My Quest To Teach

September 25, 2019September 25, 2019

Jacksonville Youth and Teens Attend International Tech Conference

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Jacksonville Youth and Teens Attend International Tech Conference

Janea 4^th grader, Elijah 6^th grader and Elisha 11^th grade student
in the Duval County Public School system are passionate about
using technology to reach their goals in life. They attended the
national and international WordCamp Orlando conference and
participated in the KidsCamp web development portion.

Each are involved in technology events outside of school and love
being part of the WordCamp open source community. Janae a
veteran WC and KidsCamp conference attendee has been to
several conferences from Asheville, NC, to Greenville, SC including
twice at WordCamp Orlando.

Elisha a new member of the digital community joined Aida Correa
of LoveBuilt Life, LLC and William Jackson of My Quest to Teach to
attend. Elisha is an avid gamer and into programming and coding.
He has attended several other tech conferences and even selected
as a speaker at TEDXFSCJ Salons speaking on how tech offers
opportunities to youth of color to be business owners, entrepreneurs
and solo-preneurs.

The growing presence of youth, teens and young adults is showing
that young people are serious in their goals and aspirations to be
involved in technology as influencers, content contributors, digital
innovators, animators and intellectual thought leaders. They want
to be business owners as well.

Technology has increased its influence growing in its influence both
good and bad so youth, teens and young adults must take advantage
of all learning opportunities to prepare them for current and future
careers. Following these young people can be found on the hashtag
#thatWordcamplife and #thatwordpresslife

Elijah a middle school student had the opportunity to speak with
Coders, Programmers to help with his direction in life and for his
career interests. Middle school is key for students because there
are so many distractions they need mentors and taught skills that
will help them to grow to be critical thinkers, thought leaders and
start considering the areas they want to travel and engage in.

Elijah a 6^th grader is also into tech, learning where he fits in and
what his dreams are. DCPS school system has embraced many new
instructional strategies that embrace technology. Students are
being taught to be critical thinkers, digital leaders and problem
solvers. Elijah is a new generation of digital future leaders that are
being trained to be the future leaders for this nation and the world.

Janae, Elijah and Elisha share why youth should attend tech and
WordCamp conferences.
Elisha, “teens should attend WordCamp and tech conferences
because of the social networking opportunities and you never know
who you’re going to meet. There is a great variety of people that can
help you get where you want to go.”

Elijah,” it is a good place to learn about technology and good experiences
to learn new things, design a web sites and gaming experiences.”

Janae, “girls should want to go because it is fun and there are so many
nice and cool people there to learn from.”

The growth of youth attending is widespread locally, nationally and
internationally. Careers in STEAM and STEM are demanding tech skills
from coding, programming, web development and other skills. Parents
must prepare their kids today for the future.

To follow these growing digital influencers
Janae https://www.instagram.com/thatkidwhoanimates/
Elisha https://journeythroughthemotherboard.wordpress.com/

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

September 23, 2019September 23, 2019

Jacksonville Youth and Teens Attend International Tech Conference

Jacksonville Youth and Teens Attend International Tech Conference

WordCamp Orlando
WordCamp 2019
Elisha – William – Elijah – Aida – Janae

Each are involved in technology events outside of school and love
being part of the WordCamp open source community. Janae a
veteran WC and KidsCamp conference attendee has been to
several conferences, twice in Jacksonville, Fl, Asheville, NC,
Greenville, SC including twice at WordCamp Orlando.

Elisha a new member of the digital community joined Aida Correa
of LoveBuilt Life, LLC and William Jackson of My Quest to Teach to
attend and learn. Elisha is an avid gamer and into programming
and coding.
He has attended several other tech conferences and even selected
as a speaker at TEDxFSCJ Salons speaking on how tech offers
opportunities to youth of color to be business owners, entrepreneurs
and solo-preneurs. Attending EdCamps, WordCamps, the national
and internationally recogized Florida Blogging and Technology
Conference for several years.

DCPS school system has embraced many new
instructional strategies that embrace technology. Students are
being taught to be critical thinkers, digital leaders and problem
solvers. Elijah is a new generation of digital future leaders that are
being trained to be the future leaders for this nation and the world.

They are mentored by Aida and William, as they Aida and William
travel speaking at WordCamp conferences in Canada, Central
America and across the nation youth, teens and young adults need
to be engaged, involved and participating.

Janae, Elijah and Elisha share why youth should attend tech and
WordCamp conferences.
Elisha, “teens should attend WordCamp and tech conferences
because of the social networking opportunities and you never
know who you’re going to meet. There is a great variety of people
that can help you get where you want to go.”

Elijah,” it is a good place to learn about technology and good
experiences to learn new things, design a web sites and gaming
experiences.”

Janae, “girls should want to go because it is fun and there are so many
nice and cool people there to learn from.”

To follow these growing digital influencers
Janae https://www.instagram.com/thatkidwhoanimates/
Elisha https://journeythroughthemotherboard.wordpress.com/
Aida https://lovebuiltlife.com/
William https://myquesttoteach.com/

September 11, 2019September 11, 2019

Minority Businesses Attend Conferences and Meetups To Grow

Minority Businesses Should Attend Conferences and Meetups To Grow
William Jackson, M.Ed. #MyQuestToTeach

The opportunity to grow for minority businesses can be dependent
on their willingness to expand outside of their normal comfort zones.
The move outward from known circles of friends and family to networking
away from the comfort zones of the known to the unknown.

Investing in attending conferences, meetups, workshops and other
events where networking is required allows for business territory to be
expanded. How can a business expand and gain in Brand recognition,
awareness and influence if minority business owners do not take the time
to be engaged in the community, even at venues that are different and new?

Attending WordCamp Meetups allows for business growth that
expands Brand visibility, enhances innovative business ideas,
broadens networking opportunities outside of traditional business
networks and connections. There should be a plan and strategy to get
involved in Meetups like those held on Jacksonville, Orlando, Miami, etc.

Jacksonville, Florida Meetup is innovative in that not only is there a
MeetUp with adults, but seasoned educators have created a WPJaxKids
MeetUp that applies STEAM, The Arts and Web Development from
innovative design of instruction and hands-on learning.
https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-jacksonville/

With 1100 members strong as stated on the Meetup.com web site
the engagement and sharing of knowledge and resources if phenomenal
and relevant to growing, managing, marketing and branding a business.
Thursday, September the 19th will be the next MeetUp for WPJax and
WPJaxKids.

Business models are changing and for minority businesses to
survive there must be continuous and strategic learning and
engagement. Attending Meetups increases technical skill
knowledge and builds not just skills related to technology,
but builds relationships that transform the business model in
the 21^st century.

Social media should now be part of any business model because
SM expands Brands, enables Digital Marketing Strategies and
can move business into new markets. The upcoming MeetUp will
have Aida Correa of LoveBuilt Life, LLC
https://lovebuiltlife.com/
speaking about the Art of Blogging and how blogging can be
transformational for business Branding, business growth and
business marketing.

Relationship building in the “open source” community is about
sharing and collaboration. Everyone has value because everyone
has the potential to improve, magnify, transform and enhance
the WordPress platform. You do not have to be an “expert” in tech
just common sense application, a passion for what you’re trying to
accomplish in business and personal success. There should be a
vision for growth and business success. Without a vision their can
be no progress.

Since joining this community of coders, developers, writers,
programmers, users and innovators, WPJax and others provides
access to all levels of tech integration, implementation and innovation.
Web development, advances in video storytelling, Java Script,
App development, SEO, SoLoMoCo integration can be applied
in multiple levels, there should be strategic planning and knowing
the audience you will be marketing to. Knowledge is not powerful
unless it is applied knowledge from strategic planning and
implementation.

What better way to allow for valuable exchanges and relevancy
than to have people speak of their successes, challenges,
developing business models and how they integrate WordPress
to build their Brands and increase potential profits.

Minority businesses in order to remain relevant, visible, viable,
and even profitable must integrate web development at some
level. There has to be a plan that is strategic and even focused
on specific demographics to make connections that afford
collaborations not just competition.

Understanding the importance of analytics, views, engagements,
influences and how video can enhance a message. People are
visual learners, they need visual stimulation, application and the
execution of information that is relevant. The eyes have it and see
what progressive applications are needed.

Content creation is critical to establish a Brand that represents
your business, the services you provide and what your business
model is.
There are many avenues for minority businesses to travel even
before they begin to turn a profit, Social Media is one more avenue,
the rewards are long lasting to help build relationships and
establishing a presence that encourages community engagement
and participation.

Do not allow just tech (SEO) to expose your business, use it to
enhance your visibility to others, expand your Brand BY sponsoring,
promoting and mentor with community engagement.

Be seen in the community, be involved, be a sponsor and promoter
that shows even the smallest contribution can bring rewards to new
markets and engagements. Build on partnerships and collaborations
that can expand in new directions of success and influence.

If you’re a minority business owner you must expand outside of your
comfort zone, get involved, get engaged and get visible.

Jacksonville, Florida
WordPress Meetjup
WPJax Meetup and WPJaxKids Meetup
https://www.meetup.com/wordpress-jacksonville/

September 7, 2019August 31, 2019

Africans, Use Digital Technologies To Tell Your Own Stories

Africans, Use Digital Technologies To Tell Your Own Stories
by William Jackson, My Quest To Teach
Africans need to tell their own stories especially in the age of
digital technology, Social Media, Apps and other digital
platforms. The flexibility of digital tools opens doors to sharing
content and inspiring dreams. Blogging, Podcasting, Microblogging,
Vblogging and other platforms like SnapChat are resources to
share diverse content.
African stories need to be told authentically.

Chinua Achebe states in his book “Home and Exile,” “until the
lion produces their own historian, the story of the hunt will
glorify only the hunter.” Digital technologies allow African youth
to be storytellers and create their own digital foundations to be
followed by those that share similar passions and interests.

This blog is hoped to encourage, inspire, ignite the flames of
passion to share the words that burn in the hearts of African
storytellers. Many people of the African Diaspora teach their
children the value of storytelling, the purpose of verbal exchanges
that share cultural history, family unity, and historical knowledge
handed down decades and centuries. I love to read the
stories of Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka and others.

They help build a mindset for storytelling and transferring to
the written word. Africans during colonization were denied through
threats, beatings and even death the opportunity to share the stories
of kingdoms of prosperity and educational achievements. Africa had
great universities before Europe and studied science, mathematics,
astronomy and biology. Our STEAM educational strategies are
based on past successes by Africans.

Because of these achievements and more, Africans should be proud
of their heritage and have a drive to extend beyond the colonization
of foreign powers even today. Achebe describes the “text book act,”
where Nigerian children could not read at a certain time of day and
were not allow to read certain books that showed Africans as leaders,
explorers, conquerors and educated.

The lack of books that look like their intended audience does have
a cognitive affect, if African children do not see books that have
characters that look like them they cannot vision themselves potentially
growing out of where others want them to stay. This is equally so for
African American children and children of color.

The beauty and power of the Internet is that information is free and
unlimited, there for the taking and learning. African parents if they
are not doing so need to take their children to bookstores to explore
and dream. Empower them with knowledge about literacy, African
authors in the literary world. Imagine the excitement of African
children when they learn a book can help them dream seemingly
impossible dreams, to see their potential as leaders,
visionaries, and content creators.

Teaching an African child to read is not just a personal investment,
it is an investment in the continent, to build it to the future.
Programs like Sunshine build the needed confidence in its students
to dream beyond their current situations and to see into the future.
Reading builds self-esteem, encourages self-respect and opens mental
doors that connect others with similar passions. A nation that is based
on education is a growing and functional nation with great potential.

Technology opens many doors for collaboration, cooperation and
strengthening education. The integration of technology creates
opportunities for African storytellers to expand their voice, to magnify
their presence and to vocalize the legacy of the people ingrained in the
stories of decades and centuries of old.

Technology allows for diversity to make connections, those of like
cultural backgrounds, and those willing to learn about and make
connections with diverse audiences. Stated by Chinua Achebe,
“Diversity is the engine of evolution, of living things including living
civilizations.”

Social Media if used strategically and planned can
build communities even digitally to magnify the voices
of people, strengthen the collective of the masses
and make effective and long lasting changes that
benefit the continent as a whole and the growing
digital awareness.

September 5, 2019August 31, 2019

The Alphabet of Being A Central American Content Creator

The Alphabet of Being A Central American Content Creator
by William Jackson, M.Ed.
Twitter @wmjackson
Proud speaker at WordCamp San Jose 2018 and 2019
Volunteering with KidsCamp 2018 and 2019

“Diversity: embrace the valuable content and the creative
innovation at WordCamp San Jose. Magnify a voice that
should be heard on a global digital scale to inspire thought
leadership and the awesomeness of diversity and inclusion
of the intelligence, intellect, innovation and creativity of the
people of Central America.” William Jackson, M.Ed. 2019

Shared from my passions as a WordCamp speaker, volunteer
and advocate of WordCamp San Jose. Special shout-out to the
WordCamp San Jose 2018 and 2019 organizers, volunteers,
and speakers. Many thanks for inviting Aida and I to speak and
thanks for the blessings of hospitality you have shared with Aida
and I in 2018 and 2019.
The opportunity to share the engagement of content development,
digital innovation and show the beauty of diversity and collaboration.

The Alphabet of Being A Central American
Content Creator A to Z
A. Directed to my brothers and sisters in Costa Rica and across
Central America, write as if the world is reading your content and
share your passions and intellect.
B. Write to show the intelligence, pride and beauty of your culture.
C. Your passion should be felt through your writings, photos and
videos. Content is an extension of who you are and your Brand as
a business owner and entrepreneur.
D. Your digital voice should resonate with pride and the cultural
history of the greatness you have.
E. Remember that you’re not just creating for you, you’re creating
and representing your Brand and your community.
F. Your content will inspire generations because it will be forever
posted online in a never-ending digital life.
G. Your content is an investment and invitation to others, be sure
to treat it with respect and cultivate its growth and influence.
H. Intellectual investments are valued, so be sure to invest in your
Brand that promotes growth, respect, honor and cultural love.
I. Remain humble to the power of your content and humble to the
power of your voice.
J. Be authentically authentic about who you are and where you
come from. Your actions represent your community and nation.
K. Embrace the diversity of your community and find common
ground for collaboration and building each new generation.
L. You’re the expert of you… never allow others to define you
or tell your authentic story. Costa Rica and Central America
has a rich history, be sure to share it. PURA VIDA!!!
M. Don’t allow bias or racism to taint or spoil your views of
cultural diversity in your community. Telling a story means telling
through your eyes and experiences to build community.

N. Discover the why of why you write and share your talents with
the youth in your life.
O. The best natural resources of your nation is the children;
create, speak, write, blog, post so growth is abundant in them.
P. Write about the beauty and energy of your land and your people.
Q. Accept the diversity of your nation and your culture, unify and
recognize the Diaspora.
R. Look with different eyes at your environment, use places, people,
smells, sites and experiences to influence your writing. Empower
your voice from the energies around you.
S. Use digital resources to research and learn from great writers,
remember “The storyteller has a different agenda than the emperor.”
Chinua Achebe 2008 Nigerian Writer
T. What Costa Rican and Central American writers should you
know before and after WordCamp? If there are too little then YOU
become the writer that tells a story.
Make a personal list and share at WordCamp.
U. The Danger of A Single Story – https://youtu.be/D9Ihs241zeg
What is your story, your countries story, your cultures story?
V. Write to educate, empower, engage and excite others.
W. Remember your voice has POWER, it can inspire, it can heal,
it can motivate, it can change lives, but it can destroy, bring chaos
and even death. Be wise in using your voice.
X. Think of the legacy you want to create and leave in the world.
Your words will last forever on digital platforms after WordCamp.
Y. Girls and women should have equal opportunities to expand
their abilities and talents. They have the talent to become thought
leaders and spark life-long learning in other girls and women
that will influence generations to come.
Z. Never forget the sacrifices that the elders made so that
generations can continue to rise and be agents of change.

Conclusion:
Keep Christ first in all that you do as a culture, community and society.

PURA VIDA
Twitter: @WordCampSanJose
Hashtags: #WordCampSanJose #WCSJ
Website: https://2019.sanjose.wordcamp.org/
William Jackson, M.Ed. #MyQuestToTeach
https://myquesttoteach.com/
Aida Correa #LoveBuiltLife
https://lovebuiltlife.com/
Follow us on #thatwordcamplife