This document discusses how technology and diversity are changing community-based organizations and education. It argues that technology has revolutionized how students learn and connect with each other through online platforms. It also notes that community organizations have adapted to social media to reach more people. Both education and community programs are struggling with less funding from the government as more money goes to other priorities. It predicts that the US population will become more racially and ethnically diverse by 2060, requiring changes to address the needs of non-English speakers through technology and language classes.

1. The Future of
Community-Based Services
and Education
Peter Harrison
AET/508
March, 13 2017
Professor Elizabeth Franklin

2. Technology
Technology is the most important change in community based organizations and
education. In 2017 students can connect with each other across several platforms.
Almost everyone has a smartphone or tablet and it has changed the way we are
entertained, communicate, and learn.

3. Technology (Education)
Schools like University of Phoenix has revolutionized how we continue our
education. As a result many universities have started and will continue to grow
programs that allow learners to work online. Programs like Adobe connect has
changed the way curriculums are developed so they can be accessed virtually.
There has to be a change to meet the new standards of technology, “That requires
a willingness to rethink the traditional classroom setting and a willingness to
recreate the classroom curriculum”. (Kinnaman, 1995).

4. Technology (Community-Based Programs)
Community organizations have adapted to the world of social media. Twitter is one
of the most used social media platforms and even the President of the U.S. uses it
to communicate with the world. This has allowed them to be able to reach more
special populations and also build their network to find resources. Nonprofit
organizations, senior centers, and libraries are all examples of community-based
programs that have been able to take full advantage of the technological wave.

5. Funding (Education)
Majority of funding for education comes from the Dept of education. It starts at the
federal level and then each state and local government handle their individual
expenses. There are also private companies that fund educational programs and
training for their employees. Loans are also a way to get funding but leaves many
Americans in massive debt. Many nonprofit and local organizations are providing
free training and classes in certain fields for low income families.

6. Funding (Community-Based Programs)
Funding for most programs like libraries and community centers come from the
government. Same as with education it trickles down from federal, to state, then
the local level. Many programs are losing their funding because more is going to
medicaid and social security. Private funding is needed to keep many programs up
and running for seniors, veterans, and the disabled populations.

7. Diversity (Demographics)
❏ White Americans will go from 85% to 43% of the population by 2060.
❏ Half of all immigrants in America are Hispanic (20 million since 1965)
❏ Hispanic and Black Americans will make up 45% of the population by 2060.
(Restuccia,2014)
Spanish is the primary language in 38.3 million American homes.
(U.S. Census Bureau)

8. Diversity (Education)
The reality is that many new Americans speak Spanish or another language other
than English. This has to be addressed and many programs offer English and
computer training for free. There are technological advances like Google translate
that can be used to work online. I would like to see this tool incorporated into
educational institutions.

9. Diversity (Community-Based Programs)
Many immigrants rely on community based programs to get job training and even
simple things like an I.D. Libraries and nonprofit organizations offer English
classes and computer classes that are usually ran by senior volunteers. This
dynamic is great for special populations and there should be more funding to help
cultivate these programs in the community.

10. References
Restuccia, D (2014). Huffington Post. Retrieved from:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/13/changing-racial-makeup-_n_5142462.h
tml
Kinnaman, D.E. (1995, January). The future of distant education. Technology and
Learning , 15(4), 58.
The role of technology: Community based service-learning projects on
ethical development
Ruso, Nazenin. TOJET: The Turkish Online Journal of Educational
Technology11.3 (Jul 2012): 375-385.