Local News and Technology in Education

I've been reading news for the last 45 minutes or so (I'm out and about/traveling a bit - time to read). I just read about escalating violence in Sana'a, Yemen (hope I spelled that right) and about an explosion in Ankara, Turkey. When I was still residing in 'the West', I'd read that kind of stuff and feel bad. I'd feel sad for those hurt and affected by the violence. And, I'd go on about life, feeling like I couldn't do much about it. Now, when I read this kind of stuff, it's feels 'local'. I've met people in Yemen. Yemen isn't all the 'nasty' you read in the news. There are beautiful places there (I'm told the snorkeling is fabulous). When I hear about violence there I think, "Wow. I hope so and so is ok." The same for news from Turkey. Once of my best friends here in the region has a home in Istanbul. For me, international news now feels like local news. Living outside of my home country, the world feels so much smaller. As I sit here writing this in a coffee cafe, there are ladies dressed like me (pants, t-shirt), there are ladies in abayas, there are people speaking Arabic, English, Tagalog, and another language I didn't recognize. But we're all about the same business - visiting with people, enjoying wi-fi access and drinking coffee. The world feels so much smaller to me these days.

As a brief note: This clinic is still up and running. They still need financial support. They are the only one of its kind in Yemen.

http://christchurchaden.org I believe the church is currently closed (this is not an ad for the church!) but the Ras Morbat Clinic.

Now...on to 'technology in education.' I just read fun blog post (my stupid old laptop won't let me cut-n-paste the link...grrrrrr.....). The blog is http://danandjillian3.blogspot.com. It's the post from 18 September 2011. It's about how technology is changing education. Kids are growing up totally wired (not on coffee but computers, iPad's etc...). A comment on the post, however, brings up the fact that many many kids in the world can not afford access to that kind of education. So.....it makes me wonder....

For kids getting a 'book only' education - without access to computers and the internet etc...will they be able to someday compete for jobs? Will they be able to lead successful lives? Technologies change and they change the world. The snap I've posted is from a very familiar tree farm. 100 years ago, trees were cut by hand, then came the chain saw, now it's frequently done by big machine with a climate controlled cockpit. How with widening economic gaps, do folks keep up with technology in modern education? I know of a few programs that provide kids with low cost laptops - I think they are even solar powered to help. At least it's a start.

Peace.