Learn About Being Digitally Inclusive
A Conversation with WCET’S Digital Inclusion Award Winner
This year, WCET partnered with GlobalMindED to present the inaugural Digital Inclusion Award.
The Digital Inclusion Award, is not about infrastructure, it is about what learners DO with the infrastructure to harvest the bounty of new ideas and perspectives in the hearts and minds of first generation learners. Digital inclusion principals:
- Digital Inclusion is about leveraging mindware, not hardware/software;
- Digital Inclusion is one component of a larger communications ecosystem, not a standalone concept;
- Digital Inclusion should be the overall goal of technological evolution.
All three of these principles were personified with this year’s inaugural winner, Nader Vadiee, PhD., professor at the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute. Dr. Vadiee ’s work promotes digital inclusion by advancing the interests of Native American and Hispanic students in Information Technology and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields.
Vadiee and his associates have developed an immersive robotics program to provide an enriching learning experience to interest students in STEM Fields. Their program participants have had a significant increase in enrollment and completion in STEM or IT courses. The Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute has seen a significant increase in graduation rates in their Pre-Engineering Associate degrees, followed by continuation at the university level. Their programming involves working with Native American-serving higher schools and feeder middle schools.
Learn more about the project, designing for inclusive access, and building digital literacy skills during this short presentation and moderated conversation. Join us on Thursday, October 19 at 1:00 PM MDT for a free WCET Webcast.
Follow the Twitter feed at #WCETwebcast.
This webcast is provided free and open to all. WCET has moved to GoToWebinar for its webcasts which allows up to 1,000 participants.
The webcast will run for 60 minutes and take place via GoToWebinar.
October 19: 9:00 AM HAST / 11:00 AM AKDT / Noon PDT and MST / 1:00 PM MDT / 2:00 PM CDT / 3:00 PM EDT
Resources:
– YouTube Recording of Webcast
– Webcast Slides
Presenter:
Nader Vadiee
Faculty/Coordinator, Engineering and Engineering Technology Programs, Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI) - A National Indian Community College
Moderator:
Andriel Dees
Director, Diversity and Inclusion, Capella University