Thank You VanLandingham for Your Generosity
“We are excited about our new Virtual Learning Center,” Laura and Kimberly remarked on behalf of the NOC children. “This is a great opportunity for us … we will have access to computers and internet which will allow us to finish our homework in a timely way; we can now complete our research projects; and we will use learning tools on the internet. We are happy … the Virtual Learning Center will help our parents too. Thank you again.”
The Virtual Learning Center will be an innovative pathway to continuous learning outside the schools and it will help to overcome the digital divide between those who have access to internet and those who do not, especially children who come from poor households and neighborhoods. As Thomas Friedman, author and columnist for New York Times, recently stated, technology vis a vis the internet will pave the way for all of us to find opportunities to enhance our education and acquire new knowledge. Technology-based learning will be a cornerstone of NOC’s flagship education program.
NOC is already witnessing the impact of using learning tools on the internet. NOC students who are participating in internet-based learning through afternoon school and summer programs are already showing significant gains in learning and avoidance of loss of knowledge and learning from the previous 6 to 12 months. Having access to the internet for learning reduces the overall cost, since it requires fewer on-site teachers and paid staff. Establishing learning centers in target neighborhoods resolves the issue of transportation which often hampers children and women from accessing the internet in places beyond a safe walking distance.
