Josiah Brown, a volunteer member of the board of the Literacy Coalition of Greater New Haven, sent this preview of an event in which the Coalition is indirectly involved. He adapted information submitted to him by J. Gregory “Greg” McVerry, a fellow Coalition board member who is an associate professor at Southern Connecticut State University.
Starting this Monday, February 3, the Elm City Webmakers will meet at Concepts for Adaptive Learning, 5 Science Park #Suite 2C in New Haven, to tell their stories while developing skills in digital literacies.
This event, open to all ages over 13, runs from 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. Normally scheduled the first and third Monday of the month, the program is facilitated by Associate Professor J. Gregory “Greg” McVerry of Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU).
As he explains, the Elm City Webmakers have a vision of helping to build a better web, one re-centered in the culture of New Haven rather than under the control of a few large corporations. Any participant who comes to two events will receive a free website.
Professor McVerry, selected as Connecticut Computer Educator of the Year in 2006, has been teaching students to read, write, and participate online over some 15 years. In 2015 Mozilla, the makers of Firefox, recognized him as one of the 50 people worldwide fighting for internet health. In 2019 Mozilla again recognized him as an Open Leaders fellow.
Greg, along with Sadik Shahadu, is launching a similar program to the Elm City Webmakers in Accra, Ghana. The two are creating an Open Education Resource network by training a cohort of leaders who can facilitate their own clubs.
Greg McVerry is introducing a tailored curriculum, adapted from a course he teaches on campus. People of all ages are expected to enjoy fun activities, followed by time to “hack,” or build upon a personal website.
The Elm City Webmakers will also be adding a private chat room and a wiki to the community. The goal is to create a social network, bridging physical interactions and digital worlds in ways that improve our communities.
According to Professor McVerry, “The club shares values with the IndieWeb community. The youth of New Haven should own their data, control how it gets used and make better connections in ways that don’t turn adolescents into algorithms. We want our children not our profits to grow.”
He emphasizes, “The main goal is to offer people a chance to tell their story and to shape their identities. How can you tell how truth gets shaped online until you shape your own? So join us for the kick-off this Monday.” Contact him here.
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Literacy Coalition News, Events
The Webmakers project follows a Literacy Forum on “Equity and Digital Literacies” (photos here) that Greg McVerry organized at SCSU in April 2018, featuring Amira Dhalla, then of the Mozilla Foundation.
That event was part of the long-running Literacy Forum series. Most recently, in fall 2019, the series addressed “Reading Instruction and Interventions in School: Science, Policy, and Practice.” (photos here)
While the fourth iteration of the all-volunteer Literacy Coalition’s website is under development, its Twitter page (@LiteracyGNH) is the primary source of news and information on related happenings.
For example, the Coalition’s newest board member is Suzannah Holsenbeck, who recently succeeded Kyn Tolson (also her predecessor on the Coalition board) as executive director of Read to Grow. Another Coalition board member, John Jessen, was named director of the New Haven Free Public Library — which is holding its annual Mardi Gras benefit on February 25. And later that week, a third Coalition board member—Abdul-Razak Zachariah—and his colleagues at LEAP will be holding their annual “LEAP Year” dinners around town.
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Articles on the Coalition and Its Events:
“Reading Instruction and Interventions in School: Science, Policy, and Practice”
“Literacy Forum Oct. 24 at Public Library; Literacy News”
“Young Voices on Reading, Writing, and Learning”
“Youth Forum April 25 at Public Library; Literacy News”
“Equity and Digital Literacies”
“Language and Learning: Home, School, and Community”
“Philanthropy, Literacy, and Youth Development Explored”
“Language, Bilingualism, and Literacy – in School and Beyond”
“Literacy Coalition Welcomes New Colleague, Previews Forum”
“Early Literacy Experiences, the Brain, and Child Development”
“Literacy Coalition Welcomes New Board Members; Forum Approaches”
“Libraries in the 21st Century”
“Literacy Coalition Welcomes New Board Colleagues”
“Learning in the 21st Century, in Ways New and Old”
“Reading, Culture, and ‘Quality Time’ at Home”
“‘Empowering Teachers,’ Reading Research, Instruction, and Supports”
“Margie Gillis Discusses Using the Latest Research on Reading”
“Early Reading, Community Action, and Catalytic Philanthropy”
“Literacy Coalition Forum: State Legislative Update and the Big Read”
“Commissioner Ted Sergi: Their ‘Second Chance’ Starts with Reading”
