Technically, Social Media Can Fix Your Problems – An Interview with Digital Technology Consultant, Yasmin Fodil
4 Oct
We all have passions, interests and expertise, but few of us rarely know how to transform that zeal into a career. That’s why when I sat down with Yasmin Fodil, CEO and Principal Consultant at BYO Consulting – a leading consulting firm stationed in NYC focusing on solving public problems through digital technology, I knew that I had the rare opportunity of speaking to someone who possesses an energized knowledge. It was during the interview that Fodil explained how the perks of social media and instant communication could provide a critical support system for all sectors of society, even education. You’ll find the full interview below, followed by highlights from our conversation.
Could you briefly describe to our listeners what it is that BYO Consulting does?
The core of what we do revolves around solving public problems through digital technology. We work with a variety of clients in the government and non-profit sphere and think about how innovations in technology can help them with their public problems.
As you know, Bon Education focuses heavily on edtech development in emerging markets. If you were to make one recommendation to the Ministry of Education of say an emerging market located in the Middle East, what would you suggest?
When developing a social media or digital technology project, it is essential to understand the needs of the users such as the teachers, parents and students first, and then develop the technology or the social media strategy based off of their unique needs. Often times, decision makers, when presented with a new tool, tend to think of it as a silver bullet. It is really important to keep in mind how the change will impact those on the ground.
Based on your experiences working at the nexus of policy making and education development, what type of education initiatives would you like to see develop worldwide?
Broadly, we are all involved in education. The most important thing to remember is how critical education is to economic development and cultural preservation. Keeping that in the center of our minds, one thing that can help further education is leveraging technology to connect people within the education system to each other. Whether it’s connecting teachers to teachers, teachers to parents, teachers to students or students to each other – in any context that feedback and support is going to be critical.
From politics to advertising to plain old socializing, social media has transformed our society. Fodil helped show us the real-life applications of such tools and how social media can help alleviate the problems of the education realm. It’s not as technical as it sounds though –technology simply allows for communication networks that better link the needs of educators and students to those who can actually make a change.
Keep Calm and Learn On,
Nora
Image Available Under CC Licensure by TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³