In 1993, Julie's Family Learning Program's first computerized classroom was powered by a Wang system donated by a dentist. Eight terminals, several miles of cables, and a hub and a printer, each the size of a Hyundai, arrived one morning without a manual or instructions. It took three long days to reconfigure the system to working order. Staff and students then received a crash course in that mysterious language known as DOS and the use (and occasional abuse) of those F keys along the top of the keyboard. For a time we faltered, we flailed, we got frustrated, and then we got productive!
Julie's Family Learning Program (J.F.L.P.) is a community-based family support and education program with a commitment to empowering families to become healthy, economically self-sufficient, and successful at life. J.F.L.P. services an average of 125 to 150 mothers and their children each year, providing adult basic education, job readiness training, parenting, life skills and substance abuse education, advocacy, counseling, computer training and family literacy workshops. J.F.L.P. also operates a licensed Montessori and infant-toddler program and offers family-centered summer activities. The program has been active in the South Boston area for over twenty years, but did not have the resources to invest in technology or the staff expertise to take advantage of computers until donated systems forced a change.
A fortuitous collaboration with Mindshares of Cambridge in 1996 allowed J.F.L.P. to replace its obsolete Wang system with 286, 386 and 486 IBM units equipped wilh the Windows operating system. Mindshares, a not-for-profit computer refurbishment organization, recycles donated units received from corporations for use by educational and social service programs. In the mid-90's, with faster chips and more sophisticated peripherals constantly being introduced, as well as the specter of Y2K problems looming in the near future, many businesses opted to upgrade their equipment. The result was widespread availability of low-end computers for little or no cost.
When Mindshares found itself able to offer more computers to J.F.L.P. than were needed to outfit our computer lab, a unique and exciting opportunity presented itself. J.F.L.P. and Mindshares jointly launched a new venture dubbed "The Earn-A-Computer Initiative." This undertaking had two major aims--to nurture technological literacy and to provide computer access to homes that could not afford to purchase a P.C. The idea seemed simple enough, but the implementation of such a program required careful and thorough preparation. First, J.F.L.P. had to create a self-paced, individualized curriculum that would allow low-literacy adults to gain confidence and competence when dealing with computers. J.F.L.P. originally designed a series of fourteen lessons to teach basic computer operation and the essentials of word processing imbedded in real-world tasks (e.g. a letter to a child's teacher, a resumé, etc). Learners are also encouraged to practice keyboarding skills, familiarize themselves with a selection of educational games, and make use of the power of computing whenever possible. The ultimate incentive for successful mastery of our basic computer skills curriculum is a free computer to take home for family use.
When J.F.L.P.'s "Earn-a-Computer" initiative was launched, our learner population ranged from the technologically terrified to a former office secretary who knew more about the fine points of DOS than the staff. However, regardless of level of proficiency, everyone was excited to begin work on their lessons. Lesson 1 is, by design, non-technical and non-threatening, requiring the learner to complete a "computer scavenger hunt" that doesn't even require the machine to be turned on. Successive lessons gradually build up new skills and reinforce old material so that competency is achieved in incremental steps. Transferring more and more of the program's written tasks over to the computer further deepens learning. Women are now encouraged to type their own submissions to The Write Stuff (the program's monthly literary magazine) instead of having a staff person perform the task. Many of our learners who were also taking college courses took advantage of the editing capabilities of word processing and began to use the computer for their term papers. Letters to the welfare office, a state senator, the school counselor, a court official, or a prospective employer were all produced on our computers, and the results were very gratifying.
Once a learner successfully completes the required curriculum, a "final exam" is administered to assure mastery. This "exam" is actually a one-on-one, hands-on demonstration of the skills the lessons have tried to solidify. Before a computer goes home with a program member, a staff member has to certify that the learner genuinely understands how to work the computer and the word processing program. Additionally, the student has to demonstrate competency with a select group of age-appropriate educational games that the learner chooses to have installed for her children. At this "final exam" the staff member also reviews a "DOs and DON'Ts list" for computer care in the home. If all goes well, an initial home visit is scheduled, to make sure that space, furniture and ample electrical outlets are available to accommodate the computer.
On the second home visit a staff member supervises the computer's set up and ensures that it is in working order and that the learner's lessons and game instructions are stored nearby for reference. Finally, the learner is presented with a clean disk and given a "homework assignment." Her task is to type her reaction to having a computer in her home, and to record any questions or problems she encounters. After saving her work on disk, the learner carries this message back to J.F.L.P., where a staff member responds to her thoughts and asks more questions. This exchange prompts computer skills practice at home and encourages and supports the learner's role of "technology coordinator" in her own family. It is the hope of the J.F.L.P. staff that, after acquiring a level of computer competence, our learners will, in turn, become teachers, sharing their technological knowledge, expertise and excitement with their children and family members.
Today, our learners' interest and ease with technology is thriving! Currently, J.F.L.P. has twelve computers in our lab, all operating Windows 95 or 98. Many of these units are linked to the Internet by means of a Web Ramp. This fall, the program established a portable satellite classroom with five laptop computers to expand our use of technology beyond a fixed lab space. We have updated our original lessons to keep pace with the advances in our computer lab, and we have added several teaching units to cover the use of the internet, CD-ROM encyclopedias, data bases and spreadsheets. To date, we have distributed over 30 computers and have updated some of the earliest units that had been sent home when more advanced systems were donated to us.
The staff of J.F.L.P. is elated with the success of our technology initiatives, yet this success has not come without headaches. As a small agency, it is taxing to train enough staff and find the hours necessary to customize computers before they are sent home and to de-bug problems that arise once a computer is off-site. It is also a challenge to manage, match and store the sundry contributions we receive and to keep our curriculum up-to-date with the most recent technological advances. With each new computer we send home, our resources get stretched a little tighter. However, as long as free computers are available, we will continue our commitment to the Earn-a-Computer Initiative.
The staff derives its motivation from the responses of learners like Louise, who recently wrote:
We all love the computer. We use it every day. Christopher loves "Animal Quest" (a science game). Danielle is learning her ABC's from "First Words and Letters." We have fun together working on it. I just want to learn more and more!
Chris, a former student at Bunker Hill Community College who is now employed full-time, was one of the first beneficiaries of the "Earn a Computer" initiative. She also attests to its positive impact on her family:
I would never have got through college without it. I spent many a late night typing my papers on it and printing them at JFLP before my morning class! It's also helped my kids a lot. Ryan practices his spelling words on the computer and likes the games. Rachael has become a whiz at it. She can do everything on it and she's only 5! Knowing what I did about computers helped me to get my job. I felt confident that I could do it, and I could talk about what I knew during my interview. They hired me!
J.F.L.P. continues to infuse the use of technology into many of its learning activities, and the staff is impressed by its powerful potential as a tool to aid low-literacy adults in finding their voice. The Earn-a-Computer Initiative has also helped the program meet one of its primary goals--to empower families to become more successful at life. Both staff and learners of the program have come a long way from that original Wang system!