As we all know, February is Black History Month. It’s a month where we honor those who have made an impact on American culture for equal rights, those who have invented, those who have a helped others and those who have inspired everyone to be the best they can be, not only as a person of color but as a human. Last year for Black History Month, I started an online series called 28 Days Diversity where I would feature someone new everyday during the month of February for just being awesome in their own right. Even though it’s black history month, the goal for 28 Days of Diversity is to feature not just African-Americans but other minorities in the web/tech space. Also note that 28 Days of Diversity is not a popularity contest or an influencer list but a list of thought leaders in the social web sector, including entrepreneurs, bloggers, conference organizers, IT professionals and friends not ranked in any particular order who I have either met in person or followed online. Each post will include a picture, bio, two links from the selected person and this paragraph.
For 2011 I wanted to not just feature individuals but also address a topic that affects everyone. For 28 Days of Diversity 2011 each post/person will answer the question “How can we use technology to close the digital divide?” So for the next 28 days, come back to visit SocialWayne.com/tag/28daysofdiversity and 28daysofdiversity.com to see who’s on the list. For day 12, I would like to introduce to some and present to others:
Christie Glascoe Crowder
Twitter: @chatterboxcgc
Website/Blog: christiecrowder.com
Bio
I used my real world experiences to cultivate a life I love. I ditched corporate America and my own successful project management firm to become a full time author/blogger, certified life coach, and now, certified social media consultant. Through writing and coaching, I help others discover their true passions and entrepreneurial spirit. The success of my coaching, blogs, online shows, and my passion for social media has caught the eye of big brands and I create digital marketing programs where women are the primary target market.
My first published book, “Your Big Sister’s Guide to Surviving College” debuted the Spring of 2007 and “A Book Is Born” (co-authored) was released in the Fall of that same year. I contribute to other online and print publications and I hope to publish my two fiction novels in 2011.
Like my many manuscripts, my life is a work in progress. I’m always looking for the latest, the greatest, and technologically advanced sanity savers that will help me be a better, healthier, and funnier woman… and (by extension) mom. The creative, clever, candid, and always heavily caffeinated contents of my imperfectly inspired life are spewed across my blog and live-streamed internet shows in a hodge-podge of misfit-mommy wisdom, ah-ha moments, soapbox chatter, and reviews of the coolest things I find that make my inner supermom, my inner “Solid Gold Dancer”, and my inner geek go ga-ga (not necessarily in that order). My methods are unfounded, if not unconventional, yet somehow I manage to enlighten people…or at least entertain them which works just as well. My overall mission is to put smiles on faces and if you’re not smiling right now, well, you haven’t had enough coffee!
How can we use technology to close the digital divide?
Having a child in elementary school as well as being in a family where my mother, father, and sister are “educators” I have seen various “potholes” in the system where technology is concerned. From lack of funds, equipment, and time; to (believe it or not) lack of interest on multiple levels…parents, teachers, and administration…makes the term “digital divide” somewhat of an understatement from my perspective. I’ve seen schools where the community is craving technology education but the schools cannot afford it and I’ve also seen schools that have unprecedented technological resources that are collecting dust because of insufficient instructional time or just flat out refusal to use it.
I would like to see those with the interest and the resources (not necessarily financial) to come up with a “creative task force” to bring affordable technology education programs to schools. These programs would not only be for children. I believe that there should be systems in place to educate teachers and parents so that acceptance and learning can continue inside and outside the classroom.
The other “divide” I’d like to see bridged is within our own digital community. Too many times I have attended high-profile technology and blogging/social media conferences where the attendance as well as the panelists/speakers lacked diversity. It’s time that we realize that technology is not just a “man’s world” and it is very multi-cultural.
You can follow the status of 28 Days of Diversity 2011 on http://28daysofdiversity.com and http://socialwayne.com/category/28-days-of-diversity/
