My name is Maureen Dooley. I live in Virginia. I work as the adult education program administrator at Eastern Shore Community College which is a small school on a very rural peninsula which temporarily separates the Chesapeake Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. There is overwhelming poverty. There are still houses which do not have indoor plumbing.
I should know more about 2.0 than I do; however, I think this has to do with setting up web pages, blogs, tweeting and other arcana.
First steps for me --- getting a gmail account and then choosing a template for this blog. Now I will click on PUBLISH POST
Hi Maureen-- Always amazing to know that such poverty exists in the US. The perception of Americans oversees is still one of rich, privileged Americans wanting and wasting. Who helps these poor people anyway?
ReplyDeleteDonna
Maureen, given the poverty there, is using Web tools effective for you? Can the students access the Web from home, or does the school have a computer lab that they can access before and after school hours?
ReplyDeleteMaureen, It always saddens me to see or find out about the poverty in the USA. Does Virginia ever use any of the new inexpensive $100 computers that were designed to help in Third World countries? I think there is a demo on them schedules sometime in TESOL 2009. If I remember correctly the title had something to do with the X0's.
ReplyDeleteI've taught in KC, KS for years. They do have indoor plumbing but often extended families live together in one house with one family to a bedroom. I'm always amazed with their cheerful optimistic attitudes when I teach.
Hi Maureen-- A Ning is like Facebook--looks almost the same and does almost the same thing. But you can set one up for professional use and close it off, post assignments, have students interact with one another on blogs and forums, post music, videos, etc. Come to my demo tomorrow! Don't know Jeff Race. What does he do in Bkk?
ReplyDeleteDonna
Hi Maureen,
ReplyDeleteIt's shocking to learn of such poverty. Who are your students, and how do they manage to afford community college? What are their dreams for the future?
Alison
Maureen,
ReplyDeleteWhere do your students come from? Are you planning to use web.2 type activities with them?
Maureen, It is exciting to hear that you have such support in getting computers for your students. If you would like to set up a community with your students and similar students in China, let me know.
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