Echoing a Boomer

Wow, I can’t believe it! We are already on Week Four! I have had so much to think about over these past few weeks and now more than ever, I am sure of what my personal vision for my life is. I am striving to be a South African woman of colour with a voice. I want to be a woman with integrity, compassion and wisdom. With every road I choose and every path I take, I want to utilise my knowledge and skills as a platform with which to educate and assist other women in becoming voices for education, voices for HIV Aids awareness and voices for women entrepreneurs. My desire is to provide an educational space in which women feel free to show their skills and wisdom to others, to share and excite others about what we as women in South Africa can do. In essence, I want all girls and all women in South Africa to have access to education and I would like to spend my time engaging in educational activities that will have a long-term positive impact on others.

In an address at the Business Women Empowerment Expo in 2009, by the Eastern Cape Province Premier, Mbulelo Sogoni, it was highlighted that ‘the Eastern Cape has one of the lowest gross geographic product per head compared to other provinces. It has the worst matric and university entrance pass rates, and is among provinces with the lowest literacy rate’. This for me suggests that education is an area which needs to be addressed quite urgently in the Eastern Cape and in our country. This for me indicates that the vision for our community should be to articulate an inclusive learning and teaching programme supportive of eLearning and diverse literate practices that respects, supports and integrates the socio-cultural and linguistic backgrounds of all those in the Rainbow Nation.

My vision for the world is that we can connect globally to each other, to communicate through open and honest dialogue, to share with each other voices, ideas and opinions about remedying the quality of life of those less fortunate. We need to make the world aware of the social injustices occurring in every corner of the globe and what better way to do it than to do it right here online.

Given my interest in human-computer interaction as well, what better way to raise my voice than as a ‘Voices of our Future Correspondent’ and utilising Web 2.0 technology to do this. I lecture both undergraduate and postgraduate students and one thing I have learnt is that, my present students thrive in the cyber world. Information is always at their fingertips and we would be contributing to their knowledge database through this forum. What better way to reach out to Generation Y, than through their familiar workspace?

As a concluding sentiment, thank you for giving me the opportunity to journal and raise my voice. It has been such an amazing experience and I look forward to continuing my friendships and connections with all of you!!!