.

Here's a listing of community youth services in Helensville.

Think Quest Africa - 2004 Microsoft Grant Recipient

Think Quest Africa is the Africa-specific version of the Think Quest competition. Students of different ages, knowledge and skill sets, and geographies form a team and collaborate on the development of an educational website.

Oracle Education Foundation's Think Quest

Think Quest is "an international website-building competition" teams of students, ages 9 to 19. This site features site winners from past competitions. Think Quest encourages exploratory learning, cross-cultural communication, and team work--all through the use of ICT.

Microsoft's 2004 Unlimited Potential Grant Recipients

One of Microsoft's grant recipients is Lawndale Christian Development Center in Chicago, IL, USA. One of the LCDC's program emphases is Youth Education; services include technology training for youth, K-12.

Interestingly, the LCDC's website lists partners but makes no mention of Microsoft. Another grant-recipient organization whose website I visited did not list Microsoft as a grantor, although it listed other grant organizations.

HP's e-inclusion in Brazil: Digital Garage

HP's e-inclusion project in Brazil is the Digital Garage (not to be confused with a software company). This project serves youth and young adults in an impoverished area. It provides a creative outlet while helping participants learn teamwork, decision-making skills, and workplace readiness. Its product is an Internet music portal.

The first group (about 120 people) graduated from the program to the real world in July 2002.

HP received an Innovative Partnership award in 2002 from Social Accountability International for this project.

Here's the C.V. of one of the instructors: Luís Eduardo Eugênio Ribeiro
. Thanks to him for publishing this in English!

Here's a link to the website of Meninos Domorumbi, one of the local partners (English version).

US Department of State empowering, educating through Internet connectivity

I have been focusing on corporate solutions to the digital divide and delivery of customized programs to solve local problems. Here's something about the U.S. government funding a program to provide education to students in Central Asia specifically Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

McInternet

HP is partnering with McDonald's to put Internet access in its restaurants in Brazil. Wonder if they're loving it yet?

HP in East Baltimore: Education and Economic Development

HP launched the Baltimore Digital Village (BDV) through a grant to East Baltimore Development Zone in Baltimore, Maryland, USA in 2001. There are three components to the BDV: employment; community access; and education.

The BDV has partnered with the Education Based Latino Outreach program and other groups to bring access to Latinos through its Digital Village initiative.

At The Door (a faith-based program with a physical presence in Baltimore), kids play games to help them learn. See Grants for Kids' Programs. More about The Door: technology assistance;
The Door's website/.

More on programs and projects:
Great Blacks / African History Center is a computer center that provides access to information on African history. It helps to enrich the lives of youth, including at-risk youth;
Investment in Schools brings schools up-to-date in technology;
Support of Intel Computer Clubhouse in partnership with Boys and Girls Clubs.

National Indian Youth Leadership Project: down-to-earth

The programs offered to Indian (American) youth here don't seem to involve communication technologies but rather non-virtual, experiential learning opportunities.

Native American Access Technology Program delivered via the Gates Foundation

Bringing Internet access to Native Americans is a challenge that the Gates Foundation is tackling. The first challenge is to provide access in an area that doesn't have even what most Americans would consider basic communications infrastructure (i.e., telephone lines). Secondly, bringing 21st communications and ideas to a culture while respecting its traditions is a major consideration. In the Initial Evaluations and Planning (PDF) document, these issues are explored. Ultimately, Internet access is delivered via satellite. The area of focus for this project, by the way, is the Four Corners region of the USA-the area where Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico meet. Numerous Native American tribes are represented in this area.

To encourage the use of technology to address local needs, grants were awarded to tribes on a non-competitive basis (that is, I'm guessing that as long as the program plan is viable, monies will be awarded). Here is a breakdown on funding: Programs/Program Funding.

Here's a 2001 announcment about funding for
Public Access in Crownpoint, NM.

Today, however, the Gates Foundation does not provide grants for the NAAT program.

making predictions - lessons from science fair projects

My second grader decided that he wants to do a project for the Science/Math Fair at school. My experience with science experiments is limited to the following:

• looking at kids' experiments at previous science fairs;
• getting help for my other son when he did a math project in third grade;
• reading a book about how to design a science project (similar information is found on this website).

The hardest things to me about projects are 1) making predictions and 2) coming to conclusions.

I have been trying to tell my second grader, who has decided to conduct a drink survey, that he must first make a prediction about the results. I have told him about making a prediction not because I have known for a long time that that's a part of a science or math project but because I read it in our book. His project, a simple survey, would probably be meaningless without a prediction. So what if people like milk or iced tea; but if they like milk or iced tea better than all the heavily advertised drinks that he predicted they would, doesn't that tell us something?

So now that I am doing my research, I realize that I too must make predictions. I guess I have felt that making predictions will somehow influence my research and slant the results. But the results won't have much meaning unless I do make predictions.

So here goes...

I predict that when communication technologies are available to children and youth in under-served communities AND programs are designed to meet local needs, the following will happen:

• programs will attract and retain participants at a higher level than non-ICT programs;
• participants will develop a greater sense of cultural awareness;
• participants will become more involved in the local community;
• academic performance and behavior among participants will improve.

I will conduct my research by identifying innovative programs in under-served communities, reviewing their websites, finding third-party articles relating to their success or lack thereof (if possible), and survey program directors.

Here are the questions that I will ask the directors:

• What programs, if any, were being offered to your targeted groups prior to ICT?
• Has participation and retention increased following the use of ICT?
• Have participants become more interested in their culture?
• Have participants increased their involvement in the community?
• Have participants shown improvement in academics and/or behavior?
• How have you measured program results?

I may paraphrase and customize the questions.

Next, I will make conclusions. One of my older son's teachers helped him with a math project a couple of years ago. He had all of this great data about grocery shopping habits but nothing much to do with it; his teacher helped him (and me by the way) see what it meant. I can see deviations from the norm but I don't seem to be able to see patterns or make conclusions the way other people can. I think that I may out-think things and wonder if there are just too many unknown factors to make a solid conclusion.

Still, I liked the teacher's approach. Make a conclusion, defend your conclusion.

By the way, people tend to shop at grocery stores that are closest to them and not necessarily the ones that offer the lowest prices.

regrouping for everyone

I needed help understanding the current method of teaching adding and subtracting double-digit numbers. When I was in school, I learned about carrying and borrowing numbers from one column to the next. Now, they talk about regrouping tens and ones in the second grade. I understand the concept; the strategy or method being taught was confusing to me--and my child, apparently.

I know this shouldn't be confusing but here's an example of why it's confusing. A worksheet has blocks above the tens and ones but for addition, the ones box should not be used. What's it doing there? Should I use it? Rather, should he use it? Finally, my son decided that all the ones' boxes in addition-regrouping problems should be x'ed out and not used. But getting to this conclusion required some digging....

I started my research on the second-grade section of the website for my child's school. Fortunately, there is a link (the title-link for this post) to a website that is a companion to the math book. I found the unit in question (#5) and then found an "extra help" section for those of us who are slow-but-logical learners. I watched the subtraction section regrouping once and then brought my son down to watch it with me.

There is audio plus visual, which is nice. I watched it at least a couple times, and finally got whatever it was I was supposed to be learning. My son finally realized "what they are trying to teach me." He could add and subtract double-digit numbers (I think) but the method was not one he would have invented. And he does like to invent things, such as math strategies that make sense to him.

There are also games and activities on the site though not all are specific to a particular math unit but require second grade math skills. My son seemed to enjoy adding and subtracting single-digit and double-digit numbers in his head, which was required for at least a few games.

I like the close tie-in with the math book and worksheets.

Clubhouse in Ireland

I am visiting the Intel Computer Clubhouse in Dublin; it serves the under-served.

I am quite fascinated by the programs and workshops that are offered. First there is a creative writing section for "lone" or single parents; then there is a place for kids (8-12) to write and record their own music (http://www.thedigitalhub.com/learning/digirhythm.asp); a program that uses digital storytelling as a therapy for teenage depression; an art program (programme in Irish) presented in collaboration with the Irish Museum of Modern Art; a DJ (disc jockey) workshop for early school leavers (what Americans may call high school drop-outs, I think); a journalism workshop that publishes a clubhouse newsletter; and a Lego workshop that involves making robots with Lego parts I think and controlling their movements via computer.

Here's the history of the start-up and collaborating partners.
http://www.businessworld.ie/livenews.htm?a=689231

What the "The Liberties" is (an economically depressed area)http://clubhouse.medialabeurope.org/community/community.shtml

What Media Lab Europe is (http://www.mle.ie/) European research partner of MIT Media Lab

Intel's Computer Clubhouse

(revised post)

There are Intel Computer Clubhouses worldwide. I am going to focus on two: one in a rural/remote area in Pascua Yaqui, Arizona, USA; and one in an urban area in Dublin, Ireland.

This news article presents ways that kids are learning to use computers to present aspects of their culture.

Here is some history about Internet access made available to Native Americans from the Gates Foundation: Native American Access story.

Another story indicating that funds for this clubhouse have come not only from Intel but also from Congress.

Still another story (this one from USA Today) about the clubhouse; it also provides information on funding sources and amounts.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Here's the games and activities section for kids, grades K-5, on the Veterans Administration website. There are also games for older kids.

can technology grow up?

My next question is, "can technology grow up?"

Can it change from a fun accessory to a tool that helps educate and empower people, specifically people in underserved (by technology and other resources) communities?

I'm going to be working on my research project via this blog. I am not sure if I am going to focus on my previous emphases of children and education. There are so many interesting topics related to global communication that I am not sure where to start and, more importantly, where to end.

I may start with non-school, community-based programs that use technology to educate and empower.

Let's see where this goes.

grown-ups grow up (and change) too

Here are some updates on people who have been in the news a while back:

Donna Rice (now married, was a friend of Gary Hart) http://www.protectkids.com/donnaricehughes/bio.htm

Norma McCorvey (involved in a Supreme Court decision)
http://www.roenomore.org/crossing_over/welcome.html

Amy Fisher (Long Islandite)
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000651215

I'll add more as I find them.

kids grow up

I went to help chaperone at the camp on Monday and Tuesday.

I learned that orienteering is more than just reading a compass. It involves using the compass to identify locations (landmarks) in a highly precise, no-mistakes-allowed setting.

The big surprise for me though was the high ropes course. The high ropes course that I had mastered once consisted of a challenging climb (rope ladder and some off-the-ground platforms), a walk across a suspended walkway, and a quick rappel from the highest platform to the ground. The rappel length was about 30-40 feet.

I should explain what the purpose of a high ropes course is, though I'm not entirely sure. I think that completing the ropes task (the particular task may vary from course to course) helps the participant build self-confidence by showing that a risk is worth taking. It also requires the participant to show trust in the facilitator or leader.

The high ropes course at this kids' camp reminded me of an acrobatic stunt at the circus. Apparently the high ropes feature that the kids were to use is called a zip-line. The kids are secured to the zip line by a harness and rope. After climbing a platform, the kid has to step off and fly into the woods, suspended above ground about 10-15 feet. The length of the zip-line/ride is about 40 yards.

I couldn't stay to see all of the kids try, but I stayed to see what my son would do. As a younger child, he was fearful of new situations. Even as old as 8, he became anxious at what I perceived to be innocuous activities: going to an after-school art class with kids he didn't know; and riding a paddleboat for the first time. On the one hand, I didn't want to push him into scary situations; on the other, I didn't want him to be a fearful kid or grown-up.

So, I waited to see what he would do or not do. The climb to the platform was a bit challenging. I noticed that some kids made it up in seconds, others took minutes. My son struggled but made it in a reasonable time. After the leader secured him, it was just a moment before he stepped off and went for his suspended-in-air ride.

I think I have finally realized that kids do grow up. It's hard for me to let go of my life-span-memory bank that makes all memories seem equally relevant (whether they are when my child is six months or 8 years) and exchange them for yesterday's moment in order for me to see who my child is today.

Compass "pointers"

My oldest son is on a class trip at a residential camp about 45 minutes away near Sauratown Mountain. One of their activities tomorrow is orienteering. I let him take a compass and tried to show him how to read it. I remember as a kid that I just didn't get reading a compass. I finally got it when I had to, as an adult navigating lakes in the Minnesota Boundary Waters area using a map and compass; fortunately, it worked and my husband and I didn't get lost (unlike other road travels).

Anyway, I wondered if there were any compass games and I found this site. Maybe this will help teach the compass-reading concept.

distance ed for real?

Christy Kinnion is both a distance education student and teacher (read, technology-enabled not just self-study), giving her a unique perspective on the use of technology in education.

She has begun exploring distance ed curriculums and the trustworthiness of degrees obtained via the computer. I am using simple language here as I can hear myself trying to describe tech-learning to the uninitiated. I don't think anyone but my family understands how time-consuming, effort-taking, and addictive my on-line classes have been.

I do like to talk about how I am taking classes at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC-Chapel Hill (surely impressive) through the computer (surely not so impressive).

Great (good?) students and great universities may connect in the virtual classroom but I am still left explaining. In May 2005, though, I won't have to tell anyone how I got my credentials in Technology and Communication just that I have them.

Media Ecosystems

In her blog, Tracy Swartz discusses the advantages and disadvantages of blogging from a journalist's and reader's perspective.

I like the idea of people who are experts in their field adding to media communications in the form of blogging. That journalists and readers could collaborate, overtly or indirectly, to tell a story and shed light on an issue is the ideal for me.

I especially liked this article (http://jdlasica.com/articles/nieman.html), which suggests a media ecosystem with blogging included. I just hope that bloggers aren't considered the bottom feeders.

Belarusian in Chapel Hill

Diana Manevskaya is a Belarusian in graduate school at UNC-Chapel Hill. She writes of the government's control of media in her native country.

First I find it fascinating that she is a Rotary World Peace Scholar. Here's a link to the area of the Rotary site that presents information on the purposes of these scholarships:
http://www.rotary.org/foundation/educational/amb_scho/centers/

With the discussion of government-based solutions, I think it is great to hear of a civic group's involvement in advancing international peace.

Diana provides both firsthand examples as well as websites and news articles that cover the subject of government censorship, specifically blocking of websites with no sexually explicit or socially irresponsible content. She also covers human rights abuses, which often occur in areas that squelch open communications. I found the Amnesty International site (http://web.amnesty.org/library/engindex) particularly interesting and search-friendly.

20's are the toughest

Lauren R. has been writing about experiencing and dealing with her quarter-life crisis.

I feel guilty that I have yet to post to her blog not just as a classmate but as someone who has lived through this period of time and found that, yes, it's probably the hardest. (I graduated from college when unemployment was 10%, moved to rural NC to find a job-a big transition for me, worked for companies acquired by larger corporations way before the words outplacement and dislocated were invented, had both parents diagnosed with cancer during my 20's). I haven't gotten really old yet so I should wait and see what's next but generally speaking, it's not easy. Quarterlife is probably not made easier by affluence as a child. But this affluence is not what leads to the crisis. The difficulty, I think, is that we can't see where our actions, choices, etc. will lead us. We want to know the rest of the story and we want to know that it ends reasonably well.

This is what I've found (and I'm paraphrasing from a quote that I read a while back): "You can anything you want; you just can't everything you want." That's the way it seems to work-you usually get what you prioritize.

It's a stretch for me but this leads me to Lauren's latest essay on cataloguing the Internet. Can we have "virtually" everything? That is can we archive everything? and should we? Lauren gives examples of archive projects; they look interesting but all-consuming timewise to me. Still they are wonderful resources and I am glad to know of them. I will add another resource to hers, one I read about last year: it's ibiblio (http://ibiblio.org) and the certificate program's own Serena Fenton worked on this project.

Is it still okay to use journalism and integrity in the same sentence?

Newspaper journalist Dean Smith writes about media consolidation in his blog. His beat is media and he does a great job of bringing to light issues that everyone, not just journalists, need to consider and understand.

One of these hot issues is media consolidation.

I first heard about it from a relative, who has been in the TV business for about 30 years and has been a general manager of multiple stations for the past 10 years or so. When the company he worked for was bought by Sinclair Broadcasting, he immediately began to look for a new job. No specific reasons were given, except that he didn't like "the way they do business." The latest news about Sinclair gives me a better understanding of what he didn't like about them. And it isn't the company's anti-Kerry agenda. From what I can tell, my TV GM relative is right of me, an evangelical Christian (also a member of a United Methodist church - see our social principles here: http://www.umc.org/interior.asp?ptid=1&mid=1686). So media consolidation in itself seems to be inherently bad--and if it continues, will only get worse and more destructive to open dialogue. All of this reinforces what I read in a Donald Kaul column a few years ago; that is, both left, right, and middle agree that media consolidation is bad.

My newspaper journalist classmate Dean proposes ownership of TV stations by newspapers, though I am not sure how this will fight media consolidation. I do have respect for most newspaper folks but wonder about others, such as:

An editorial columnist at my local newspaper berated Winston-Salem State University students who politely expressed concerns regarding the Department of Mass Communication's choice to invite Jayson Blair, formerly of the New York Times, to speak to them. Calling them self-righteous, the local newspaperman said they just wanted to hear a big-name journalist; it was a pathetic end to a sad day in journalism.

Still there is hope. I applaud the students for being able to tell right from wrong while showing compassion. I applaud them even more for not being enslaved to political correctness.

Imagine if the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at UNC invited Martha Stewart to speak on entrepreneurship.

NC Wired

Jennifer M. explores the use of technology to drive and support economic development in North Carolina. She provides excellent resources on e-initiatives right here in NC.

The most intriguing to me is the Grid Project, which is so innovative that I barely understand it. (Her blog references this report: http://www.e-nc.org/pdf/grid_report_oct-28-03.pdf.) From what I can understand, this network or grid will enable the average joe/jane business owner to have access to computing resources well beyond the capabilities afforded by a typical IT budget. As a result, the business can then compete more successfully in the global marketplace.

For example, when Wal-Mart or J.C. Penney or whatever large retailer tells its suppliers that the supplier needs to adopt XYZ technology so that its computer systems can communicate, then the supplier doesn't have to spend the rent, payroll, etc. adopting this new technology.

What I like most about this idea is that a business doesn't have to be in the tech business in order to use technology. One of my biggest gripes about economic development efforts is that they are often centered on glamorous businesses, that is high tech ones or consumer products companies with high profiles.

Now that Lowe's Companies (hardware not grocery) is a Fortune 50 company, Winston-Salem is actually interested in having the company's data center located here. Rumors about a corporate relocation had been circulating for years, usually centered on Winston-Salem as a corporate destination. But where did Lowe's build? Mooresville, just outside of Charlotte. Maybe the Chamber tried and failed to woo them, and just didn't publicize their efforts. The general attitude, though, of Winston-Salemites to Lowe's for many years was...a company in the sticks that has a few hardware stores? This leads me to express a fear in regards to economic development that technology can't change: people's attitudes and their approach to growth. People need to realize that growth means welcoming neighbors from out of state, spending the money needed to build and maintain great schools, having green spaces and recreational facilities, and more.

Not much related to the topic above but a couple more resources and thoughts:

Resources:
http://www.goldenleaf.org (funds business development in impoverished counties)
http://www.ideallianceinc.org/ (non-profit community of leaders to promote technology-led economic development)

Finally, at the risk of sounding un-American and supportive of the lifting of trade restrictions, or even worse, un-North-Carolinian-like, I wonder if North Carolinians should embrace rather than fight the global economy. I say this not in reaction to anything Jennifer says on her blog, but in reaction to general approaches to job loss, trade imbalances, etc. such as the "Buy Local" campaign of the local Chamber of Commerce. How about "Sell Global" instead?

watching Liberation Watch

I like the way Drew links his discussion of ICT in Iraq with larger issues there such as economic development and freedom from censorship.

Drew was stationed in Iraq for several months (18 months, I think). It was during this time that I first met him via the UNC online discussion board. I was, still am fascinated with the energy and resolve that he had to pursue studies in the middle of a war. Did I mention that he was in Baghdad? He did pause his studies when the war, or rather the establishing of a new government, began to take more and more of his attention amid violence and the unknown.

Today, he's back in the states and writes from his home here. His connection to Iraq is evident. He finds relevant articles and places them into context based on his knowledge of the culture and current conditions. I am especially intrigued that an Iraqi (http://iraqithoughts.blogspot.com/) has found his blog and has posted comments at least two times.

There is much depth in his blog; of particular interest to me, as an American, is the rebuilding Iraq site (http://www.rebuilding-iraq.net/)

Cell Yell defined

I had never heard of "cell yell" until I read Wes Anthony's blog on this topic. Apparently this phenomenon started when people started talking loudly (yelling) in order to be heard on their cell phones. Although I was oblivious to the cell-talk decibels, I had noticed recently that certain people will talk very loudly, much more loudly than I thought appropriate; I had also noticed that these same certain people carried cell phones fairly conspicuously and quickly responded to calls. So I have made the connection to cell talking and non-cell yelling.

Wes also discusses other problems that excessive cell use has begun to cause. I especially liked the website http://www.cellmanners.com as a resource to cell phone users.

Nonprofits may benefit from the Internet

Michelle Klemens’ discussion of the use of Internet by non-profits is of special interest to me, as I do some work / some donation of communications for a non-profit group. Like Michelle’s organization, the cause of my group is a good one but it is hard to differentiate the services and purpose of a relatively new organization from larger, more established ones. She lists great resources; my favorite and one I plan to use is http://www.techsoup.org/.

One thing that I found of great interest in my own research on non-profits are the use of stories.

Here are some examples of sites that use stories:

• National Multiple Sclerosis Society: Personal Connections
• Angel Tree: Stories
• Association of Cancer Online Resources Leukemia Stories
• Care International: Sudan Stories

Copyright Infringement - CCLI solution

JR Lee provides a concise discussion of the key issues relating to copyright protection and infringement in our new digital world. I am glad that he recognizes copyright infringement as wrong though confusing to recognize. He introduces me to a new concept: contributory infringement, which is the aiding of direct infringement by supplying the means to violate copyright to a third party. More plainly, Napster is a contributory agent whereas the consumer is the direct infringer.

JR lists three solutions, all very sensible. CCLI (Christian Copyright Licensing International) has engaged these techniques in its business. It has informed customers, created a business model, and still promotes the development of creative work.

I first learned about CCLI when I attended a workshop on contemporary worship given by Mike Slaughter of Ginghamsburg Church (http://www.ginghamsburg.org). For those uninitiated to the contemporary worship movement, it involves the use of contemporary elements, metaphors, and music in worship services. Many churches will use video clips of TV shows or movies to introduce a topic or illuminate a point. Most will use contemporary Christian music, which requires payment of royalties because, unlike the hymn writers, these contemporary artists aren’t dead.

CCLI has developed a system that enables churches to pay a fee and then, on the honor system, document what songs they have used in the past year or however long the license term is. In turn, CCLI pays the artists. The royalty process can be found here: http://www.ccli.com/CCLI/RoyaltyProcess.cfm

Lest anyone thinks that Christians would be less likely to violate copyright law, check out this survey: http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=162.

Rural Hall Elementary's Blogs and More

My oldest son (10 years old, fifth grade) volunteered to represent his school at the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School's Technology Fair. He, a few other kids, the PE teacher, and the Tech teacher presented an application for using hand-held computers to chart physical activity of students.

Of course, there were exhibits from other schools in the system. One that I was particularly intrigued by was Rural Hall Elementary School. They use blogs! I've provided a link to the technology page so you can see their other applications as well.

In regards to the blogs, they aren't used intensively but the kids are getting familiar with this method of publishing; once the hardware is in place, publishing is free with blogspot--no paper or copier time required!

I also read last week about a high school teacher who used blogs. Students posted pre-screened essays to blogs. There is something, apparently, about having your comments published that motivates kids.