A Case for Technological Literacy

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A Case for Technological Literacy
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Arvin Federal Emergency School (Weedpatch School)
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• The Dustbowl1936-1940
• - Drought and wind devastate agriculture in the
  Oklahoma panhandle.
• Rumors of agriculture jobs in Californias reate
  a migration of Okies to the San Joaquin Valley.

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• Too few jobs, too many workers led to a dead end
  journey for most
• The valley becomes hostile to the poor,
  illiterate Okies with their funny ways of
  speaking and living.

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Superintendant of Schools Leo Hart
In 1940 Leo decided that if no one wanted the
Okie kids in the public schools, then maybe the
Okie children would have their own school. It
would be a different school, he thought. It
would be more than bricks and buildings, more
than lessons and homework in math and writing.
It would teach practical skills, such as masonry,
carpentry, mechanics, and agriculture. It would
also teach the children to be proud of who they
were. It would instill self-confidence in them
so they might succeed in life on their own.
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Schooling Opportunities

• Not welcome
• Overcrowding
• Transportation
• Conflicts
• Increased taxes to take care of social problem
  created by migration.

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• Created Arvin Federal Emergency School - also
  called Weedpatch School.
• Hired the best teachers right out of college
• Knew John Steinbeck and drew resources from him
  and his associates
• His teachers found a C-47 to teach aircraft
  mechanics, created a farm that fed the camp,
  built buildings and the countys best science
  labs out of donations and scraps, build the first
  public swimming pool in the county, had the
  students raise livestock, took care of sick
  students, cooked in the evenings,and took the
  children to church on Sundays.

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Students Construct Their Own School
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Plumbing and Carpentry Classes
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Basic Woodworking and Cabinet Making
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Mechanics, Electricity and Science in a C-47
Aircraft
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Students build a school swimming pool First in
County
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By 1944 the once hostile residents of Kern
County were clamoring to get their children into
the Arvin Federal Emergency School.
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What became of the students of Weedpatch school?

• College professor
• President of a mining company
• Business owner
• High school teacher
• High school administrators
• Owner of supermarket chain
• Captain in the Kern County Fire Department

• Construction company owner in Hawaii and
  California
• Owner of restaurant chain
• Marketing manager - IBM
• Elementary teachers
• Mechanical engineer
• Insurance company president

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Formula For Success

• Determine skills students need to become
  technologically literate.
• Coordinated efforts between dedicated educators
  and business/community.
• Use technology as the integrator between
  practical skills and academics.
• Address social issues (Humanity)

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Bring the light of Opportunity to Children
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• Problems
• No electricity in school or
• Community
• Limited learning opportunities
• Limited school recreation

Essem Elementary Middle School Ghana West
Africa
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Major Activities of Building the Merry-Go-Round
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School Children Playing on Merry-go-Round
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