All of the students who entered the contest were so creative and put forth so much effort, we wish we could have awarded all of them prizes and could share all of their projects with you. While we are sharing summaries of many of the winners below, this is merely a sampling of the many wonderful projects shared with us in this contest. We hope these students' efforts provide you with the inspiration to start your own efforts and demonstrate just how creative and committed our children can be in helping their schools.
Brian Goldfarb at Canyon High School in Anaheim, California, was the Grand Prize winner in the secondary student category. He organized and led a team of students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, in the creation of an information-rich resource for use by anyone via the Internet: The Canyon High Home Page and Web Site. The goal of the project was to keep their community and the world informed about Canyon High School. They succeeded. Canyon's Web Site is constantly updated with information about upcoming events, the use of science and technology on campus, news from the PTSA and student government. Additionally, their Web site offers help with career searches and information about Canyon's staff, curriculum, and mission. While Brian involved other students in his efforts, Brian committed extensive hours to developing the Web pages and Web site himself. According to Brian, "This has given me an experience to put my knowledge to effective use. We were pioneers in the district, and we think we have created an excellent resource for the community and the students of Canyon." We think he has, too.
Beth Daniel from Parrish High School in Parrish, Alabama, received a second place award. She wanted to promote awareness of the value of computers in education, so she organized a Computer Outreach Program for her school and community. Her goal was to have folks in her community come to their school and use the computers--to help them get over any fears they had about using computers and to inform parents about the equipment their children were using. Beth organized a two-night event last November where members of the community could, for the first time, come in and learn how computers were being used in the school and have questions answered by teachers and students. One parent's comment illustrates the impact of Beth's effort: "I enjoyed the program and hope it helped the people in our community. I did not know a lot about computers, but I am very excited about the prospect of my child learning the technology of the future." Beth's effort was so successful that other workshops are being planned, and the community has an open invitation to use the school's computers whenever they need. Congratulations, Beth!
Another second place winner, Jason Faulring, is from the small, rural community of North Collins, New York. Their school library didn't have much technology, so he created a handout on how technology is being used in their Library Media Center and distributed it throughout town--at a local store, pizzeria, public library and barber shop. People started talking and the next thing he knew, the public library was referring people to their media center. Excellent public relations, Jason!
Ben Voss started a newspaper focusing on students' use of technology at The Transitional School, a school for juvenile offenders in Tampa, Florida. In November of 1995, The Transitional School Tribune was born. Written by the school's students, its purpose is to communicate to others that the school provides an interactive learning environment and that computers play a big part in that interactivity and are one of the catalysts for learning at this school. The newsletter was distributed to the community, as well as to the Department of Justice and others. Response to the newsletter has been positive, and the newsletter has been recognized as empowering not only the students, but the community as well. We hope Ben continues this effort.
Cory Wilcox of Kingwood, West Virginia, used his knowledge of the information highway to help local businesses learn more about the advantages of going online. Together with the local Chamber of Commerce and other students, Cory organized an instructional project to educate people about the Internet and the many interesting sites available. They also instructed many students about the resources and advantages of the Internet. Since each classroom will soon be networked, the students approached the challenge of computer literacy not as an option, but as a must in the new world of technology.
As for the middle grades, first place went to Robert Dabney of Camden Middle School in Camden, South Carolina. Robert, now in the 6th grade, says he got hooked on computers in the 3rd grade. He started a newsletter, Computer News--School, Home & Community Working Together, to broaden his community's awareness of the needs and uses of technology in his school. He even included information on the success of fundraising efforts and thanked everyone for helping. We're sure people appreciated being recognized in this way.
Second place went to the folks at Gouverneur Middle School in Gouverneur, New York. The 7th and 8th graders worked together to create a handbook, a "survival guide," for their school, using Macintosh computers. From course overviews to surveys of the food on campus, artwork, and staff interviews, students tied the information all together in a very extensive and useful handbook. This helped their community because the school had just been reorganized, and this was the first year that they were called a middle school. The handbook helped the new school to learn about itself and its potential and to share the information with others.
Another second place winner, Christina Romano of Kenvil, New Jersey, started a newsletter that reached out to businesses in her community. Her newsletter informed them of how computers benefit children at school and how far their school has come with getting new computers. Her newsletter also shared ways businesses were currently helping her school and how other businesses might also help. She also included a section that helped local businesses understand that their donations today could help ensure that students know how to use computers when they enter the workplace.
To get people involved with his school's computers, Jedidiah Kohler of Valley City, North Dakota, along with other students, invited students and the community to a three-night computer learning event and hosted a Technology Day for 5th and 6th graders. All the students made posters and banners to advertise the events in local businesses. Over the three-night event, thirty-six of thirty-eight students, plus seventy-two others from the community attended--that's 108 people out of a town with a population of 110. Now that's an exciting turnout! On the Technology Day, thirteen 5th and 6th grade students and three teachers toured local industry to see how they use technology.
Another second place finish went to Jennifer Goertz of Oakton, Virginia. She designed a monthly newsletter, Hi-Tech at Hunters Woods, that emphasized how 5th and 6th grade students were using computers at her school, Hunters Woods Elementary, and invited companies to become partners with her school. She took extra care to make sure that her newsletter looked attractive via the use of "snazzy fonts" and software screens that show how computers benefit kids. The last we heard, she was waiting for approval to distribute her newsletter to local businesses. Good luck, Jennifer--we hope you bring in some new partners for your school!
The grand prize winning folks at Jesse Stuart Elementary School in Madison, Kentucky put together a Technology Team consisting of seven- to eleven-year olds. The team met on Friday mornings to study the use of computers. The young entrepreneurs soon began a greeting card company to raise funds. They also gave school technology tours to the community, explaining how they were using technology. Using QuickCams, they made buttons with their pictures on them, but the best that we saw was their human touch. The students sang a song they created, "The Technology Mash," to those on each tour. Last we heard, they were looking for another Technology Team to compete against. Good luck to anyone who takes them up on the challenge!
One second place went to Elise Kocurek at West University Elementary School in Houston, Texas. She made a videotape to help promote the use of technology in the classroom. Her goal was to have a video to show at PTA meetings and local businesses to communicate their school's need for more funding and donations of used computers to increase the number of computers in the school. She confessed that is was hard work to make a video, but it looks like it paid off.
Tom Barberio, a 5th grader from Lincoln-Roosevelt School in Succasunna, New Jersey, also took a second place. Wanting to show the folks in his community about the state of technology in his school, he developed an audio tape and picture "technology journey" of his school which he gave to local businesses. First he told about and showed pictures of the numerous, older computers in their school and presented their limitations. Then, he contrasted these to several newer computers that allow students to access the Internet and to use extensive encyclopedias and other more advanced software. He then asked for donations of computers, components, and software to help improve their school's computer center.
Also receiving a second place were 4th and 5th graders in the West University Elementary School Computer Club in Houston, Texas. Last Computer Learning Month, they came in early several mornings and started a school newsletter, Bits and Bytes, to raise computer knowledge in the school and keep everyone up-to-date on their computers and software. Articles discussed different software programs and provided helpful tips on using them. The students distributed their newsletter to all 950 students in their school to take home. With the helpful information, we hope these students are continuing to publish it!
Students at Drewsey School District, a small rural school district in Eastern Oregon, used their computers to produce a newsletter. It not only addresses computers, but serves as a primary means of communication for the community, as there is no town newspaper.
The Computer Learning Foundation applauds each of these young people for their efforts in helping their schools build better relationships with their communities. While the winners clearly enjoy the prizes they received in this contest, we believe the real prizes are the results of their efforts--better relationships with their community and better support for their schools' use of technology.
Take part in this year's Computer Learning Month Contests. You may be one of the many lucky winners we contact next spring.
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