Filed under: Clients In The News, Community Empowerment, Education, Technology, Trade Media | Tags: Activboard+2, Mike Horan, Sarasota Activclassroom
from CDWG…
Offering a Tech Toolkit
Professional development works best when it supports teachers at all levels for an extended time.
Lisa Fratt
Sarasota’s instructional technology director, Mike Horan, not only bought and installed 3,000 interactive whiteboards in one year, he also trained each teacher extensively to make sure they take full advantage of the tools.
“We would not have signed the purchase order without a sound plan for [it],” states Mike Horan, Sarasota (Fla.) County Schools instructional-technology director. That “it” he’s talking about is a key piece of many other school projects. No matter where you are located, no matter what technology is being bought, the biggest part of all these projects just might be the least discussed.
[Ian Bryan]
I am getting a lot of questions about Barack Obama. If you are on the fence about him, I encourage you to go straight to his track record, free of marketing spin:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/2/20/201332/807/36/458633
Because I have been watching him for so long, people call me to confess when they fall into the Obama lure. I get updates from friends almost every day on his latest movements. This is the most insane primary season I recall – and I like it.
I like it because for the first time in my adult life (I’m 33, so that’s not much), we’re seeing the democratic process in full swing. For some reason the media doesn’t mention this much, but we’re seeing all-time record votor turnout in almost every state. The Clintons, who are losing fast, run one of the most powerful machines in the world. The only reason Barack Obama is in the lead is because people are voting and yes they do want, for all of the criticism, a charismatic leader with a message of change.
I came out early in support of Barack Obama because I had been observing his political career since he took office in Illinois. At the turn of the century, I spent a few years working in the Mayor’s office in Chicago. Even then, he was a hot topic of hopeful gossip. I volunteered as a district coordinator for his Springfield run and later, as a volunteer region leader during his Senate campaign, watched him in action behind the scenes.
Chicagoan’s voted in full force for him because they have spent the past decade reading about his results as a legislator in the daily papers. He accomplished things in Illinois – around ethics reform, workers rights, healthcare and neighborhood community empowerment that no one has ever accomplished before and most don’t dare to try.
So I guess I am trying to say that I have a sense of who he is. And not only do I support him, I believe his Presidency has the potential to invigorate and speed up the wheels of social progress.
Before you go and get out your Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack album, I challenge you to imagine… what will it be like when he is President? If you really play that tape, chances are you’ll be sold as well.
The world is waiting. The planet is warming. We need the citizenry to wake up, gear up and get to work leading one another towards our own predestined, humanistic revolution. Yes, we can.
Filed under: Community Empowerment, Education, Environment, Youth Empowerment | Tags: Green Children Foundation, Muhammad Yunus, WNC for Change
[Ian Bryan]
I remember high school vividly. I don’t remember anything that compared to these kids:
If you are not familiar Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Muhammad Yunus, he’s the father of microcredit. Sensible City’s planned giving partner for 2008 is Kiva.org, an organization which we emphatically support.
There is a youth movement taking place in America’s high schools. Okay, so perhaps only 25% of America’s teens are attaching themselves to a cause. But given their unbridled optimism, quantum creativity, lack of financial worries and an abundance of free time to dedicate to their projects, that 25% is making headlines everywhere.
Some choose the environment. Others choose poverty. Or war. Or Peace. Or politics. In Western North Carolina, where we work with the local Obama for America group, the largest (volunteer) phone bank we have ever seen wasn’t a bunch of us – it was a troop of motivated high school-age idealists (hat tip to Chris Scanzoni).
What I love about this is that the cause-ranger teens out there are the cool kids. Social and environmental justice activities are now an opportunity to develop new friends and feel “part of”. When I was in school, we called this kind of situation a gang. Today, its about change.
Big thanks to Tom Bevan and Milla Sunde for all that you do.
