May+2010+Reflections+Field+Based+Activities

MAY 2010 Field Based Activities Reflection With technological advances, many computers become outdated. What do school districts do with all the older surplus computers? Most go to auction and are purchased for pennies on the dollar; others sit around in storage and gather dust. Galena Park ISD and Cloverleaf Elementary began a program this May to change the fate of the older computers. The program entitled, Adopt-A-Computer, came to fruition in a meeting with Cloverleaf Principal, Lee Brown and district technology leaders. Mr. Brown mentioned that many students in our school would love to have one of the many computers that were destined for auction so Adopt-A-Computer was born. Once the logistics were worked out, technicians began reimaging the computers to prepare for the new homes. Paula Bridges, Cloverleaf Technology Instructional Specialist, was in charge of the Program for our campus. Parents were asked to sign up on a first-come, first-serve basis for the program. The response was enormous. We managed to arrange for 3 separate adoption meetings. Before the first meeting could take place, I was asked to prepare a presentation on the computer and Internet Safety for the parents. As a condition for the adoption, parents would have to attend the Internet Safety Program which myself and Becky Godell, Cloverleaf Technology Applications Teacher (and fellow intern), would be presenting. During the first meeting, 10 computers were adopted. The following week, 15 more computers found homes. The last presentation / adoption ceremony was the most ambitious, 40 computers were adopted. I feel privileged to be able to take an active part in this program. The gratitude of the parents was remarkable, and they were excited to be a part of the program. I feel that the experience was quite humbling, and it reminded me of why I am pursuing my Master’s Degree in Technology.