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October 15, 2006
IT Blog #3
Google launches literacy project
In the media world, search engines are king. Looking at the blogs from the past two weeks, it is evident that search engine giants Yahoo and Google have no bounds to their expansion. The most recent step forward in Google’s plan for world domination is the launch of a new website. The website, google.com/literacy, is a collection of resources that can be used to help combat illiteracy.
Google is teaming up with the United Nations and a literacy campaign organized by the Frankfurt Book Fair in hopes of cutting down the more than 1 billion people in the world over the age of 15 that are illiterate. The project will utilize Google’s video, mapping and blogging services. Google’s massive project of scanning all the world’s books into their system will also be a part of the literacy program. The website will help to provide teachers, educators and other members of academia with an organized set of educational resources to eliminate illiteracy. Google is requesting that other organizations contribute to their project by donating media that helps demonstrate various teaching techniques.
Grant, Li and I all agree that it’s great to see a company as renowned as Google take such a huge step forward in giving back to the world. By searching and finding out that many people in this world are illiterate, we all agreed that we, as Ross Students, are taking things for granted. When you look at the valuable education we are receiving and the numerous children in Africa who couldn't even understand a single word, there is no comparison as to how lucky we are. Knowing this issue, it feels as if we are obliged to use our "fortunate" education to help these unfortunate individuals.
So it is really good to hear that Google is doing that already. As Google’s vice president of European operations, Nikesh Arora says, “Google’s business was born out of a desire to help people find information. We hope this site will serve as a bridge to even greater communication and access to important information about literacy problems.”
For a first-hand look at the project, look here: Google Literacy Project
Posted by eath at October 15, 2006 11:59 PM
Comments
Good stuff. I hadn't heard of this. It's a good project for Google; really fits their corporate mission.
Posted by: samoore at October 16, 2006 08:57 AM
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