Why Parents Need To Encourage Learning In The Home

Why Parents Need To Encourage Learning In The Home
William Jackson, M.Ed. Certified VR & STEAM Educator CEO of My Quest To Teach World Metaverse Council ED3DAO GatherVerse

Now that the summer is over, it is the perfect time to encourage applying learning and education to everyday situations and building learning as fun and empowering. Appling learning to real life experiences to build relevancy and connections for the future. Applying math to help building a budget, managing a bank account and credit cards. Reading and comprehension to build an appreciation for literacy, expanding the imagination and diving into technology to prepare for future careers. The amount of skill level using tech will determine employability, youth and teens today will be under-employed in the future and even being able to move on with their lives or living at home with parents / grandparents that wonder when they will have their homes all to themselves, if ever.

American youth, teens and young adults are missing the mark completely in multiple areas of career preparation. Teaching children how to budget money early will allow for them to process the value of money and build a respect for work and managing resources. Parents should have used the summer to incorporate reading, comprehension, ownership for individual learning into their children’s life and teaching children how influential even in a small way that learning and education of all types is important.

The areas of Science Technology Engineering Arts Mathematics Metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, Immersive Technologies, Robotic, Web 3, IOT, and other tech is a strong determining factor to what your youth, teens and young adults have access to and to use. 90% of careers will be influence with the use of some form of technology.

Teaching children and teens early will help them learn to survive when there is no one around to give advice, it will already be in them in thinking creatively and being innovative with their resources. Instead of telling children that money does not grow on trees the summer should have been used to show them by allowing them to practice saving and spending. Provide a budget and some funds so it can be seen in a realistic format. Children and teens need to be allowed to shop, compare items and compare the cost helps to understand the monetary responsibilities in feeding a family; also helping children learn the sacrifices parents make for even small things as prices fluctuate.

Children and teens perspectives are different when parents, family and even summer camps teach how to manage money that is not infinite, there is a limit. The science of shopping, preparation, cooking and serving can be fun and open discussions as to why parents or guardians only purchase certain foods or why parents or guardians shop at certain stores. Understanding and comprehension come when a child or teen applies what they are learning to real world situations.

Just think what your child may be applying when they are learning to connect the pieces of living a life on a budget, not understanding that their futures will not have mom, dad, grandma, grandpa giving them monies. There is an accountability and responsibility to earning monies that are used to survive and thrive. Parents do their children a gross disservice not teaching about banking, not teaching about budgeting and giving them the false expectations that life owes them something.

Schools are starting again, classrooms are filing up, school buses are running, the opportunities are available to grow in knowledge, advance in learning and building and expanding networks. What comes naturally with communication is changing as Smartphones are increasingly available and provide access to longer distances of communication. “Youth, teens and young adults are learning that their Smartphones can be their best friends or worst enemy depending on the type of content they are posting. Who they are associated with and the strategies the use to stay safe online.” William Jackson

The value of education is not just education itself, but it allows for the accumulation of information, facts, access to data, empowerment, encouragement and students still need to learn how to apply these to real life experiences. Parents must understand that value of “exposure,” the purpose of “application” and “implementation” are valuable and empowering.

The first teacher is the parent, but if the parent is also lacking in information that makes a dangerous situation, because ignorant parents, create ignorant children and this creates a generational problem of ignorance or lack of knowledge. Students cannot grow if they don’t see their families growing. Children will not excel if there is not the value of learning and changing the mind-sets of comprehension.

Families need to still be visiting museums, library events, cultural activities, field trips in their cities, even in high school students need to learn their addresses, zip codes, area codes and what is in their communities. It is a damn shame that a high school student does not know their address, zip code and what is in their community. They need to see the value of their communities and to be the agents of change necessary so change can happen and growth.

Summer camps fill a void in learning gaps and exposure, in this world of Technology, Robots, Drones, Social Media, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, and IOT Internet Of Things, scientific break throughs, medical discoveries, etc, children must be prepared especially children of color. There does not have to be any learning gaps when parents look at the big picture of society, the lives of children. No matter what grade their children are growing into there is always learning, doing, advancing and achieving. Parents be involved in what your children are learning at school, be involved, be engaged, ask questions. You have the rights to be engaged and active.

Climatic Changes and How Kenyan Youth and Teens Can Help

Climatic Changes and How Kenyan Youth and Teens Can Help

William Jackson, M. Ed. CEO My Quest To Teach World Metaverse Council ED3 DAO – GatherVerse Africa

The effects of climatic change are being felt globally, the extreme and unpredictable weather is creating literally hundreds of fire storms across many nations even across the continent of Africa. More information here https://www.africa.com/climate-change/ Deserts are hotter, crops are drying up, droughts are occurring increasingly and more frequently. African nations are unifying to find strategies, scientific methodologies to combat and slow the changes that are occurring. Devastation with fires recently within the borders of Canada and Maui, China with massive flooding, India with massive swarms of insects in one portion and flooding in another portion of the nation are taking the lives of thousands and displaced millions.

Africa.com is providing an opportunity for the President of Kenya, William Ruto to answer questions, provide strategies and talk about what Kenya is doing in this time of climatic disaster, environmental flux and Africa’s role in helping to prevent and slow down these changes across the continent.

Wednesday, August 30th 2023 is a historic event to hear the dynamic and passionate sharing of his ideas, vision and strategies to address these issues. “Climate XChange: Youth Dialogues” “Climate XChange: Youth Dialogues” promises to be a vibrant event where young participants from across Kenya,  Africa and the Diaspora can pose questions and share their insights directly with President Ruto. The dialogue symbolizes President Ruto’s dedication to an inclusive approach in policy-making, where the youth, being central to Africa’s future, have a significant role to play. Register Here

Teresa Clarke, CEO of Africa.com, expressed her enthusiasm about the collaboration: “We’re incredibly proud to host this pivotal conversation. The youth represent not just the future of Africa, but its present. By providing them with a platform to engage directly with leaders like President Ruto, we are ensuring that their voices play a central role in shaping the continent’s response. As a teacher of STEAM+M and how human interaction with the planet for hundreds of years has not been beneficial, we are reaping the results of the burning of fossil fuels, pollution of the atmosphere with chemicals, cutting down of millions of acers of trees that create the very air we breathe and even how we damage our oceans which absorbs 90% of the heat and even is a filtration system for the earth. This event with Africa.com is a historic event that all of Kenya, Africa and even the global nations that create more global pollution than Africa’s 54 nations. Global warming is creating a critical role for accessibility as Africa copes with the extreme climate change.

There are five ways accessibility is important during extreme climate change for Africa. They will be discussed in the next writing. 1. Emergency Response 2. Healthcare Access 3. Agriculture and Food Security 4. Water and Sanitation 5. Community Connectivity Stay tuned for more…… Register at https://www.facebook.com/Africacom/mentions

Part 2 WordCamp Conferences Across Africa

African Empowerment of Youth and Teens In The Digital Age with WordCamp Conferences
William Jackson, M.Ed. World Metaverse Council
WordPress / WordCamp Community since2010
Certified VR Educator – STEAM+M Educator
CEO My Quest To Teach

WordCamp Europe 2023 provided a workshop opportunity for youth and teens across Europe. WordCamp Kampala and WordCamp Masaka are providing a youth and teen camp at their WordCamps as well.
These workshops are specifically for the youngest of attendees in the ages of 8 to 16 years of age.

Boys and girls from across Europe were provided an opportunity to learn how WordPress could empower, inspire, equip, and enable them to be not just content creators, but business owners and entrepreneurs. This is the same for Kampala and Maska conferences having the potential to build African youth and teens into future digital influencers, WordPress advocates and future
WordCamp volunteers, organizers, and speakers.

There is great importance in exposing youth and teens early by including them, they are the future of WordPress and WordCamp across Africa. Most organizations build-in mentorships, internships, or other areas to train youth and teens to make sure the future is bright, and a business or organization is sustainable and expansion.

Workshop in Europe like the one coordinated by William Jackson and Aida Correa Jackson (husband and wife) helped youth and teens see how WordPress can blend with diverse technologies that will influence the futures of the youngest attendees. Web development, STEAM+M Education, AI (Artificial Intelligence) Integration and VR (Virtual Reality) of Immersive Environments are some of the tools, platforms, and environments that youth and teens are learning. They will need strong foundations based on training, mentorship, and engagement. The fast pace of technology, the lack of exposure still influences the African continent digital divide that is present and being addressed by WordPress and the World Metaverse Council that the Jackson’s are members of.

Teachers of workshops, William and Aida traveled to Athens, Greece where over 2800 attended the European conference in Athens, Greece.  Aida Correa Jackson was previously selected as one of the dedicated organizers in 2022 with many others that planned for WCEU 2023, William Jackson was selected as a photographer and My Quest To Teach was honored as a Media Partner. Both have international experiences with youth and teens providing workshops, and trainings Their experiences as teachers in public and higher education enhance their ability to connect with youth, teens, and young adults as the do with working with African WordCamps like WordCamp Kampala and WordCamp Masaka as they provide their Kids Camp conferences.

The activities developed are based on hands-on projects, using storyboarding, vision-boarding, photography activities, scavenger hunts, activities that integrates STEAM+M called “Are You Smarter Than An Eighth Grader,” that was modified to; “Are You Smarter Than A Greek Philosopher.” The activities are designed to bring out creativity, innovation, and imagination;
and build on the digital knowledge and skills the youth and teens have. Even in Europe youth are excited, engaged and entertained by technology.  These European youth will be competing against African youth for future tech jobs. The Jackson’s hope they can guide youth and teens not just in the United States, but globally to see that youth and teens can be business owners and entrepreneurs.

According to BuiltIn Gaming (2022), ‘the gaming industry, a current $200 billion influencer, is arguably one of the most important and innovative sectors in tech today. Its importance to culture, social networking and entertainment cannot be understated.” Kids and Youth Camps are present at the upcoming WordCamp Masaka 2023 and WordCamp Kamala 2023 on the continent of Africa. The goal is to provide educational, business, and entrepreneurial training to get youth and teens excited about tech beyond gaming.

Pranah (8 yrs old) has an infectious smile that would not stop. She was among the girls attending that were inspired to create their blogs on WordPress.com (a free site). She was able to write about what she enjoyed, expressing herself stating, “this is the best conference ever.” Comments by Alex (8 yrs old) as he designed his web site “Alex The Awesome,” showed how influential activities like these are for mental health in youth and teens, building self-respect, and achievement. Kids want to see themselves achieve success and share it with the world. Alex also could not stop smiling, laughing, and giggling as he, and his mother helped build a web site which, from time-to-time Alex would say, “best time ever.” Posting his photos from the scavenger hunt, and selfies his mom and he took. These same ideas and emotions are shared by the African youth and teens attending WordCamp Kampala and WordCamp Masaka both in Uganda.

WordPress.com does not require coding, programming, or special digital skills. All that is needed is the desire to learn and incorporate imagination, creativity, enthusiasm, and having fun. The influence of WordPress and WordCamp conferences can be seen in its youngest attendees who are the future of digital careers, inventions and innovation. The better educated, inspired, engaged, and guided they are to using technology ethically and productively the better youth and teens can change the world in a positive and fruitful way.

WordCamp Conferences Europe and Africa
WordCamp Europe – https://europe.wordcamp.org/2023/wordpress-workshop-for-kids/
The numbers from WCEU
https://europe.wordcamp.org/2023/wceu-2023-in-numbers/
WordCamp Kamala – https://kampala.wordcamp.org/2023/
WordCamp Masaka – https://masaka.wordcamp.org/2023/students-showcase/
William can be followed on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Thread @myquesttoteach
Aida can be followed on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Thread @lovebuiltlife

 

Part 1 The Growth of WordCamp Conferences Across Africa

Part 1 The Growth of WordCamp Conferences Across Africa
WordCamp Kampala Uganda Africa
William Jackson, M.Ed.



WC Kampala provided a conference that expanded the knowledge
of those that attended the youth, teens and young adults that
attended the youth and teens workshop.
It was an honor that My Quest To Teach was able to provide
several resources in the forms of Media Partnership, Spatial
Metaverse Gallery, YouTube Videos and other digital platforms
and tools.

Africa continues to shine bright !!!
The youth, teens and young adults attending WordCamp Kampala,
Uganda, Africa are learning web development, content creation,
digital branding, coding, and programing skills that will empower
them for their future careers. Technology can be a global equalizer
and serve as a tool to level opportunities for African girls and boys.
What better way to encourage, inspire, educate, promote creativity
and digital innovation. To share the value of Diversity, Equitability,
Culture, Gender and influence generations for careers of the now
and the future. The future is filled with diverse levels of technology
that help build collaboration, cooperation and unity.

Technology is opening doors, smashing glass ceilings, changing
how people and the world is thinking about Africa. These children,
youth, teens and young adults are learning skills that other parts
of the world can only dream about. Africa is growing in her ability
to influence the world with the best natural resource Africa has,
its people.

WordCamp Kampala and the other African WordCamp’s are
empowering their youth and there are more coming generations
to attend conferences, workshops, seminars, and events.
My Quest To Teach is honored to support, sponsor, encourage
and inspire to the betterment and growth across Africa.

Check out the Spatial Gallery Hallway to see the photos and
coming video for this phenomenal experience.

WordCamp Kampala Spatial Gallery
https://www.spatial.io/s/WordCamp-Kampala-Uganda-2023-Going-on-Now-64a01c8a29c7a7b52e20e558?share=7538241872363434001

WordCamp Kampala Web Site
https://kampala.wordcamp.org/2023/

WordCamp Kampala Uganda 2023 YouTube
https://youtu.be/Z-4HhOARKbs

WC Kampala Kids Camp 2023 YouTube
https://youtu.be/9aqnP2MVZk4

WordCamp Kampala 2023 Presentation
by William Jackson, M.Ed.
https://youtu.be/Yf4v3njP3f0  

WordCamp Kampala 2023, August 5-6th Recap I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upTMz-ymyvg

More African WordCamp Conferences coming in 2023

1. WordCamp Nairobi – https://nairobi.wordcamp.org/2023/
Spatial – https://www.spatial.io/s/WordCamp-Nairobi-2023-649595dd4117821463dae2a4?share=6343935252651046366

2. WordCamp Masaka – https://masaka.wordcamp.org/2023/
Spatial – https://www.spatial.io/s/WordCamp-Masaka-2023-644a117bb5e2d9f8e80922fc?share=1950979281621536695

3. WordCamp Jinja – https://jinja.wordcamp.org/2023/
Spatial – https://www.spatial.io/s/WordCamp-Jinja-Uganda-2023-64881c0d780666d4c44cbc06?share=5308671471746698696

4. To see globally where WordCamp’s are being held check out
WordCamp Central
https://central.wordcamp.org/


Africans Using Metaverse Tools, Digital Apps to Build Empowered Communities

Africans Using Metaverse Tools, Digital Apps to Build Empowered Communities

William Jackson, M.Ed. My Quest to Teach
Power of Africa

Since the explosion of Smartphone technologies, growing numbers of Africans are creating content, sharing their ideas, experiences, dreams, creativity, imagination, and determination for a better life on digital platforms. The opportunities to share content that addresses the thoughts, ideas, knowns, and unknowns that are on the minds of millions of Africans. The voices of millions of Africans are important, they are valuable and influential. Even though I live in the United States, I can see, read and if I wanted to hear the contributions of Africans that want better schools, that desire employment not just for themselves, but for the youth, teens and young adults that want to improve the living conditions of their families. Technology has grown to the point where Africans with a Smartphone can be connected to the world like never before.

Digital platforms have opened so many opportunities for Africans to share their voices, to empower their voices and market their knowledge, skills, talents, and business objectives.
Using technology to amplify their desires to be entrepreneurs across the second largest continent on the globe. The value and potential in building African home-grown businesses that potentially can improve communities and provide new revenues to fund cities, villages, communities. Building of communities can allow for growth in areas of improved schools, roads, medical facilities, law enforcement that has the needs of the citizens first and open gates that allow youth, teens, and young adults to either stay in the community and contribute or leave to pursue their dreams.

There are strong and influential entrepreneurs across Africa, they just need to be paired with the correct digital tools to solve a problem, provide resources and services that other Africans need. There are social issues that need to be addressed and social engagements to be engaged conversations across the continent and around the globe.  Resources like “Create My Voice” uses Alexa and Google to allow written blogs to be heard. Read by dynamic voices, either male or female and having their content read.

Technology can be used and applied to personal Smartphones that can and do empower Africans as never before. As a member of the World Metaverse Council working in the fields of education and the arts. Too many opportunities have been lost that can make significant changes in the mindsets of youth and teens. Exposure to tech is a powerful moment of growth and awareness to empower the mind and stir the imagination of what could potentially be achieved by Africans.

Digital platforms are a gift and a blessing to Africans seeking to take their ideas, dreams, and imaginations to another level. Africans supporting Africans is the goal when applying technologies that encourage collaboration and engagement. Africans supporting the global Diaspora is a dream of many including myself as an African American and my wife as an Afro-Latina. The hope and dream come from us, a husband and wife to take communities by the hand and bring them along to share knowledge, ideas, skills, and abilities we are a blessing to have. We are not alone, there are others that are African, Afro-Latina, Afro-Latino, African American and members of the African Diaspora.

As an educator of STREAM+M – Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics and Metaverse. I’m joyful to see that Africans are working to build unity, collaboration, investments in themselves and other Africans.  Creating partnerships across Africa and not allowing borders, boundaries, waters, mountains, environments, and even cultural differences to stop the building of Africa.  My wife and I teach classes virtually in Nigeria, Uganda, and occasionally in Kenya. We support WordCamp conferences across Africa, Central America, and other global areas where we sponsor students and teachers to attend conferences. We hope to expand our ability to teach digital tools to build African communities and even sponsor Africans to attend African WordCamp conferences and other conferences that are growing in digital education.

Technology will empower African people; this is not a trend it is a real fact. Africans can share their thoughts on political, societal, economic, and educational issues that directly affect them. They can unify, collaborate, cooperate, and build communities, not waiting on governmental actions that take years to work and cost monies that local communities do not have.
The government can be put out of the equation temporarily so Africans can help themselves and move forward to empower, inspire, invest, and build their own capital to fund their own projects. Sharing unique and authentic content on diverse digital platforms is what Africans across the continent are learning how to do better because they have the technology to do it.
There are areas that societies focus on and even though they may be separated by African geographical locations all that is needed is access to affordable Wifi, a Smartphone, a tablet, or other devices.

Digital African content is being shared that inspires Africans passions to helping each other, building communities, and establishing stability in discussions where everyone is united, everyone is valued. As contributors and sponsors to African events and supporters to a stronger, independent, and free Africa our companies LoveBuilt Life, LLC and My Quest To Teach are inviting Africans to be engaged and active in digital events and activities like the Power of Africa, WordCamp Conferences going on across Africa. Teaching Africans how to build businesses and develop digital superpowers using STEAM+M and integrating AI (Artificial Intelligence), VR (Virtual Reality) and other areas of Tech (Researched using AI).
Africa historically is the foundation of global technologies because….
(Used AI “African contributions to technology historically”)

Africans have forgotten that Africa has the world’s oldest record of human technological achievement and success. The world’s oldest stone tools have been found in eastern Africa, development of science and technology in Africa were glorified globally, unfortunately received relatively little attention compared to other regions of the world. Africans developed mathematics, metallurgy, architecture, and other fields that the world enjoys today and even takes for granted. Human ancestors have been using stone and other tools since long before the emergence of Homo sapiens approximately 300,000 years ago. The earliest direct evidence of tool usage was found in Ethiopia within the Great Rift Valley, dating back to 2.5 million years ago. These are the foundations of what we use freely today, but in digital forms. Africans need to be proud of their legacy of pioneering diverse areas to technology.

The technological influences of Africans does not start within slavery, it starts as global explorers, discovering global routes for trade around the coasts of Africa and other nations, navigating the seas using the stars, predicting the weather from charts and even understanding the tides of the oceans to sail on. The current technologies are influenced by the achievements of the past by Africans, not from others that only claim to have knowledge, but unable to show the historical context and achievements. Africa has history on her side even though others deny it and refuse to believe the truths of history.

Africans must re-embrace their historical evidence of greatness, significance, and intelligence.

From Artificial Intelligence to Intelligent Africa |
Tom Ilube | TEDxEuston
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf59lrDXYHM