Philanthropist Ms. Kathleen Patton is not only one of the Cofounders of Crossing the Digital Divide, she is also the organization’s CEO and Executive Director. With a solid background in business, having started her first NPO in her early twenties, Kathleen Patton was more than prepared to take on the challenge of opening a computer training facility. This facility has been on the cutting edge of “Reentry Programs”. City officials are heralding RP’s as being vital to the cities success as they offer support to some of the most at-risk adults who are recovering from drug abuse and other challenges. Kathleen Patton’s organization, which was formed in January 2004, gives recovering addicts the opportunity to change their lives by learning how to use today’s technology to earn a living. Crossing the Digital Divide, which is located in Los Angeles, California, has three locations to better serve the community of high-risk adults in recovery.

Kathleen Patton utilizes her business smarts to manage and oversee the operations at Crossing the Digital Divide. Because of Kathleen Patton’s efforts, the Crossing the Digital Divide staff, and the numerous volunteers, Crossing the Digital Divide is an award-winning organization that has received recognition from the local government, including the mayor of the city of Los Angeles.

In addition to her work with CDD, Ms. Kathleen Patton also enjoys a close family, friends and colleagues. Kathleen Patton relaxes by participating in swimming, volleyball, hiking, music and film.

Kathleen Patton finds special meaning in the quote, “The great gift of human beings is that we have the power of empathy.” Ms. Kathleen Patton also finds inspiration and deep meaning in a quote credited to one of her favorite writers, world-renowned author and poet Maya Angelou: "All great achievements require time."

CDD Class Report Cri-Help 7-10-10

                                       WEEKLY CLASS REPORT

                                       Cri-Help/July 10, 2010

 OPENING COMMENTS:

Marlaina and I met up at 10:15am and we set up the class. Unfortunately, neither one of brought the lesson plan, and the internet wasn’t up and running, so we were not able to follow the lesson plan exactly as we should have. Despite the minor setback at the beginning, we were able to run the class fairly smoothly and over all it went very well. The students were very kind and appreciative and really want to learn.

ATTENDANCE:

Juliette Hayes did not show up again and a student mentioned she thought Juliette may have dropped the program all together. Adolpho Ortega did not return from break.

INTRODUCTIONS OR OVERVIEW:

I did an intro and Marlaina did an intro and we went around the room and had the students introduce themselves one at a time.

1ST TOPIC COVERED:

Explain who covered this topic and any issues with the students on the topic. We reviewed the computer discovery terms. Marlaina then went over Module 1 and demonstrated the techniques from the workbook by using a computer, the students seemed to enjoy that. Unfortunately, since we didn’t have a lesson plan on hand, we didn’t know how far along we were supposed to go in Module 1. Instead of going through to page 13, we ended up stopping at page 8.

2ND TOPIC COVERED:

I went over the rules and regulations again with the students and inquired about how the essays were coming along. Most indicated they were coming along a few stated they hadn’t yet started theirs but have been thinking about it. The students asked about the possibility of seeing examples of essays and we said that we would see what could be done about that.

ADDITIONAL TOPICS:

Students asked about the mentoring program and about jobs and internships. One asked about volunteering for CDD when class is over. We told them that we would make sure that information would be available to them soon; hopefully at the next class on Tuesday.

LAB TIME:

We split the students into the groups and group A went on the computers first. The students opened and closed programs, I taught them about multi-tasking, how to switch between windows, they seemed to be relieved that it was such an easy concept. They all picked it up very well. They opened Mavis Beacon back up and continued where they left off. I noticed some have very good typing skills already, while others had a harder time grasping the concept of typing, i.e. hitting the keys too hard, holding the keys down too long etc… While I focused on the students on the computers, during that time Marlaina primarily focused on the students that weren’t on a computer. She went around the room and spoke to each student about their plan for success. She also pointed out that they will be responsible for making an outline for their paper and that it will be due in a couple of weeks. Some of the students started working on their outlines right away while others started the brainstorming process.

FINAL NOTES:

Other than the fact that we didn’t finish Module I on the right page, there were not any major issues. The students really enjoyed the lab time the most. Just a couple of things to keep in mind: Kevin and Jessie tend to ask a lot of off topic questions. Adolpho Ortega did not return from break and left a folder of personal paperwork in the class. I turned it into the front desk. The computer closest to the front of the class against the wall on the entry side of the lab was acting up when Mavis Beacon was opened, but worked well using any other program.