(ThyBlackMan.com) Attending WordCampUSA Philly was a great opportunity to join over 1800 bloggers, developers, programmers, users and even educators. Joining together to learn, share, and collaborate on a platform that allows for dynamic content to be posted in diverse digital environments.
Attending with my students Joshua Rodriguez a junior studying Biology and Johnathan Gregory a junior studying elementary education, both students attending Edward Waters College. Provided an opportunity to apply what they are learning in the classroom in real world situations.
These situations are not just educational, but involves business, commerce and entrepreneurial opportunities.
Edward Waters College an HBCU building leaders in diverse disciplines is working to build content creators and innovators. In order for this to be successful students must be exposed to industry leaders, developers and programmers and marketers.
Conferences like WordCamp allow for exposure, it encourages interaction and engagement. If students are not involved they lose the chance to be inspired and encouraged to think beyond their current community and even economic level.
Learning from conferences is Dope and Lit, more students of color and culture need to have the opportunity to join in on the discussions to learn and contribute. To move beyond consumers to change into developers.
HBCU – Historic Black Colleges and Universities
should continue to prioritize learning on a foundational level to liberate the thinking of the application and integration of technology to produce not just consume.
Students of color and culture should not follow the words of those who want to limit the abilities of them, because students of color and culture and African students are smart creatives, dynamic innovators and embrace entrepreneurialism that opens doors to build people and nations. My students and I will take back to
our schools, our communities and our peers new knowledge to share, to inspire, to ignite the fires of discovery that change the way children, youth, teens and even young adults see themselves.
“Children don’t care what you know, so long as they know that you care,” is a quote the Jon Gregory shared with me from attending EdCamp NASBE, it applies here as well.
We must share, encourage, engage, inspire, influence, ignite and kindle the joy for learning so students will be life-long learners to build a better tomorrow.
HBCU students should attend conferences, workshops, seminars, meetups, EdCamps, WordCamps, Bar Camps, and other technology events. If the mindset does not change children of color and culture will find themselves unemployable or under-employed in dead end careers and jobs.
What I Learned at WordCampUSA in Philadelphia
1. Put your best foot forward by putting your best foot forward
in creating content and learning from your followers what
they need.
2. Get out and network and get to know people. If you’re a introvert, un-introvert to get stuff done.
3. Understand what a Brand is, then what your Brand is becoming or going to be.
4. What are your goals and what are you trying to accomplish in
your content creation.
5. When using Social Media engage with people not just follow them.
6. Engagement builds relationships which last longer than just networking and following.
7. Google yourself you may find some interesting stuff that Google has found.
8. Use Google to see what the net is presenting about you. Once you start posting content you create a digital footprint that people will follow to you and either continue to follow or put in the digital trash can.
9. You need to have an accurate “story” of who you are, be sure to monitor and manage your “story.”
10. Never let anyone tell your story, you have an authentic story that only you can tell.
11. Attend conferences and workshops to gain knowledge, network and potential collaborations.
12. When and if you can, speak at events that help build connections.
13. Establish a tech budget as you grow with your skills and talents to build diversity in your platforms, widgets and gadgets.
14. Get to understand Hashtags and use them efficiently.
15. Volunteer your talents and skills to youth and teens they are the future to keep the web diverse and exciting.
16. Be a digital mentor by encouraging positive content in text and video. Children and teens will follow what they see.
17. Get out of your introvert persona and get engaged. Being an introvert may be a good thing, use it to you’re advantage.
18. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, the more you know the more you grow. The only dumb question is one you don’t ask.
19. Be authentic to who you are.
20. Establish your culture of digital connection.
21. Leverage your network to people you do not know. Strength comes in growing your network by being engaged with your network.
22. Be a part of a PLN Professional Learning Network or PLC Professional Learning Community
Twitter: #EdCamp #EduMatch #WordCamp
23. Get business cards, there are always opportunity to share and don’t be scared to share.
24. Manage your social networks with occasionally Googling and Hash tagging.
25. Attend Meetups in your communities to build friendships and connections.
24. Be strategically mindful about what you’re doing in your blogging and content development.
25. Encourage girls and women to be involved in technology not just blogging, but in programming, development and creating Apps. BlackGirlsCode BlackGirlNerds #BlackGirlMagic
26. Encourage children, teens and young adults of color and culture to attend events to allow them to see the world and tech differently.
27. Be careful of misinformation that you may be sending out. This is the quickest way to kill your credibility.
28. Don’t blog with your emotions, this may lead to hurting your Brand and validity to be factual.
29. Blogging allows you to reach diverse audiences, but that does not mean people will be listening. Adapt your writing to what people want to learn with your Brand and Niche.
30. Research does your content have any intellectual merit or value?
31. Did you knbow that google and twitter are using word recognition about radicalization with teens and children.
Staff Writer; William D. Jackson
Find out more about this talented writer over at; OCS For Education.
