With the launch of Apple’s IBook textbook application a new era in learning has begun. Listen to my podcast where I explain that while the technology is game changing, not getting it to minorities and the inner cities could create a new digital divide. I believe a post from Time magazine paints an accurate picture of the worst case scenario: Thus in the most frightening scenario, one could imagine a world where Apple’s textbooks serve [...]

I came across an interesting  article recently that struck a cord with me. The woman in article talks about how she remembers how she was taught basic technology concepts in school.  And by learning those concepts her comfort level for technology was nurtured even though she was not a “geek.” Her nostalgic look reminded of those times and how true she was. Schools did teach basic technology skills as part of their core activities and [...]

Today  I wrote a post that appears on the huffington post today that talks about the recent donation by Mark Zuckerberg and how another group called free press spent their money last week. You can read the post here and  listen to my audio podcast below.

This post originally appeared on politic365.com A recent article in Investor’s Business Daily revealed a startling bias against the potential benefits of broadband, particularly for low-income and minority students. According to Norm Alster, the article’s author, [T]he latest research suggests that dumping technology on people actually widens the gap between haves and have-nots.  Kids who are given computers and high-speed Internet begin to slip in math, reading and English.  The impact is worst among the [...]

I recently was asked to answer some questions as part of the 30 sec MBA series on FastCompany.com. I was humbled to be asked to be in the company of some great thought leaders. Take a look and let me know what you think. http://www.fastcompany.com/mba/node/343?video=1 http://www.fastcompany.com/mba/node/293?video=0

I live in New Jersey and I’ve been following our new governor’s massive education budget cuts.  Everything from clubs and sports programs are being removed. Teacher’s are being let go and classes are being consolidated. The public school experience as we know it is changing dramatically for the worse. For those who want to know more about the issues in New Jersey you can read here and here. I’m sure that there are similar issues [...]

Give children some broadband with that apple juice The allocation of broadband stimulus funds are being widely debated, and it seems like a lot of people are weighing in on how those funds are being used. I came across an article that talks about a program to offer discounts for broadband service to all the children that qualify for the National School Lunch program. I applaud the idea, but consider this: the odds that these [...]

Imagine the outrage from parents, teachers, and the community if a school announced that some of its students would have access to textbooks, research papers, and literature, but other students would be denied those resources.  Some students would be branded as worthy, while others as second class. It baffles me that broadband Internet access in our schools is not seen as such as concern. However, it is encouraging to hear that this digital divide is [...]