Computers in Youth and AfterSchool Programs

1
Computers in Youth and After-School Programs

• borrowed from
• Michelle Walson
• Youth Technology Coordinator
• PREP Community Computer Center

2
Workshop Agenda

• Why include computers in a youth or after-school
  program?
• How youth programs work at PREP
• Sample projects
• Useful resources

3
Why include computers in youth and after-school
programs?

• To encourage youth to find their gifts
• To give youth an opportunity for self-expression
• To bridge cultural barriers and build
  relationships with youth around their interests
• To give youth skills necessary in later education
  and careers
• To get youth excited about technology

4
How youth programs work at PREP

• Walk-In Lab
• Computer Club and Project 21 Tech Time
• Saturday classes geared towards youth
• Volunteer opportunities and PREP Enterprises, our
  youth-run web design business

5
Walk-In Lab

• Youth can come in anytime during our open lab
  hours to use the computers.
• At first, most youth use the computers to surf
  the Web and check their e-mail.

• The Walk-In Lab is a great opportunity to meet
  kids, get to know their interests and abilities,
  and introduce them to new possibilities with
  technology.

6
Computer Club

• Wednesdays our lab is only open to Computer Club
  members (about fifteen middle-school-aged
  students).
• Computer Club provides structured, project-based
  activities such as video production, music
  mixing, and digital art projects.

• Computer Club lets us get to know the kids even
  better, teach them new skills around specific
  software, call out their gifts, and encourage
  them.

7
Project 21 Tech Time

• Project 21 is the Bruce Wall Ministries
  after-school program.
• On Fridays, the students from Project 21 (ages
  Pre-K through 8th grade) visit the lab for Tech
  Time.

• Project 21 Tech Time allows us to reinforce
  traditional academic skills through educational
  games and software in addition to introducing new
  technology skills.

8
Saturday classes

• Youth are already interested in media.
• These classes use students pre-existing
  interests to get them excited about technology.

• Video Production
• Web Design
• Digital Music Mixing

9
Volunteer opportunities and PREP Enterprises

• As students get more involved with PREP, they are
  encouraged to volunteer as lab monitors and class
  assistants.
• Some exceptional youth are hired as Youth Staff
  for our youth-run web design business.

• Once youth are volunteers or working for PREP
  Enterprises, they not only gain
  professional-level technology skills, but they
  also gain life skills through formal discipleship
  and Bible study.

10
Sample Projects

• Digital Art Projects
• Self-Portraits using Photoshop
• Animation using Flash
• Youth Web Pages
• Showcase their projects using FrontPage templates
• Video Projects and Music Mixing
• Stop-animation and music videos

11
Useful Resources Software

• Hip-Hop eJay digital music mixing
• KidPix drawing software, esp. useful with
  younger kids
• Jumpstart educational games for various grade
  levels

• Encarta Africana encyclopedia of
  African-American history
• Studio DV basic video editing for PCs (similar
  to Macs iMovie)
• Flash, Photoshop, FrontPage useful for web
  design and digital art projects

12
Useful Resources Lesson and Project Ideas

• Youth Learn Lesson Plans in Technology
• freely available on-line at http//www.youthlearn.
  org/learning/activities/
• The Youth Learn Guide
• Costs 19.95 if you join their e-mail list
• AC4 Youth Technology Resources and Lesson Plans
• Freely available on-line at http//www.ac4.org/cur
  ricula/youth_resources.html