by Doug Gross, CNN
Over the past 10 years, 25,000 struggling students from poverty-stricken schools have gotten guidance, encouragement and advice from volunteer mentors. And they haven’t met face-to-face even once. I Could Be, a New York-based nonprofit, uses online tools to connect students with those willing to lend a hand. It is one of a growing number of groups that specialize in what they call “e-mentoring.” The technology, of course, has existed for years. But the movement is just beginning to find its footing as groups work through various obstacles, such as insuring privacy and safety and establishing that there is, in fact, value in such online relationships. Kate Schrauth, the executive director of I Could Be, is convinced. She says that digital mentoring, while in some ways limited, has advantages for students who have grown up in the glow of a computer monitor.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/25/tech/web/online-mentoring/
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