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May 15, 2001
Getting the Word Out
By Patricia L. Fry
From interactive computer kiosks to online museum exhibits, students are creating a buzz about their schools. Administrators can take that kind of PR to the bank.
Showcasing Their School
Visitors to the Indian Creek Science and Technology Magnet School in Indianapolis, Ind., are greeted not only by principal Dennis Brooks, but by an interactive computer kiosk, as well. Contents of this technological PR machine come directly from students at the school, who use the kiosk to showcase their projects. According to technology coach Mark Gibson, the kiosk is "a window into the daily creations of students and demonstrates what our science and technology magnet program is all about."
Upon touching the iMac computer screen, a parent or visitor might see an example of the first-graders' digital video enactment of alphabet letters; what second-graders are learning about the solar system; or Chemistry Craze, a MovieWorks (Interactive Solutions, Inc.) project created by fifth-graders.
"The children are using computers all day long," says Gibson. "Their topics will take them from research and study to a written report and finally to demonstrations and presentations, some of which are showcased in the kiosk at the front of the school."
According to Gibson, "The children are learning real-world computer skills here at Indian Creek. The kids are making movies and animated presentations. They're putting these things into a logical, presentable format; and the kiosk is a way of archiving and preserving their projects at a point of delivery." Kiosk presentation also opens a window into the future for younger students, like first-graders, who can see what fourth- and fifth-grade students are working on.
The principal's laptop also holds the contents of the kiosk, which he uses in presentations to parents of prospective students. "We're essentially competing for people to come to our program, and so we try to market what we do here that's different than other schools in our township," Gibson explains. "Unlike the more linear PowerPoint presentations," he says, "with the MovieWorks software Principal Brooks can instantly jump around to any point in the presentation to showcase different aspects of our school."
Recently, Gibson and several of his students created an MTV-style digital video for the kiosk, featuring the assistant superintendent of educational support services, Dr. Duane Hodgin, in a rap routine performed in conjunction with student-produced character education projects. Gibson says, "When the assistant superintendent saw it, he liked it a lot. He takes the presentation to share with other schools."
The iMac kiosk offers a twofold benefit at Indian Creek School: as a tool to demonstrate the school's innovative approaches to technology instruction and as a motivating force for student achievement.What child wouldn't work harder to have his or her project chosen for display on the kiosk? At this school, students really get to show what they know.
Inviting the Community
Technology in the New Hanover County School District in Wilmington, N.C., is mainly theme based. Computers are used for such a variety of things in the classroom that you have to see it to believe it. That's why every March the school district presents a technology fair and invites the community.
"We want parents and the community to know that their children are using technology in real ways," says Sharon Kilpatrick, lead instructional technology specialist for the district. Kilpatrick describes how elementary students integrate technology into the study of literature with projects on Stuart Little. "We made a database with the adventures that Stuart Little had," says Kilpatrick. "We asked, 'Where did it happen? Who did he have the most adventures with? Which adventures have a happy outcome? How much money would he need?'-and things like that."
Projects like this are displayed at the technology fair. "Each school has a table where they might display multimedia or Internet projects on computers," says Kilpatrick. "Many activities are hands-on, and fairgoers have the opportunity to manipulate and work with the software. At some displays, pictures are printed or newspapers are distributed."
Among the elementary school projects, a visitor might see a history of music PowerPoint presentation, a weather slide show, or technology lessons. There might be a demonstration using Storybook Weaver Deluxe (The Learning Company) to teach writing skills or HyperStudio (Knowledge Adventure) for a study on spiders. In middle school, kids are creating digital movies, utilizing Finale (Coda Music Technology) as a music instructional tool, and using PowerPoint to personalize memory books. At the high school level, exhibits might involve Cisco Networking, developing Web-based materials for world history, digital photography, and computer engineering.
To publicize this event, the district sends flyers to parents, staff, and district personnel; and they mail press releases to community TV and radio stations and newspapers. They send individual invitations to political dignitaries, community leaders, local businessmen and women, and vendors. To further attract visitors, they give away door prizes, including a computer.
According to Kilpatrick, the annual technology fair generally hosts over 800 people. High attendance has achieved the desired effect: This community recently passed a bond issue that will put millions of dollars into the technology programs for New Hanover County Schools.
Fund-raising Foundations: Grassroots Beginnings
At Mountain Brook City Schools in Mountain Brook, Ala., parents can go to school with their children-and that's just the way the teachers and administrators want it. According to Donna Williamson, district technology coordinator, "I think it's very important to make parents aware of what's going on in the school. It builds their confidence." In fact, these parents are so interested in what their children are doing in school that they started the Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation for the purpose of supporting staff development and technology.
Williamson explains, "In 1992, some parents got together and said, 'We really don't want to be dependent on state dollars to make sure that our teachers are well trained.' So they started the foundation to raise money to that end."
These parents split up into groups and simultaneously approached other parents, teachers, and business owners. According to Williamson, "They explained in detail what the money was for and how it would be used." A big selling point was the fact that almost 100 percent of the teaching staff contributed to the foundation.
These parents also did their homework when it came to publicity. Their major promotional strategy involved look-alike real estate signs. Anyone who donated any amount of money got a sign for their yard saying, in bold lettering, "SOLD, On the Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation."
"All of a sudden there were signs up all over town," says Williamson. "And those who didn't have a sign were calling the school to find out how to get one."
How successful can a fund-raising foundation be in a district with just 4,000 students? According to Williamson, "We have a $5 million endowment, and all of our teachers have had anywhere from 15 to 200 hours of technology training."
Williamson believes that their open-door policy is a factor in the generosity of the community. She says, "Parents are invited to come and eat lunch with their children. They can walk down the hall and look in the rooms and see how the students are using technology. We showcase technology at board meetings and during open house at each school. And parents serve on almost every major committee in the school district. We want parents to know what we're doing and we want their input."
Williamson and other staff members are proud of the promotional efforts of their parents. But she says, "The best PR in the world comes from an excited child. Parents report that their children come home excited about what they're doing in school, and often those activities involve the use of technology."
Building an Online Exhibit
Thousands of students visit museums every year, and most of them take something away with them: new information or knowledge, for example. The third-graders from the Belmont School District in Belmont, Calif., however, visited their local museum and left something behind.
"It was part of the Challenge 2000 Grant project," says Jeanine Woodell, curriculum technology specialist for the district. "Usually the teachers for the four third-grade classes do a local history project as part of their curriculum. This year, in an effort to meet their multimedia requirements for the Challenge 2000 Grant they received, they created an interactive museum exhibit."
Now everyone who visits the Belmont Museum can view old photos of the community at the click of a mouse.
Woodell describes the project. "The students produced an interactive computer station for the museum. You can sit down, click on different parts of the town's history, and see both old and recent pictures and artifacts. The idea is to make it easier to compare the history of Belmont to how Belmont looks today."
To gain additional public awareness for their exhibit and for the museum, the children showcased their project on the museum grounds last year during the Belmont Art and Wine Festival. With such an impressive project, they were invited to go to the state technology showcase in March.
What are the promotional benefits of this project? According to Woodell, the project attracted quite a bit of interest. She says, "I think it is good for parents to see the kids using the computer as a tool and producing a real-world product. Parents and the community can see technology being used in a positive, real way." She adds, "Most people are amazed at the project and the content of it. Ninety percent of the adults who came to see it said, 'I couldn't do this.'"
Michael Simkins, director of technology initiatives for Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network, directs the federal Technology Innovation Challenge Grant that sparked the third-grade museum exhibit. "In the grant there are some multimedia projects that are fairly elaborate, that require several weeks of research and development and that produce a fairly sophisticated product at the end," he says. The third-graders of Belmont show how project-based learning meets these requirements while showcasing their school.
While they are working on plans to bring the community into their schools, administrators across America could be going out into the community, says Simkins. He suggests, "An ideal project would have some sort of usefulness or importance outside the classroom. And the Belmont History Project is an excellent example of this concept."
Patricia L. Fry is a freelance writer and the author of ten books, most recently A Writer's Guide to Magazine Articles for Book Promotion and Profit from the Matilija Press.
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