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Youth Voice: Quaker Valley Helps Bridge the Digital Divideby Matt Eonta, Senior at QV
In Quaker Valley's Digital High School, the Student Service-Learning Center (SSLC) has been using its technological capabilities to its greatest extent. Not only have we used our district-issued computers for our tracking and projects, but the SSLC's technology team has started to make major strides in fulfilling its goals of bringing the technology education and awareness to the entire district community.
The SSLC Technology Team consists of four members: Alex Grant, David Kavic, Dan Klein, and Brian Parker. Together, these four students have worked hard to come up with the budgets and objectives necessary to obtain the goals of the Digital Divide Grant, directed by Faith Goldstein.
The tech team chose nonprofit organizations to work with and set up goals by administering a needs assessment. This assessment informs the team about what they could do for that nonprofit. By the middle of January, the tech team was wrapped up in its projects.
- The tech team is currently working with the Montessori Children's Community Center and has almost completed networking all of the Center’s computers. It is now in the primary stages of looking into effective ways to supply the school with internet filters.
- At the Sweetwater Center for the Arts, another local nonprofit agency, the team has researched ways to find nonprofit discounts for software packages necessary to help Sweetwater create an effective website. A StudioMX bundle has been installed and the team is learning how to navigate Dreamweaver software.
- The Sewickley Public Library has commissioned help from the SSLC to increase computer literacy in the area, especially among the elder citizens. To do this, the they have created surveys to hand out at the library. These surveys enabled the team to gauge the knowledge of each person, and then assess how much training each specific person needed. Lessons in creating email accounts, sending attachments and learning word processing are planned.
- Our local YMCA has a worker stationed at Quaker Valley Middle School to organize after-school programs. He has office space, but he has no way of connecting with the rest of the school or making sufficient contacts with his co-workers. The SSLC has come to the rescue by helping him lease a laptop and connect to the district network so he can have the resources he needs to get the most out of his work.
- Ambridge Area High School's Student Service-Learning Center came for a training session on January 14. It was brought to our attention that their center was in dire need of computers. Because the QVSSLC had recently been updated technologically (primarily through the work of the Tech Team, Health Team and the Digital Divide Grant), there is the option to rebuild and donate our old computers to Ambridge. The tech team is planning a visit to the Ambridge SSLC to assess its needs.
- Union Aid, a local non-profit social agency, is being networked and updated. The goal is to furnish the Union Aid offices with two laptops, one desktop computer and software to meet their needs. Each new computer will have a 3-year warranty to address protection and repair issues and the office’s existing machines will be networked to the new purchases. They will also install a wireless internet connection for their director, clients and board members to communicate in a faster and more efficient way. The students will also offer training for their new software programs.
The technology team has kept very busy this year. They are reaching out to the community in a way never thought possible, by making the most of the members' digital capabilities and the skills of the students in the Quaker Valley School District.
For more information on the Digital Divide's Goals and the premise of the grant, please visit: http://www.delawarevalley.org/psla/quakervalley.html.
February, 2003
VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2
Evaluation Tools and Methods for Service-Learning
Literacy Issues and Service-Learning Projects
Good Neighbor Service-Learning Award
The UrbanTech Project: Six Years and Still Growing Stronger
Building Computers, a Service-Learning Endeavor
Community Problem-Solving Curriculum: Service-Learning and College Prep
Youth Voice: Quaker Valley Helps Bridge the Digital Divide
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The Pennsylvania Service-Learning Alliance dissolved as of June 30, 2007. The website will stay posted for one more year, so please share the resources. We are sorry that we will not be able to answer any questions you may have. Good luck with all your future service-learning endeavors!