Community Embraces New Word Game at Mid-Year Play Day This past Sunday, families at Takoma Park’s Seventh Annual Mid-Year Play Day had the opportunity to experience OtherWordly for the first time. Our educational language game drew curious children and parents to our table throughout the afternoon. Words in Space Several children gathered around our iPads […]
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Bridging the digital divide requires flexibility. In a village meeting, adults get the weekly news and discuss the pressing issues of the day – a far cry from the technology parks and campuses that are driving the Indian technology boom. Problem Should we take the practices of our technological culture into emerging technological cultures? Solution
Stepping into emerging markets with informational infrastructure. An “obsolete” computer in the West might be useful and well-received by poorer communities. Problem The digital divide that exists between those with access to technology and those without is exacerbated by the constant improvements – revisions and upgrades – generated by software developers and hardware manufacturers in
Bridging the information gap one step at a time. Problem Increasing access to information for hard-to-reach populations is critical to enabling them to overcome obstacles to education and development. Solution Although the distribution and implementation of information technology is a complex effort happening on many fronts, there are many success stories from which individuals and
Properly implementing learning technologies benefits teacher and student alike. Problem: It’s difficult to avoid the pitfalls inherent in implementing technology-assisted learning. Solution: Clarify the goals and objectives of an online education program prior to its implementation, and ensure that quality is not compromised. Discussion: The temptation to think of technology-assisted learning as an inherently good
Enriching teacher-student communication with online tools. Problem: The limitations of classroom teaching are too constricting. Time and resources don’t stretch far enough, and the quality of your interaction with students is too dependent on the mood of the classroom at the moment you are together. Solution: There are many potential tradeoffs and pitfalls to online
Enhancing the learning experience by correctly using online tools. Problem: Although classroom teaching has its limitations, you are concerned that online teaching sacrifices quality or that it provides refuge for underperformers. Solution: Tap into resources that allow educators to measure their current skills and competencies against those related to successful online teaching in order to
User needs are unmet
May 2nd, 2006 by IDEA
Personalizing web content helps ensure that users’ needs are met. Not everyone wants the same cabbage. Not every user needs the same content. Problem A website can’t effectively meet the needs of users because it isn’t adaptable to their individual needs. Solution Develop multiple versions of web pages in a variety of formats and allow
Expense of web design
May 2nd, 2006 by IDEA
Separating a site’s design from its content makes a re-design less costly. Problem It’s expensive to pay for the services of a web designer, and doubly expensive if you decide to change the site’s design at some point during the site’s life cycle. Solution Separate a website’s content, design, and structure, so the design can