AC4 Members

Computer Skills: The New Basics (05:00)
Classrooms need to be set up to educate people for the information age and computer skills are the new basics. Most jobs now require computer knowledge and those lacking are left behind.

Education Bridges the Digital Divide (05:22)
New Technology High School, an experimental school, prepares students with technology skills that will allow them to communicate effectively in an information-based work environment.

Hoover Elementary School (05:36)
Schools are still adding technology. Computers improve attendance and academics at Hoover Elementary but many teachers lack training on how to incorporate computers in their classrooms.

Debates For and Against Computers (04:09)
There is much debate about if and when computers should be introduced. Some schools choose not to have computers in their classrooms in favor of more stimulating social and tactile education.

Computer Integration (04:03)
Teachers need to know how to use the computers as an educational tool to enhance their curriculum. Bryant Elementary models public school integration of computers into every aspect of curriculum.

Children Using Computers to Learn (02:31)
Yvette Fagan's students use computers for projects involving the whole class and touching on many subjects at one time. In this class, computers are tools teaching children how to teach themselves.

Computers Enhancing Teachers (01:10)
Bryant Elementary uses video conferencing to take collaborative learning far beyond their classroom. Bryant supports its teachers with a technology curriculum integrator on staff.

Technology Training for Teachers (04:27)
Levering Elementary takes part in a nation-wide program that teaches teachers how to use technology in their classrooms through paid training which they can apply in their own style.

Problems of Funding Technology (05:11)
Some schools receive funding for technology yet lack necessary funding for other areas, such as library, music, and art. Keeping up with technology should not be at the expense of humanities studies.

Funding for Maintaining Technology (05:00)
Cost of maintaining computers involves hardware, software, technical support, training, repairs, and upgrades. Most schools are challenged to raise funding necessary to maintain their programs.

Technology With Community Support (06:50)
Sunnyside Elementary in Pullman, WA, integrates technology in the classrooms without sacrificing other curricular or extra-curricular programs. Funding comes from a community-supported levy.

Computer Literacy for Success (02:30)
Technology continues to change and advance at a fast past and it is necessary to create a society of kids who can keep up with it. Children need literacy as well as computer literacy for success.

Virtual Diversity (04:18)
Digital skills have become the key to opportunity, but economics, race, and gender make too many people into spectators instead of participants because they lack adequate access to technology.

Technology Divided by Communities (04:22)
In some impoverished areas like Brooklyn, NY, children do not have access to computers at home or at school, while in affluent areas like Silicone Valley, CA, computers are readily available.

Technologically Impoverished (04:36)
Financially, having a computer at home is not a possibility for many families. Technology is not an equalizer when many schools cannot even provide basic functional technology.

Access Begets Usage (03:33)
Many students from low income areas have strong computer aptitude and desire to learn but do not have access to it. Large computer corporations can help cultivate future employees through funding.

Computer Technology Centers (04:12)
Community computer technology centers help provide access to technology for both children and adults who do not have access to computers at home or at school.

Computers Keep Kids in School (02:41)
Participation in programs at community computer technology centers requires teens to abide rules such as staying in school and avoiding violence; in turn, they learn valuable computer skills.

Technology: A Male-Dominated Field (04:25)
There are few minorities in the world of computer technology and even fewer women. Girls that have always excelled in math and science tend to fall back from those fields in teen years.

Fighting Gender Stereotypes (03:50)
In computer labs children will often fall into gender-specific roles that are not prescribed by the teacher, and without teacher intervention they will perpetuate stereotypical male dominance.

Gender Bias in the Classroom (03:05)
Computer science teachers study the problem of gender bias in the classroom and discover the subtle ways in which boys are encouraged more than girls, and girls are often ignored.

Girl-Friendly Computer Classes (04:07)
In response to the problems girls face concerning technology in the classroom, teachers and parents create situations where girls can use computers in an environment that feels safe and comfortable.

Girl-Friendly Technology (03:04)
Computer experiences such as playing computer games and surfing the Internet are not always girl-friendly, and those that are often emphasize rather than break away from gender roles.

Girl-Friendly Software (03:44)
The success of Barbie computer software spawned numerous software companies to develop products aimed exclusively at girls. These products stir controversy due to their superficial emphasis.

Computer Environment for Girls (04:30)
A growing number of girls find what they want online. New search engines and websites are directed towards creating a girl-friendly empowering computer environment.

Bridging the Digital Divide (03:26)
If barriers for girls and minorities remain in place, the digital divide will continue to grow. Children without access to technology end up left behind without an equal opportunity for the future.