GenYES students at B. Gale Wilson school in Fairfield, California, were featured in their local paper, The Daily Republic, with a story about their leadership and technology skills.
B. Gale Wilson teaching nuts and bolts of computers by Nika Megino
Seventh-grader Marisa Matthews no longer needs her dad’s assistance when her computer acts up. She now knows to check the mouse, keyboard, speakers, Local Area Network and power cords. The 11-year- old has gained those skills during her Technology Leadership course at B. Gale Wilson School. The course is a new elective being offered to 20 seventh- and eighth-grade students each semester.
It was formed with the idea to teach students the nuts and bolts of computer technology, teacher Patrick Cook said. Cook, who joined the B. Gale Wilson School staff in January, said it became apparent when he took his English class to the computer lab that many of the students lacked computer knowledge. “Once I saw that kids needed that, I wanted to close the digital divide,” Cook said.
The class isn’t all about learning about troubleshooting and running diagnostics. Students will be divided into groups and assigned to help teachers find ways to integrate technology in the classroom. Creating presentations with Power Point, Web sites through DreamWeaver, Flash videos and podcasts are some of the topics that will be covered during the course.
Assignments are given digitally through the Generation YES program, which stands for Generation of Youth and Educators Succeeding. The program gives classes a Web site that provides online forums and blogs. Teachers can also request technological help through the site.
Discussions on how to build a Website for one seventh-grade teacher are already being held within the class’ GenYES Web site, and Cook said that initiative is the goal of the class. “We’re developing leaders,” said Cook, who pointed out the demand for technological skills.
While Matthews has many years ahead of her before she joins the workforce, she said she knows techno- logical skills are needed to succeed. “A lot of things run by computers,” Matthews said. “We use computers in our everyday life.”
The class has been well-received by those students who aren’t as active and engaged in blog discussions but are quick to volunteer whenteachers have technogical problems. Seventh-grader Matthew Hanna added, “It’s been a fun experience. You get to make friends and learn together.”
