For decades, the inadequacies and shortcomings of Latino education have always been there - but a principal difference between then and now is scale. In opposition, innovation and ingenuity can become our community's most valuable resources. LEAD therefore serves as a primary site for innovative and productive projects in Latino Education. Our impact and success are grounded on collaboration, participation, and outreach. Our work, by necessity, involves

significant participation and partnerships in the region and nationally, and strong interactive connections with Latino networks in the U.S., as well as Latin Americans and Indigenous Peoples throughout the Americas and the world.

The various LEAD networks reach agreement that there are important issues that directly or indirectly affect institutions and the multiple communities we straddle, that required us to do the action work that is most relevant for the local context, and in such a way that they can be used to inform and shape policy. Put simply, the LEAD movement engages- and believes that the singular accomplishable solution to our educational dilemma lies in community activism and democratic participation. "Netroots" is one way to describe our methods of awareness-raising, education, promotion, advocacy, activism, analysis, discussion, critique, and dissemination of educational issues that impact Latinos.

The word is a combination of "internet and grassroots," reflecting the technological innovations, participatory democracy, and campaign-oriented activities that set our techniques apart from other forms of education and advocacy. Our work propels through local and regional efforts, with supra-local interlinks via national, and global web-based connectiveness -- that organizes communication points that spread out, but are not directed outward to, or from, any one singular point.

This forum showcases LEAD Partners who are at the cutting-edge of technological innovation and application, as factors that can help mobilize and increase educational capacity and advocacy.

Panelists:

- Armando Sanchez, Executive Producer, LatinoGraduate.net Web Broadcasting

- Andres Orozco, Co-Founder, Novelas Educativas™

- Colt Alton, Director of Technology, LearningU

- David Iberkleid, Creator, PaseLaVoz Network, ReK2 Text Messaging, CEO at WhyEquals, LLC

- Nadja Giuffrida, CEO of Dextro, LLC. and LaPlaza.net, and Chairman of Thinkers, Inc

Moderator:

- Robert Garcia, Information Technology Consultant, College of Education, California State University, San Bernardino

Red Carpet Hosts:

- Maribel Aragon and Aaron Sanchez

CSUSB - Latino Education and Advocacy Days (LEAD), "Forum: “The NetRoots Movement: The LEADing edge in Innovating, Applying, and Enhancing Technology to Leverage Latino Education and Advocacy”" (2012). Latino Education and Advocacy Days (LEAD) Video Recordings. 44.

https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/lead/44