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David R. Millen*, Patricia A. Young**, Perry F. Sennewald***
* AT&T Bell Laboratories 600 Mountain Avenue Murray Hill, NJ 07974, 908 582-7743 drm@human.att.com
** Fair Haven Technology Foundation PO BOX 6135 Fair Haven, NJ 07704, 908 933-0307 pyoung@monmouth.com
*** Fair Haven Technology Foundation PO BOX 6135 Fair Haven, NJ 07704, 908 933-0307 psennewald@monmouth.com
The promises of emerging technologies, strong financial pressures, and infrastructure demands have created a growing need for technology expertise in local schools, governments and community organizations. It follows that there has never been a better time for technical professionals to help. Assistance can be offered in areas of technology planning, training, system management and support of fundraising activities. An illustrative example of a community-based technology foundation will be described.
technology advocacy, social action, education
The need for community volunteers with strong technical skills has possibly never been greater. Schools, local governments and community organizations are hearing daily about the potential of the Internet, new messaging services, video and text collaboration. Unfortunately, many of these community organizations are facing difficult financial futures, as there is ever increasing competition for seemingly dwindling resources. Changing values within communities, states and the nation are redistributing and often slowing government sources of support. And finally, these organizations are often faced with an outdated infrastructure, such as communications systems, building wiring, and computers. The human resources available and trained to help with technical projects may be in short supply. Perhaps most difficult, the pace of technological change is so fast that multi-year technical projects are often obsolete before they are complete.
Many corporations, both large and small, are actively involved in community volunteer efforts. Often, this volunteer work is a blend of corporate social responsibility and good business practice. For example, the large telecommunication firm AT&T, which has always been active in community outreach, has recently broadened its support. "As competition in the local telecommunications markets heats up, the work AT&T employees do in their communities becomes more crucial than ever to build closer ties with current and potential customers. Realizing the need for a greater local presence, AT&T is re-energizing its community involvement programs to actively promote and recognize employee volunteerism and to connect the company's business needs to the needs of the communities in which it operates." [1]
Examples of school mentoring and training are numerous. Volunteers from a Bell Laboratories development group helped New Jersey grade school students learn about various technical careers at a middle school career day fair. Another group of Bell Laboratories volunteers has been tutoring, under the guidance of local teachers, math and science students at another local school [2].
Community networks are also emerging, providing local news and announcements, local merchant information and advertising, and school information. One example is a Web site constructed by AT&T volunteer Russ Koester with a non-profit community organization called Friends of Peachtree Park [3]. This urban community site is a bridge between the local businesses and the community and shows off entertainment, shopping, sports and a bit of local history. Another community Web site that draws heavily on local volunteers is the Boulder Colorado community network [4]. This community network carries news, current events and information about a whole range of topics.
Volunteer activities and organizations come in all sizes. At the very large end of the spectrum is the NetDay 96 project in California [5]. Volunteers from all over the state are being invited to help network as many schools as possible in March 1996. An organization of volunteers called the Tech Corps has begun a nationwide program to help local schools with technology planning, training and other types of technical support. At the other end of the spectrum are small groups of volunteers helping their own or neighboring communities. Below is a short description of the mission and activities of a small volunteer run group that is helping introduce technology into a local New Jersey community.
Several months ago, a group of community members in New Jersey gathered to help promote the use of technology in the local schools and the community. As a result, the Fair Haven Technology Foundation was created. A non-profit organization, the foundation was incorporated in March 1995 and has the following mission: "The Fair Haven Technology Foundation, recognizes the need for preparing Fair Haven public school system students for the future through technology. The Foundation will provide financial support for the purpose of meeting the technological needs of the students as well as other residents of the community." The Foundation has begun to promote public awareness of the organization through local news stories, and has developed an informational brochure that highlights the slogan -- "education plus technology equals success."
In carrying out the mission, the foundation has the following objectives:
The volunteer members of the foundation are drawn from the community and have specific talents in fund raising and technology.
While the list of projects undertaken by the Foundation continues to grow, there are many areas where technologically savvy volunteers can make a difference.
Help with technology planning is in great demand. The pace of change and convergence of technologies creates a daunting maze of possibilities. Members of the Foundation, working with educators and the school architect and engineer, have helped plan a significant upgrade to the local schools, including a design for a Local Area Network. The technical consultation included wiring, system configuration and cost estimates. Similar efforts will be required over the next few years to support a multi-year modernization and expansion plan.
A dialogue between the Foundation members and teachers has begun to understand and design optimal classroom furniture layout and computer configurations. A teacher survey and visits to other school districts have been helpful.
Long term technology planning for schools and local government information systems is another place where volunteers can help. Technology plans need to grow reasonably, protect investments and match the financial and human resources of the community.
The technology volunteers are also involved in several training activities. Foundation members have volunteered to teach an adult computer education course, and volunteers have been invited to help assist in lunch hour computer classroom activities. Technology demonstrations and computer training sessions for teachers are underway. In addition, the Foundation will assign a Technology Angel to each of the Pilot projects that will be funded by the Foundation. This one-to-one support of the teaching professional can lead to more successful projects and learning for everyone.
To publicize the activities of the Foundation and to share ideas with other organizations or individuals with similar interests, the Foundation is developing a World Wide Web page. Web page administration, updating and electronic correspondence will also be supported. Of course general network management experience is another key area where volunteered technical assistance can be helpful.
As with any foundation, raising funds is a constant challenge. Support of fund raising activities by donating in-kind technical consultation is welcome, as is technical planning for large events. For example, the Foundation has been planning a Technology Fair, which requires detailed planning to support vendor electrical and communications requirements.
No doubt, the need for technical assistance will continue to grow within our schools and communities. The volunteer activities cited in this paper are but a few of the ways that technical professional can help. For more information about the Fair Haven Technology Foundation or news of similar activities, please contact one of the authors.
[1] "AT&T Urges Employees to Get Involved Locally." AT&T News. April 1995.
[2] "A Decade of Tutoring." Community Partners. September, 1995.
[3] Buckhead http://www.buckhead.org
[4] Boulder Community Network <http://bcn.boulder.co.us/>
Copyright 1996 AT&T All Rights Reserved.