Archive for the ‘Events’ Category
Net Literacy challenges students to create financial literacy videos and games
Net Literacy, a digital literacy nonprofit comprised of local Indiana students, along with State Farm Insurance, announced a national competition allowing students will compete for more than one hundred monetary awards for creating videos and interactive games demonstrating the importance of financial literacy. The two organizations came together after Net Literacy received a digital learning grant of $100,000 from State Farm. Net Literacy plans to align the contest with the Indiana Department of Education’s recently established financial literacy standards, which are taught to all 6th through 12th grade students.
David Johnson, Net Literacy’s Student Chairperson and a sophomore at Northwest High School remarked, “We hope that many schools will use this contest as both a class project and an opportunity to engage students to learn about financial literacy.”
Net Literacy’s student board aggregated 200 “best of the web” financial literacy videos and interactive games after a review of more than 5,000 websites. The organization then constructed a website to serve as a resource to students, parents, and educators. The website will launch in April. Following the website project, Net Literacy proposed a grant to encourage students to learn more about financial literacy and use their knowledge to create videos and Interactive games that help their classmates have fun while learning about financial literacy. “Thanks to State Farm and State Farm’s Youth Advisory Board, Net Literacy will be launching a national competition where students can compete for more than 100 awards that will range from $250 to $1,000 for creating videos and interactive games that relate to financial literacy, said Johnson. “We hope that many schools will use this contest as both a class project and an opportunity to engage students to learn about financial literacy. Afterwards, the videos and interactive games will be consolidated on a website where they will be used as a financial literacy resource for students, educators, and parents. The creators of this content will win both a bit of fame and fortune, while helping increase financial literacy among across the country.”
State Farm’s generous grant gives Net Literacy the resources to implement the contest. The student-produced videos and interactive games will be consolidated on a national website where they will be used as a financial literacy resource for students, educators, and parents.
“I am proud that Net Literacy, an organization made of Indiana students, successfully competed for State Farm’s financial literacy grant. This is the type of service learning project that encourages student success, and I congratulate them on this endeavor,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Tony Bennett.
“State Farm supports service-learning because it combines service to the community with classroom curriculum in a hands-on approach to mastering subject material while fostering civic responsibility,” said State Farm Community Specialist Ed Perez. “The State Farm Youth Advisory Board is a prime example of State Farm’s commitment to education, our community and our youth.”
Visit www.statefarmyab.com for more information about the different projects being funded and about the Youth Advisory Board.
State Farm will present the check to Net Literacy at a press conference in Indianapolis on February 22, 2010.
More information is available by clicking on the Financial Literacy Contest tab and registering to receive email newsletter updates from this website.
Wireless Communications Association Spotlights Net Literacy
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The Wireless Communications Association International (WCAI – www.wcai.com) spotlights Net Literacy as one of their 15 Cooperating Events and Supported Organizations, along with organizations including the Yankee Group, IEEE 802, IPv6 Forum, and the Wireless Communications Alliance.
WCAI Member Spotlight
Net Literacy Works with WCAI Members to Increase Broadband Adoption
The digital divide is expensive! It diminishes the quality of people’s lives, reduces their competitiveness and life options, and closes them off from a world of information, entertainment, and communications. The WCAI and its members are working together to make a difference while increasing broadband adoption in America.
Net Literacy (www.netliteracy.org) is a 501(c)(3) organization where high school and college students do all the volunteering and whose board of directors is 50% comprised of students. Net Literacy empowers youth to increase computer availability and Internet literacy focusing on underserved youth, families, and seniors citizens. It has increased computer access to over 130,000 individuals in four states. Increasing broadband adoption is good public policy, and US Senators Evan Bayh and Richard Lugar Co-Chair Net Literacy’s Honorary Board of Directors. The Honorary Board includes Lt. Governor Skillman, Congressmen, and Mayors. Net Literacy has been recognized by our nation’s leadership, from President Clinton in a NYC ceremony to President Bush in a White House ceremony.
The company’s initiatives are divided into five major programs:
1. Senior Connects Program – This program promotes senior citizen computer and Internet literacy by supplying computers and training materials; or by building public computer labs and teaching senior citizens (and especially those seniors that are mobility impaired or lack reliable transportation) computer and Internet skills. Senior Connects (www.seniorconnects.org) has provided many residents with their first access to public computer labs within their own facilities. The students do all of the installation, computer and software set-up and training – while the management of the facilities must agree to install and maintain Internet access for its residents.
2. Safe Connects Program – With Internet predators and chat room bullying, finding effective ways to educate children about Internet safety has become a critical issue and this Net Literacy program has established a “student-teaching-students/parents” model program for school systems throughout America. The program includes PSAs, 25 minute video presentations, and student presentations to other students. The program was jointly announced by the Indiana Department of Education and Net Literacy. More information about Safe Connects is available at www.safeconnects.org.
3. Community Connects Program – Computer Connects is another Net Literacy program that has built hundreds of computer labs to increase computer access to the underserved. Community Connects (www.communityconnects.org) provides a computer or computer lab to HUD and Section 8 apartments with 50 or more dwelling units, community centers, faith-based organizations, nonprofits, public libraries, and schools.
4. Computer Connects – Every Saturday, many schools gather to work together to repurpose thousands of computers in support of the Community Connects and Senior Connects programs. During weekdays, high schools and colleges also repurpose computers providing thousands of computers for schools. Schools use the computers to build computer labs, place computers in the classrooms, and provide computers to families not having a computer at their home. Student volunteers dispose of unusable computers in an EPA compliant manner, preventing computers and monitors from being delivered to landfills. Learn more by visiting www.computerconnects.org.
5. Financial Connects – Financial literacy is a required life skill, and America’s access to debt and credit is increasingly migrating to the Internet. Financial literacy provides students information that ranges from online banking to avoiding identify theft, and from how to find online scholarships and grants to how to save $100,000 – or many of $100,000s. A financial literacy portal containing a list of the 200 “best of class” online interactive financial games, videos, and calculators were aggregated after an exhaustive search of more than 5,000 financial literacy websites. The website will be launch in February at www.financialconnects.org.
Net Literacy’s programs are independently beginning to be developed by students from New York to California and around the world (www.netliteracyalliance.org). The US Internet Industry Association recently submitted a Filing to the FCC naming Net Literacy’s model as the preferred approach to reducing the digital divide in the United States. Net Literacy was selected by the European Union Study on Digital Inclusion as one of the 91 most promising good practice initiatives based upon an investigation of 32 countries including the EU Member States, the United States, Norway, Iceland, Canada, and India. Microsoft’s publication Innovating for inclusion: A Digital Inclusion guide for those leading the way, cites Net Literacy as one of the best of class digital inclusions examples. The US Broadband Coalition cited Net Literacy and its model several times as examples in its “Adoption and Usage Report” that was prepared for the FCC and has been featured in ads by Broadband For America, an organization co-chaired by Former FCC Chairman Michael Powell and former Congressman Harold Ford, Jr.
Net Literacy’s content and programs are available at no cost to all WCAI members.
Net Literacy Wins a $97,900 Grant to Launch a National Financial Literacy Website
On February 22nd, Net Literacy (www.netliteracy.org) will hold a press conference to announce the details of a $97,900 grant awarded to the nonprofit to build a financial literacy website that includes videos and interactive games created by middle school, high school and college students. Most of the grant’s funds will be used to compensate middle school, high school, and college developers for creative and engaging videos and interactive games teaching financial literacy that are chosen for use on the website.
Financial literacy and Internet financial literacy creates a value proposition that increases broadband adoption.
Details will be made available on February 22nd. For additional information, please contact danielkent@netliteracy.org.