Government Technology - November 2008 - (Page 21)

that in this century that the people who have power and control are the ones who can manipulate and use technology for their welfare, and the welfare and benefit of the groups that they work with.” In an effort to bring the program to Flagler County, Guines pitched the Make It-Take It idea to his Rotary Club, the school board and even the local library — none of which were willing to put full support behind the program in the beginning. But Guines eventually gained support from each organization and persuaded local providers to donate equipment, Internet access and space at a local hospital. The first class was taught working with Habitat for Humanity, and Guines said it was where some of the initial concepts began. The program has since received growing support from the school district and the Rotary Club. Veronica Maggs, program manager of Flagler County Schools Adult Education, also came on board. Guines credits her with expanding the program to its current level. More than 500 students of all ages have graduated from the Flagler County Make ItTake It program. The program first targeted students who were failing the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, but it has grown beyond serving at-risk schoolchildren. “The students who went through this program do significantly better than the cohort who did not.” Shahram Amiri, CEO, Florida Institute for the Study of Digital Inclusion classes. Equipment that’s too old or inappropriate is given to community programs or turned over to a recycling program in exchange for funds that go back into the local Make It-Take It program. “It’s a win-win for everybody because everybody who donates gets tax relief,” Maggs said. “And what equipment we can’t use, we recycle and get money from that.” She said community members and organizations also donate money to support the program. “Everything in the program, apart from my salary, is donated,” she said. Guines said the program has the added benefit of keeping electronic clutter out of landfills and in use, especially equipment that isn’t yet obsolete. “One of the really strange things about technology is people don’t contain their use of the equipment,” he said. “They just get newer and newer, and you build up all that old equipment out there. But we’re finding that that old equipment has a way of bringing generations of young people The Make Itwho could never afford a new Take It program one right now into the use of mobile lab, lets Flagler these things.” County educators Using the equipment to bring the technology teach kids about technology is to students. The bus is putting students who would at equipped with computers and other learning one time have been at a technomaterials for teaching logical disadvantage ahead of technology skills. the game, he said. Typical high school kids know how to use PHOTO COURTESY OF FLAGLER COUNTY SCHOOLS the technology, Guines said, “We’ve had students from the third grade but they don’t necessarily have the technoto about 84 years old,” said Maggs, who added logical know-how that goes along with buildthat classes have been arranged for adults, ing a computer. The stars continue to align for Flagler’s students with disabilities and veterans. Because of this, curriculum was developed Make It-Take It program, with a publicity and adapted for all types of learning styles, boost from the local cable company. Bright and those variations can be shared among House Networks donated funds that will the organizations involved with the Make It- allow the district to move its program from a classroom to a mobile computer lab. A bus, Take It program. Maggs markets the program throughout outfitted with computers donated by Apple, the community, resulting in more donated and Wi-Fi will allow Maggs to transport her equipment than the program can use in its class to students at each school, rather than trying to round up students for classes at her permanent location. “The bulk of our students come from the schools, and they have to get to my location,” she said. Until now that has meant that Maggs must bring in the students by bus. “I have to go to the bus depot, pick up a bus, drive to the schools, pick up the students, drive the students to where my lab is — our lab — teach them, drive them back, then deliver the bus back,” she said. “It takes me all day to teach a class.” Mobilizing the lab will let her teach more than one class a day. She said the school district also hopes to turn the mobile lab into a Microsoft certification center so students can learn career-oriented technology skills. Academic Results Even though the school district hasn’t completed an assessment of the program’s effect on students, Maggs said that parent surveys PHOTO COURTESY OF FLAGLER COUNTY SCHOOLS

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - November 2008

Government Technology - November 2008 Contents Point of View On the Scene Big Picture Four Questions for … Forward Thinkers Taking Tech Home Virtual Frontier Hidden Costs Uncovered Seeing Red For the Record In the Loop Benign Dictatorship Home-Field Advantage A Better Way to Park New Tools for Fighting Crime How It Works Spectrum Products Two Cents signal:noise

Government Technology - November 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.