The Power of Blogging – Opening Dynamic Digital Doorways for HBCU Students
Professor William Jackson, M.Edu, Graduate of South Carolina State University
Twitter @myquesttoteach
Clubhouse @myquesttoteach
Professor Aida Correa-Jackson, Lenoir-Rhyne University
Twitter @lovebuiltlife
Clubhouse @lovebuiltlife
There are more Africans seeking their degrees at American HBCU schools.
Historically Black College and Universities are an educational alternative,
as a graduate of South Carolina State University I have fond memories of
meeting with and working with students from other nations, especially
from African nations.
Africa is progressing rapidly integrating technology so its students can
be future leaders, influencers and building their roles of knowledge
leaders and digital creators of content.
Blogging, Micro-Blogging, Podcasting and Audio-blogging (Clubhouse)
is a dynamic digital doorway to engagement, opening the mind to
manipulating the human language, sharing thoughts created by the
firing of synapse in the brain.
Thoughts that can travel faster than a flash of lightening and
even more powerful because it can change the world. The power
of thinking can literally influence the lives of thousands.
No language is left untouched from dynamic digital platforms
because anyone literally can blog, it just depends on the platform
you want to use and the audience you want to build.
Social engagements are continuously changing because of
access to the Internet that allows for continuous exchanges.
Traditional processes of communication have adapted from verbal
exchanges to the infusion of digital tools and platforms that allow
for exchanges of information that are continuous and streaming.
Skills ranging from traditional Blogging, Vblogging, Podcasting,
Instagramming, SnapChatting, Vining, Tik Toc, Periscope, Voxing,
Facebook Live and Clubhouse. The list continues to grow that
requires skills that seem to need a higher educational degree,
but require the desire and passion to create content.
As a past instructor teaching Educational Technology,
Social Media and STEAM from 2004 to 2017 at Edward Waters
College, now Edward Waters University there is a need for
instruction that is tailored not to specific platforms, but
open opportunties of the why Social Media should be implemented
and how to effectively obtain and understand that career
success may be dependent on gaining knowledge, acquiring
resources and networking.
Teaching now since June 2021 at Florida State College of
Jacksonville, Florida, teaching Digital Media and Web 2.0
the engagement and interactivity is important as digital media
influencers. Previously shared in another blog on social media,
previous students like Crystal Sanders, attending the course
Educational Technology and Social Media stated; “as a future
educational leader you maybe required to conduct trainings
on a platform or formats using productivity tools and digital
tools.” Students attending EWC / EWU have learned that tech
requires leaders and future visions to implement that is
being learned in the classroom.
Crystal continues to share, “understanding how to use these
tools is very important, each lesson in Educational Technology
and Social Media is designed for you to “think and apply” in
a particular way concerning your area of study. Professor
Jackson is teaching us how to be digital influencers for the
future in multiple careers.”
Project based learning and developing thought leadership,
critical and higher order thinking that each generation of
content creators will need as they begin their careers that
require an online presence. Digital content is not just the
traditional text blogging, it contains photos, video and
other elements.
Our society is a knowledge based society, where reading,
comprehension, creativity, integration and innovation of
diverse technologies is seamless and transparent. There is
a need for skills of acquiring information, applying
information and understanding the relevancy of information.
Youth, teens and young adults need to be taught how information
is empowering when applied in life.
The Power of Blogging – Opening Dynamic Digital Doorways for
HBCU Students shows that blogging is not dead as some people
imply. It is transforming to embrace a digital lifestyles, a way of thinking,
growing social engagements that allow for direct communication,
local connections that build community activism, mobile
ability to communicate on the move and community interaction
that brings people closer together and allows for diversity
to unite instead of divide people.
Digital doorways are growing, from virtual reality, 3D and 4D
rendering on holograms and creating Holodecks as seen in
Star Trek. The ideas are first from the mind, then adapted to
fit the needs of humanity and humanistic engagement to address
social skills that require digital tools. HBCU students need to
be aware of their place in digital careers and not settle for
the bear minimum of “jobs” or as my grandmother states,
“just over broke and single.”
The only limits are the limitations to dream, dreams
carry the mind to new realities for careers not even created
yet. Digital doorways are waiting to be created so each
generation can walk through and be engaged and make societal
changes. HBCU students can be the orchestrators of change that
build communities, influence critical thinking and change the
narrative and vision of how people see Black, Brown and Indigenous
people to be productive and contributory in the world.
William Jackson, M.Ed.
Can be heard on his Podcast:
My Quest To Teach – Digital Evangelism
https://anchor.fm/william-d-jackson
Blogging on My Quest to Teach
https://myquesttoteach.com/
WordPress TV
https://wordpress.tv/?s=william+jackson
Aida Correa-Jackson
Speaking on WordPress TV
https://wordpress.tv/?s=aida+correa
Web site: LoveBuilt Life, LLC
https://lovebuiltlife.com/
Offering STEAM workshops to youth,
teen and young adult organizations.
Affordable prices for limited budgets,
churches and not for profit groups.
https://williamdjackson.edublogs.org/