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Back to School with Technology: Service-Learning Project Ideas
by Cynthia Wetmiller

There are numerous ways students working with computers at the elementary, middle or high school level can connect your curriculum to the needs of those in or the digital divide. Give any of these projects a try and move technology from the classroom into the community:

Elementary Level
Students in elementary school know a lot more about computers than most people think. Technology can bring senior citizens and elementary students together for learning and sharing. Consider the following project for your elementary students:

"Mousercises"
One of the first computer skills a young child learns is how to manipulate the mouse. Many senior citizens have difficulty mastering mouse skills because of problems with reflexes, arthritis or eye-hand coordination, etc. Simply having a child play simple computer games with a senior citizen can help build mouse skills and confidence levels. Together, elementary students and senior citizens can practice their "mousercises!" A local senior citizen center may have the computers and the games ready and waiting for you and your students!

Middle School Level
Middle school students have a lot more technology experience than elementary students and can address the digital divide at a more involved level. Consider the following project for your middle school students:

"Library Project"
Many local libraries have small computer labs that library patrons can use while at the library for educational purposes. Here are two ways middle school students can meet some of the technology needs at the library:

1. Internet Rescue Team: Students can be on-hand to help those patrons new to using the Internet. From how to log on to where to surf for specific information, students can help make those new to cyberspace feel more at home!

2. Email Troubleshooting: Many people who use public access Internet facilities such as the library do not have a computer at home to get online. Without Internet service in the home, many of these users have free email accounts with Hotmail, Yahoo, etc. Your students can help people at your local library feel more comfortable with email by putting together an email troubleshooting brochure. This brochure can highlight information pertinent to email usage, such as an overview of common language, instructions for opening up a public email account, and basic how-to steps for common email tasks such as working with attachments, forwarding email, copying email and saving email files to a disk. Once the students create a brochure with a desktop publishing software program such as Publisher or Pagemaker, they can work with librarians to display the brochures at the computer stations so patrons have easy access to the information.

High School Level
Just as middle school students can create a brochure to help explain email to those who are unfamiliar with electronic mail, high school students can also disseminate information that can help those new to technology acquire computer skills and confidence. Here's one idea:

"Community Computer Calendars"
At least once a week, community celebrations and events are highlighted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Consider having your high school students browse local papers and compile information relating to free technology programming in the community on a weekly basis. Students can post these events on a computer calendar on a website (try the chamber of commerce or school district for a domain name). They could also master desktop publishing software to create calendars that can be printed and distributed to community technology centers, local businesses, schools, religious organizations or any other community group.