Last night I attended a lecture by a fellow badger, University of Wisconsin-Madison alumna, Jensine Larsen at Memorial Union. Jensine Larsen is an international journalist and founder of World Pulse. For those of you who haven't heard of World Pulse, here's some background information. World Pulse is an online network/forum that allows for women to log on from anywhere in the world (where they have an Internet connection) to share their stories, connect with other women, and the let their voice be heard; from what they think of their government, to looking for advice about what to do on certain issues in their communities. The World Pulse website defines themselves as, "...the leading network using the power of digital media to connect women worldwide and bring them a global voice."

As Larsen spoke about the founding of World Pulse and the array of successes the site has brought to different parts of the world, I truly began to see the social benefits that our digital revolution has brought to our global society, and the potential it has to change the way we learn and interact with one another. Students and faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and anywhere in the world can log on and begin conversations and even friendships with women half way around the world. World Pulse is an extraordinary resource to facilitate global conversations and serve as a rich digital learning experience for young people to learn, first hand, about what is going on in communities around the world. While simultaneously allowing for women's voices around the world that are silenced, to be heard.

We are beginning to integrate technology into almost every aspect of our campus experience. We use online sites to check our grades, communicate with members of our Madison community, research for class projects, and network for internships and future jobs. But it is imperative that our campus begins to get involved in global conversations through the technology that is readily available throughout our campus. World Pulse has the capability of creating a rich learning environment both in and out of our classroom, and for women around the world too. It has the potential to cultivate classroom discussion that involve global voices and perspectives from women living in the areas we discuss in our classrooms; which is applicable for an array of departments. Also allowing for women in countries like Kenya or India to learn what we are discussing on our campus. Technology is a vital resources to change the way we learn and how we communicate with one another. But we can only derive the greatest benefit from it if we take the initiative, get involved, and run with it.

Lets get moving badgers!

Maddy

For more information check out: http://worldpulse.com/

I've also attached a short YouTube video about World Pulse for some more inspiration!