Originally appeared in the April 2012 issue of India Currents
Source: http://www.indiacurrents.com/articles/2012/04/13/dont-just-google-it
Source: http://www.indiacurrents.com/articles/2012/04/13/dont-just-google-it
Don’t Just Google It!
The teenage girl in the ABC
sitcom The Middle asks her mother (played by Patricia Heaton
ofEverybody Loves Raymond fame) where she could learn about love, seeing
as Valentine’s Day was around the corner. The mother, exasperated and annoyed,
dismisses the girl with a “Just google it,” then takes a moment’s pause and
says, “May be not…don’t google it.” Where then do young adults and children go
online to learn about love, the Arab Spring or the economic crisis? Where can
parents go online to steer their children towards accessible, safe and reliable
information?
Deepa Gopal, the founder
and visionary behind U.S Based Youngzine started the website
as a way to bring world affairs to the attention of her young son who had
outgrown kiddie websites like Disney but was still not mature
enough to get on Wikipedia. “Most mainstream media assumes some
level of understanding. So, when we did not find any [websites] that fit the
bill, we decided to start one!” Sites like National Geographic Kids,
while very resourceful for general knowledge, may not provide much kid friendly
content on current, international and political affairs. Deepa often found
herself “tailoring content for [her son’s] schools assignments.” Barkha Madan,
of Our Little Earth had similar motivations. She found herself
culling stories from the Internet and tweaking them just so her nieces could
read about the world in accessible and easy-to-understand language. The website
and e-newspaper was born when Barkha’s edited stories were being forwarded to
friends and family. Meera Dolasia'sDOGOnews (dogo means young or
small in Swahili) was a response to the amount of research that her then second
grader’s weekly homework assignments required on a daily basis. Why not start a
website that does just that, Meera thought. And so, DOGOnews was
born.
Deepa’s passion was so
strong that she quit her full-time job at Cisco after a 17 year-long career in
computer hardware. With much technical and intellectual support from Deepa’s
husband, Youngzine went live September 2010. Meera’s engineering background
helped her set up Our Little Earth but with additional support
from developers. DOGOnews had a modest start as a regular
email update with PDF attachments which later led to a blog and then six months
later, a fully-featured website.
When sourcing articles
for the websites the writers start their research online on mainstream news,
politics, science and technology. “I continuously scour the web for interesting
content that could be intriguing, educational and appropriate for my young
audiences,” says Meera. Youngzine’s Deepa tries to reach beyond mere expository
text to explain the socio-political and cultural context that shapes the
world’s news. This angle enables teachers to foster critical thinking amongst
students. For instance, a recent article on the Arab Spring described not just
the events but also the historical and political context surrounding the events
in simple and crisp language. Deepa is quick to point out that in selecting
topics, “avoid sensational articles that take center stage in mainstream media
as there really is no value in those for children.”
Our Little Earth covers ten main stories each month and
like Youngzine, “has a bias towards stories that provides an opportunity to
talk about the rich historical and cultural backdrop on the region being
covered.” The audiences for all three websites are children and young teens in
the 9-14 age groups, school teachers and ESL learners. Studies show that the
biggest drop off in academics happens in the middle school years, says Deepa,
so the websites finds a way to sustain interest in that crucial age-group.
The websites are being
increasingly sought after by schools, both within the US and internationally as
a source of reference and teaching material. Schools from over 30 countries
have already subscribed to Our Little Earth. Youngzine has already been
recognized by the American Library Association as a “Great website for
kids.” DOGOnews’ growth has been mostly organic, with parents
and teachers spreading the word about website.
