Title: Computers in Youth Ministry
1Computers in Youth and After-School
Programs Mary Margaret Pavan PREP Community
Computer Center After-School Technology
Coordinator AmeriCorps VISTA Member May 5, 2001
2- Workshop Agenda
- Why include computers in a youth or after-school
program? - How do you want to use computers for youth?
- Brief overview of PREP programs for youth
- PREP curriculum
- Additional PREP projects for youth
- Outside resources
- Question Answer/ Discussion
3Why include computers in youth and after-school
programs?
4- Why include computers in youth
- and after-school programs?
- To give children computer literacy
- To overcome cultural barriers
- To encourage youth to find their gifts
- To help students with reading and math skills
- To get youth excited about technology
- To give children skills necessary in later
education and careers - To build relationships with youth around their
interests
5- Questions to Consider Before Using Computers in a
Youth or After-School Program - What is our purpose in teaching children
technology? - Are we to help them discover potential gifts
that may not appear in a typical classroom? - Are we just to get them excited about using
technology? - Are we to teach them basic or higher level
skills? - How much can we assume they already know?
- Are we supposed to use computers to help them
with their basic reading and math skills?
6- PREPs Answers to Those Questions
- In Project 21 and Brengle Academy, PREP seeks
to equip the students with computer tools that
will help them in high school and beyond. - PREP wants to encourage youth that may not have
regular access to computers to get excited about
technology and discover their technological
gifts. - PREP uses educational games like Knowledge
Adventure JumpStart to reinforce young
childrens reading and math skills. - PREP seeks to build relationships with youth by
engaging them in technology.
7- Successes
- Relationships and trust growing between youth
and teachers. - Time is created for youth and adults to
interact in areas that youth enjoy. - Youth get excited to do what they have learned.
They loved getting the CDs they made and
inserting ClipArt into everything!
8- Challenges Ive Faced
- Maintaining Discipline Youth get very excited
around computers! - Deciding between short-term and long-term
projects. Finding long-term projects. - Finding appropriate projects for young
children. If they cannot read, their options
are limited.
9Computers in Youth and After-School Programs
How do you want to use computers for youth?
10Computers in Youth and After-School Programs
Brief Overview of PREP Youth Programs
- Project 21 After-School Program Computer Class
(K-8th grade, once a week) - Brengle Academy Computer Class (Middle School,
once a week) - Computer Club (4th-8th grade, once a month)
- Video Production class for girls (12-21 years
old) - Digital Music Studio class (all ages, but
targeted at youth) - Re-aligning our multimedia classes for youth
- PREP Enterprises
11Computers in Youth and After-School Programs
PREP Curriculum Computer Basics Goal To
prepare students with basic computer literacy.
To prepare them with computer skills necessary
for high school. Step 1 Students learn about
networking, saving, typing, spell check, and
editing by typing a short document using
Microsoft Word. Step 2 Students review
concepts. They learn about opening, printing,
saving on a floppy disk by making name signs for
their bedroom doors at home.
12PREP Curriculum Encarta Africana Scavenger
Hunt Students are introduced to Encarta Africana
by doing a scavenger hunt through a portion of
the programs interactive, multimedia timeline.
They enter their answers on a worksheet.
13PREP Curriculum The Internet Planning a
vacation Step 1 Students pick a place to visit
and find basic information about it on the
Internet. Step 2 Students plan their five-day
vacations, including choosing flights (day,
times, and flight numbers) using the Internet.
14PREP Curriculum Research Encarta Africana
Heroes Step 1 Students find a hero using
Encarta Africana. They answer questions on
worksheet.
15Step 2 Students use Microsoft Word to make
posters of their heroes. Posters include details
from worksheet and pictures of heroes (copy
paste is learned!).
16PREP Curriculum Research Poetry Step 1
Students find a poet in Encarta Africana.
17Step 2 Students search for their poets on the
Internet. They print out poems written by their
poets. Step 3 Students take one line of their
poem. They write their own poems using that line.
18PREP Curriculum Research The History of Hip Hop
Step 1 Students learn some Hip Hop history
using specified web sites. They answer worksheet
questions.
19Step 2 Students find a Hip Hop musician on the
Internet. They print out the lyrics of three of
their songs. Students think about what these
songs say and their deeper message. Step 3
Students summarize their research (history and
lyrics) with analysis in a six slide PowerPoint
presentation. Students present their slide show
to the class.
20- PREP Curriculum Additional Projects
- Making music CDs using Hip Hop Ejay
- Typing using Mavis Beacon Typing (Version 9)
- Knowledge Adventure JumpStart Game
- Making cards and posters using Microsoft
Publisher
21- Additional PREP Projects for Youth
- Computer Club
- Goal To encourage walk-in lab visitors and
give them constructive and organized time in the
computer lab. - Meet once a month
- For 4th-8th graders
- Take club members on field trips to science
and/or technology sites (Science Museum, Roxbury
Multimedia Center, etc.) - Engage members in new computer activities
(making CDs and CD covers)
22- Additional PREP Projects for Youth
- Video Production Class for Girls
- For girls, 12-21 years old
- Girls learn about digital video production
(filming, editing, etc.) by designing and
creating their own movies - Emphasis on mentoring the students
23- Additional PREP Projects for Youth
- Digital Music Studio Class
- For all ages, but focused toward youth
- Teaches youth how to use Hip Hop EJay to mix
their own songs, but most of the time is spent
in mixing, not in teaching
24- We have taught Hip Hop EJay to both Project 21
and Brengle Academy. They have also learned how
to design CD jacket covers using Microsoft
Publisher.
25- General Resources
- AC4 website will have a link to this
presentation and my research. In addition, we
hope to start a web page where others can post
their curriculum ideas. http//www.acccc.org - CTCNet. http//www.ctcnet.org
- My report on resources Curriculum and
Resources for Youth, a review of the CTCNet
archives and other resources. -
26- Resources Project-based Curriculum
- Multimedia Projects
- Whats My Anti-Drug Campaign. Ages 12-17. See
an example at http//www.whatsyourantidrug.com/o
ndcp/show/launch.html. - Video production idea create a commercial for
an imaginary product, Motivation. An example
is at http//stories.simplenet.com/motivation.mov
. - LEGOs Mindstorm product. This is a
computerized LEGO set for building robots. Then
students program their robots using a computer.
http//mindstorms.lego.com/
27- Resources Project-based Curriculum
- Multimedia Projects Web Page Design
- Look Smart. http//www.looksmart.com/eus1/eus53
832/eus53833/eus328722/ eus55260/r?ispzaecomefro
mizae-explore - Operation MEDIA. Program overview and specific
curriculum for each lesson. Focus on web design
and personal growth. For high school students,
but adaptable. http//www.rtpnet.org/blc/media2/ - Web Monkey for Kids. http//www.hotwired.lycos
.com/webmonkey/kids
28- Resources Project-based Curriculum
- Multimedia Projects Web Page Design
- Page Tutor. HTML for the rest of us.
http//www.pagetutor.com - W3Schools. Free web building curriculum.
http//www.w3schools.com/ - Web Teacher. Includes a Spanish version.
http//www.webteacher.org/winexp/indextc.html
29- Resources Project-based Curriculum
- Multimedia Projects Software
- Hyperstudio. http//www.hyperstudio.com
- Microworlds. http//www.microworlds.com
- Stagecast. http//www.stagecast.com
- Macromedia.com or Infini-D. Animation
software.
30- Resources Project-based Curriculum
- Art Technology
- Projects from Sarah Smiley. Interactive
self-portraits, An Imaginary House, Water
Portraits. - Boston CyberArts Festival CyberFaces.
Includes many different events, one of which is
showcasing portraits by students on-line.
http//www.cyberfaces.org/ - ArtTECH. A program for youth in tech and art.
Nettrice Gaskins (nettrice_at_onebox.com) is doing
this in Boston. For curriculum ideas and
recommendations on hardware and software, see
http//www.geocities.com/arttechycp/index.html.
31- Resources Project-based Curriculum
- Art Technology Music Software
- Hip Hop EJay. A software program for 2nd grade
and up. Children and adults can mix their own
songs. http//www.voyetra-turtle- beach.com/site
/product_menus/music_software.asp - Music Ace. Music software by Harmonic Vision.
- Dub It. Example of what it can make at
http//stories.simplenet.com/dubit/
32- Resources Education
- Science Quest. Middle school students research
a science question and document their
discoveries on a multimedia web site. Contact
Jennifer Dorsen, jdorsen_at_edc.org. - Web Pages for Teachers http//www.SchoolOne.co
m, http//www.quia.com, http//www.sil.org/ched.e
dsoft.html, http//EDNOW.com
33- Resources Education
- For Children
- The Learning Network. An interactive site for
K-12th grade students. http//familyeducation.co
m/k12/Student/ - Virtual Explorers. For 5-12 year olds.
http//www.virtualexplorers.org - Discovery Online for kids. Grades K-12.
http//schooldiscovery.com/ - I Know That. Ages 2-12. http//www.iKnowthat.c
om/ - Homework Assistance Web Sites, Pen Pal Web
Sites, On-line Reading Sites, Software
Programs.
34- Resources Black History
- Encarta Africana. A multimedia encyclopedia.
- AFRO-Americ_at_s Black History Museum. This is a
site for teens and adults with a link to a
fabulous kids page. The main site is
http//www.afroam.org/history. The Kids Zone is
http//www.afroam.org/children/children.html.
35- Resources Especially For Girls
- Cybergrrl.com. Free e-mail and chat rooms.
Also has a Woman of the Day and a tech
section. http//www.cybergrrl.com - Girl Tech. Chat room, games, links to other
girl-friendly sites, info about women around the
world, sports, news, and an invention page.
http//www.girltech.com
36- Conclusions
- Computers can add depth to the education and
relationships of children in youth and
after-school programs. - Know your priorities and goals for using
computers in a youth or after-school program. - There are many resources available for teaching
computers, but they are spread out and
overwhelming to sort through. - Ministries need to work together to share and
centralize resources for using computers (AC4).