MyGiftedLife.org

** This thread discusses the Content article: Paleography, Gifted and Poor **

Wow! Such beautiful engravings.

I wish you well with this project.

I think it's a great topic. As a Nigerian I hear a lot of stories about how competitive it is for students in Nigeria and other nations to get an education. It's competition just to get a chance, not even a gifted chance, etc, and there are tens of thousands of children who fall by the wayside worldwide. Apart from OCW and OLPC, I hadn't looked much into projects that expand opportunities to gain knowledge, but you've planted some great seeds of thought. I've always believed that if we're going to go ahead and solve problems as a human race, we're going to need to tap into every last corner, probe for every last resource, and in addition, people will need to acknowledge the need for more readily accessible information.

I really can't wait to see real kickoff of University of the People in September. OK, so they're starting small, with 300 students and 2 programs (business administration and an IT programme), but they're starting! I hope to see them fully accredited.

I agree with you DAZ...I've always believed that knowledge (including self-knowledge) is power. Thus Society for Dummies holds little or no appeal...

The great thing about web technology (in the right hands) is that incredible 3rd and 4th generation tools are available to anyone who can read (particularly English?) and has web access (not even including the education/communication tools available in non-visual formats, for example, audio files.)

I'm not sure whether it's more important to ensure access to basic needs like safe food and water first; or education/communication. I used to think it was "bourgeois pie-the-sky" to want to give laptops to poor children (when what they may need worse is something like consistent medical care.)

But given the creative/educational/communicative power of many user-friendly web platforms, I'm starting to think that we can--and should--use these tools equalize social power (if not also economic power.) For one thing, the web enables us to bypass the many Gatekeepers who wield their own, self-interested agendas....

Definately. I don't mean to be a conspiratist or anything, but I feel as though this expansion / playing field leveling would be bad news to a lot of these "gatekeepers" who have always relied rather heavily on the tools of rac- and sexism to provide justifications for their seats of power. I enjoy seeing the world of intellect as an everything blind place / gift culture, and look forward to it's undoubtedly unstoppable expansion.