[printer friendly (text) page]

High School Programs

The Pennsylvania Digital Divide Initiative’s high school program engages students in using technology to meet community needs through service-learning. Each partner school recruits and trains a team of tech-savvy students to develop and implement technology projects designed to bridge the digital divide in their community.

Each tech team consists of a diverse group of students with different technology skills, interests, and career goals. After analyzing the technology needs of their community, each develops various service-learning projects. PDDI provides funding for training, hardware, software, and supplies needed to complete the projects. Projects vary in both content and scope depending on the needs of the community. Listed below are the partnered YDSLC’s and brief descriptions of their projects.

--------------------

Partnered Schools

Simon Gratz High School
Coordinator: Janice Steinberg
sgratzhs@erols.com

Projects:

- Teacher and staff technical support. The tech team provides just-in-time technical support to teachers and staff at Gratz High School. Team members repair classroom computers, install and configure software, and do basic network troubleshooting. The YDSLC with the assistance of the tech team also hosts a variety of technology training workshops for teachers.

- Nicetown-Tioga Collaborative Job Readiness Series. The tech team hosts technology-training sessions for unemployed members of the Nicetown-Tioga community. Participants are introduced to a variety of computer literacy topics including basic computer operation, word processing, browsing the Internet and email. All participants that successfully completed the series received a used computer refurbished by the tech team.

- Red Cross Clubs and Web Design. The tech team assisted Red Cross clubs at three different Philadelphia High Schools develop websites. These website promoted each clubs efforts to address community health needs. The tech team also provided each club with a refurbished computer with web design software to continue and build their respective website.

--------------------

Quaker Valley High School
Coordinator: Ron Beers
beersr@qvsd.org

Projects:

- Montessori Children’s Community. The Quaker Valley Tech Team provided educational and productivity software and training to this community group. They also upgraded their Internet connection and installed content filtering software.

- Leetsdale Presbyterian Church. The tech team provided and installed Internet content filtering software for the public computer lab in the basement of this church.

- Global Links. The tech team provided this nonprofit organization with a portable video for use in its fund-raising endeavors.

- Sewickley Union Aid Society. The tech team provided Microsoft Access software and training on using it to this nonprofit group.

- Sweetwater Center for the Arts. The tech team completely overhauled the technology infrastructure at this organization by providing them with four new computers and a new server.

--------------------

Hempfield High School
Coordinator: Ruth Fisher
Email: ruth_fisher@hempfield.k12.pa.us

--------------------