IV. Technology

Just as Owen School has empowered elementary-age children to teach one another science as Science Wizards, so they have pioneered the training and use of children as Technology Wizards to teach peers to use computers and the Internet.

By January 1999, one Technology Wizard in each fourth- and fifth-grade room was trained in how to use a computer, how to type correctly, how to log on and off the Internet, and how to search the Web for information on specific topics. These children could then coach or train others in their rooms. By the end of the year, over a hundred students were capable of searching the Web for information for reports, for science activities, for support materials for their teachers, and just for fun.

Our Web-site resource base continues to grow and to be used heavily for instructional purposes, career exploration, personal planning, and learning community development. At user request, we added a section of 392 Quick Activities for groups who do not have the time to do complete science lessons. The site also carries 309 hands-on lessons, 13 Science Wizards, 108 career presenters, 47 job shadowing opportunities, and 90 tours. Recently added self-help resources assist mentors and their students—as well as parents and their children—with college and career planning, academic questions, personal problems, and study skills.

Sites Created for Collaborators

We created and hosted basic Web sites for several collaborating partners during the past year:

We also maintain Web pages chronicling our science clubs at five sites, our mentoring programs at five sites, and general school pages for our partner elementary schools in Pontiac and Ypsilanti—although we are having a tough time keeping up!

Usage Statistics

Our Web site has recorded about 62,000 hits since fall 1996. About 400 users have contacted us by guestbook or e-mail, from at least 17 countries and 43 states. Nearly half wanted help of some kind—most often with a science fair project or in finding a particular kind of curricular element. So far, the site's "webmaster" has almost always been able to provide that help in a brief amount of time. As these demands increase, however, the responses may get less complete. Meanwhile, though, she delights in "teaching people to fish"—providing, along with an answer, an explanation of how she found it, and how they could do so themselves the next time.