Equal Internet Access is a K-12 Must-Have

COMMENTARY by Helen Brunner

The days when spiral notebooks, No. 2 pencils, and a backpack full of textbooks served as the mainstays of the American classroom are rapidly giving way to a new school environment. Interactive whiteboards, online classes, streaming lectures, and digital textbooks are revolutionizing the way students learn and communicate with their teachers. Technology is blurring the brick-and-mortar boundaries of learning in 21st-century schools.

As a result, access to the Internet has become a need-to-have-not just a nice-to-have-when it comes to student success. After all, according to documents the Federal Communications Commission's broadband task force released in 2009, about 70 percent of teens said the Internet had been their primary source for a recent school project, and at least 65 percent went online at home to complete their homework. Teachers routinely assign homework that requires Internet use to complete, and more than half of American schools expect to adopt e-textbooks in the next two to three years.

But with this increased reliance on the Internet as a basic resource in our education system, we can't forget about the infrastructure that makes it all possible. We must ensure that all students-no matter their location or socioeconomic status-have access to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet both in and outside the classroom.

Even if students have reliable Internet access at school, many become digitally disconnected once they leave. This is especially true for minorities and those who live in rural or low-income communities, and it makes their homework harder to complete.

Read the rest of this Black Star Journal commentary here.

Best Practices for BDPA Computer Camps (Los Angeles)

BDPA chapters around the nation are ramping up their Student Information Technology Education & Scholarship (SITES) programs for 2013. One component of the SITES program is a computer camp for high school students that takes place on Saturdays with volunteer instructors.

 One of the fastest-growing computer camps is hosted by BDPA Los Angeles chapter. BDPA Los Angeles chapter president John Malonson recently shared some of the 'best practices' used by his chapter:

John Malonson

1. Google Services - Use Google Docs Forms to create registration forms (the back-end spreadsheet can then be easily shared and viewed by whomever you'd like to have access). Believe me, it makes the registration process super easy and hassle free. The form can be used to track volunteers and trainers as well. Here's an example of our form from this year -- http://www.bdpa.org/members/group_content_view.asp?group=71844&id=173042
2. Radio advertisement when it's time to fill the pipeline - Our students that took us to the #3 spot last year are in or close to their last year of eligibility so it was time to glut the incoming pipeline. We advertised on a well-known African American LA radio station (KJLH 102.3) which led to 80% of our incoming class and indirectly served the benefit of advertising our organization. Here's our Radio script - https://docs.google.com/document/d/124r9ZWCm0ObwrUE7IIOObqINC8D7ni3MvE9xCMLMJvg/edit
3. Personal Contact - I personally fielded over a hundred calls of people interested in the program even though the registration fee is $125 for our program. To increase membership, my vision was to basically make the program free for parents and students that are members of BDPA (i.e $100 for adult membership, $25 for student membership). If you don't have one already, you should consider signing up for a Google Voice account since it transcribes voice-mails for you and sends them to your inbox.
4. Class Schedule - This year we divided the program into 2 tracks (Beginner 12-2pm and Advanced 10-12pm). Our advanced track is primarily for returners so they don't get bored going over stuff they already know. Our program runs from Feb 2nd thru May 11th. Then we'll select our team and will work with them up until the conference.
5. Finding Trainers / Volunteers - This is the most difficult part. General administrative trainers can be pulled from the parent population if need be. For technical trainers, you basically need to be finding and recruiting them 24/7/365. We found a few by joining Meetup.com groups that catered to our technology platform (HTML , CSS, PHP, etc). First you get friendly with these groups, THEN you start asking for volunteers to help out with "a wonderful program that will suit their talents and develop their leadership abilities".
6. Topics to be taught this year: - Mobile Development (Android); HTML / CSS; PHP / MySQL; JQuery

Hope that helps!
John Malonson, president
BDPA Los Angeles Chapter

Scholarships Award STEM Majors

Your vision of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors may be one of mad scientists in white lab coats, vials of bubbling concoctions, or safety goggles and pocket protectors - but as times change, so do the visions of what these important areas of study entail and produce.

As our society becomes increasingly environmentally aware, health conscious, and reliant on technology, STEM majors are playing more prominent roles in their communities and on an international scale. Both the public and private sectors are clamoring for more American students to pursue degrees and careers in STEM related fields, including environmental science, clean energy, exercise science, among others. And, as a result, everyone from private organizations to the federal government is offering attractive STEM scholarships and grants.

Read the rest of this Scholarship America article.

Scholarship America

Scholarship America® is a national organization that helps students get into and graduate from college through three core programs: Dollars for Scholars®, DreamkeepersSM®, and Scholarship Management Services®. More than $2.7 billion in scholarships and education assistance has been awarded to more than 1.8 million students since 1958. Their scholarship administration expertise has helped nearly 1,100 communities and more than 1,100 corporations develop and implement scholarship programs for local students.

Got a question? E-mail them or follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Who Am I? Monique Berry (National BDPA President)

BDPA and the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation strive to make a difference in both the Black community. We have some serious people who volunteer to implement programs that will advance the careers of African Americans in the IT industry. We don't always get a chance to know our BDPA leaders in a personal way. This blog decided to try and provide you with a different perspective ... a different look ... at our BDPA leaders.

Who Am I?

Monique Berry

IF I WERE A...

• MONTH, I would be... April
• COLOR, I would be... Red
• TIME OF DAY, I would be... 12:00 AM
• SUPERPOWER, I would be... The ability to copy or absorb another's powers or skills
• FLOWER, I would be... Rose
• SONG, I would be... Don't Worry Be Happy
  
• CAR, I would be... Bugatti Veyron 16.3 Grand Sport Vitesse
• ITEM OF CLOTHING, I would be... a hat
• ANIMAL, I would be... a Tiger
• FOOD, I would be... Red Velvet Chocolate
• MOVIE, I would be... The Godfather
• CITY/TOWN, I would be... Las Vegas
• SPORT, I would be... Golf

Monique Berry has a powerful legacy within BDPA as a successful local chapter president and one of a handful of national presidents.  It has been my sincere pleasure to serve with her and I encourage all who read this blog post to take a moment and email her on president@bdpa.org.

Our hope is that Monique will join us here on the blog to share deeper insights into these things via the COMMENTS feature! What did you learn about our national president via this blog post that you may never have known otherwise?

Buick Achievers Scholarship Program (Deadline: 2/28/2013)

Soulclap to Dr. Craig Brown for sharing this information about the Buick Achievers Scholarship Program. I encourage all BDPAers to ask themselves a simple question:

ARE YOU THE NEXT BUICK ACHIEVER?

It starts with good grades. But goes beyond. A dedicated student. A leader in school. A volunteer worker. A college-bound and community-minded individual. The Buick Achievers Scholarship Program wants to reward students who have succeeded both inside and outside of the classroom—and who may not be able to attend college without financial assistance.

REWARDING ACHIEVEMENT, EXPERIENCE & COMMITMENT Scholarship recipients are selected based on the following factors:

• Academic achievement and financial need.  
• Participation and leadership in community and school activities.
• Work experience.
•  Interest in pursuing a career in the automotive or related industry.

Please note special consideration will be given to the following applicants: first-generation college, female, minority, military veteran or a dependent of military personnel. The majority of the scholarships will be awarded to students majoring in Engineering/Technology fields. Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship Management Services.

Full Details and Application

Who Am I? - Dr. Jesse Bemley (Founder, IT Showcase and High School Computer Competition)

BDPA and the BDPA Education and Technology Foundation strive to make a difference in both the Black community. We have some serious people who volunteer to implement programs that will advance the careers of African Americans in the IT industry. We don't always get a chance to know our BDPA leaders in a personal way. This blog decided to try and provide you with a different perspective ... a different look ... at our BDPA leaders.

Who Am I?

Dr. Jesse Bemley

IF I WERE A...

• MONTH, I would be... April
• COLOR, I would be... Black
• TIME OF DAY, I would be... Morning
• SUPERPOWER, I would be... USA
• FLOWER, I would be... Rose
• SONG, I would be... 'No Charge' (Shirley Caesar)
• CAR, I would be... Neon
• ITEM OF CLOTHING, I would be... suit
• ANIMAL, I would be... a Pit Bull
• FOOD, I would be... Turkey
• MOVIE, I would be... True Grit
• CITY/TOWN, I would be... Memphis
• SPORT, I would be... Football

Dr. Bemley is the creative genius behind both the BDPA High School Computer Competition and the BDPA IT Showcase. What isn't well-known is that Dr. Bemley is also a past president of the BDPA Washington DC chapter.

Our hope is that Dr. Bemley will join us here on the blog to share deeper insights into these things via the COMMENTS feature! What did you learn about BDPA's intellectual beacon via this blog post that you may never have known otherwise?