technology

William's father and friend

William and his junkyard windmill

You may be familiar with William Kamkwamba, who as a 14-year old Malawian boy, built a windmill modeled only from a picture he saw in a library book. As a boy, William’s village suffered for seven years from a severe, crop-killing drought. Forced to drop out of school, William dreamed of a way to make something from the only resource he had – wind. From this dream he created his first junkyard windmill, which generated enough energy to power a radio. You can watch his inspiring story unfold in a very moving short documentary.
William’s life has continued to evolve in new and exciting ways.  He is currently attending Dartmouth College and created a foundation to help build windmills in Malawi. He is also focused on creating a self-sustaining Malawi, offering secure food, water, and health services and improving access to education. To see what he’s been up to or support his cause check out William’s website!  William is definitely a man to watch after building something so life-changing at the age of 14, we are excited to see what he will accomplish next!

{ 0 comments }

More Good News from SIIA…and Blackboard

by Mary Louise Helbig June 13, 2011 General Interest

As you know, we were very honored to be named as one of the top Ed Tech Innovators of 2011 by SIIA.  And the news keeps getting better!  While attending the Innovation Incubator Program we were given two additional awards. Most Likely to Succeed in the Education Market – runner up Blackboard Partner Program – [...]

Read the full article →

Virtual Nerd Named 2011 Ed Tech Innovator!

by Mary Louise Helbig May 3, 2011 General Interest

We just learned that the SIIA has selected Virtual Nerd to participate in their Innovation Incubator Program, which“locates and provides visibility to developers of the industry’s most innovative education technology products or services”. Ten finalists and one alternate have been chosen to participate in SIIA’s 2011 Ed Tech Industry Summit May 22-24, 2011. The program is [...]

Read the full article →

GeekBeat.TV and bnetTV.com Review Our CTV App

by Mary Louise Helbig January 20, 2011 General Interest

Take a few minutes and check out Josh’s interviews with Cali Lewis of GeekBeat.TV and Tony Sklar of bnetTV.com at the CES.  Josh appears at about the 3 minute mark during Cali’s review of Yahoo! CTV’s new apps and its a straight 1:1 with Tony. Virtual Nerd’s CTV app is coming March 2011!  Stay tuned.

Read the full article →

Starting 2011 at CES … and in a new partnership with Yahoo!

by Leo Shmuylovich January 6, 2011 General Interest
Thumbnail image for Starting 2011 at CES … and in a new partnership with Yahoo!

We’re really excited to be at the Consumer Electronics Show 2011 in Las Vegas this week. Not only will Josh and I be in the presence of this year’s coolest and most innovative technologies, we’ll also be in the spotlight with the launch of the Yahoo! Connected TV (CTV) Store. Virtual Nerd is thrilled to [...]

Read the full article →

A Computer, an Avatar and a Math Lesson

by Josh Salcman December 8, 2010 General Interest
Thumbnail image for A Computer, an Avatar and a Math Lesson

In the popular virtual reality game The Sims, computer characters behave based on the attributes given to them by players, and have some of their own apparent “free will.” The digital pet game Tamagotchi requires children to feed, clean and nurture their pets, who respond and grow based on the children’s care. Both are examples [...]

Read the full article →

Highlights from the National Education Technology Plan (NETP)

by Mary Louise Helbig November 30, 2010 General Interest
Thumbnail image for Highlights from the National Education Technology Plan (NETP)

The US Department of Education recently released the 2010 National Education Technology Plan. You could read the entire plan, but if you’re looking for the highlights, read on below. The NETP suggests that we should apply advanced technology—technology we use today in our personal and professional lives—to improve education in the US.  In the document, [...]

Read the full article →