Dr. Betty A. Rosa has launched HomeBase8T
Community School District 8, Bronx, NY believes that parental involvement is one of the keys that will open doors of opportunity for our students and their families. To this end Superintendent, Dr. Betty A. Rosa has launched HomeBase8™. The cornerstones of HB8 are:
1. placing a new Apple iMac computer into the home of every
District 8 student (includes an Internet provider and E-mail
account)
2. free, comprehensive training for parents (prior to receiving
the computer)
3. the creation of our HB8 web site
which includes up-to- date, school-based information, resources of
interest to parents, and engaging web-based activities which
utilize Bernie Dodge's WebQuest model
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquest.html
Below is an article I wrote for EdTech News (Oct/Nov '99) describing HB8's mission and goals.
By Joe Josephs,
Technology Learning Specialist
Joephs@homebase8.net
October 12, 1999
Life in the 21st century will require a new set of skills for us
in our work life and in our personal lives. It is predicted that
financial success, already data-dependent and data-driven, will
become even more so in the next millennium. Therefore the ability
to access, analyze, and apply information will be a must-have
skill. All one has to do is read the classified advertisements to
appreciate the necessity of technology skills appearing on an
applicants resume. Numerous employers welcome such a resume with
open arms and generous salary. But for the" have not" applicants
the pickings are decidedly fewer and less green.
Sadly, too many of today's students fall into the "have not"
category,
relegating them to second rate jobs and lives.
To meet this challenge, Dr. Betty A. Rosa, Superintendent of Community School District 8 in the Bronx, has launched Project HomeBase8™. This initiative places a new Apple iMac computer into the home of every District 8 student. An Internet provider and E-mail account are also included. Additionally, parents receive free and comprehensive training that includes educational uses of the Internet, word processing skills, and E-mail protocol.
There has always been a need for information to flow freely
between schools and parents. Too often parents are denied critical
information regarding their children's education because of
faulty, antiquated methods of communication.
The HomeBase8™ web site enables and encourages parents to become
actively involved in their children's education via up-to-date
district and school calendars, contact information, and E-mail
communication. Our goal is allow seamless digital communication
for the entire District 8 family.
Another function of HomeBase8™ is to provide our teachers and
students with quality web-based activities. For teachers,
students, and parents, The District 8 Curriculum Development Team
produced lessons, activities and Links that address State and City
Standards, the various curriculum areas, and technology skills.
Our development team has adopted a model and methodology developed
by Bernie Dodge called WebQuest.
A WebQuset is an inquiry-oriented lesson format, which supports
higher level thinking skills by giving learners an interesting and
doable task and providing web resources to accomplish it. Each
WebQuest8
http/www.homebase8.net/webquest8/
activity is interdisciplinary and we encourage our teachers to
customize them to suit their instructional goals. Other features
of the HomeBase8™ web site include an interactive map of the
Bronx, educational and reference links targeting students,
parents, and teachers, a tech support page, and a section for
District 8 educators to post pictures and text taken and written
while traveling. Technology, when intelligently harnessed and
creatively applied, can be a valuable instructional tool, leading
to literacy and comprehension
HomeBase8™ strives to take advantage of technological advancements for the educational benefit of our children. As Superintendent Rosa has said, "Education should not end with the school bell. District 8's goal is to make learning available twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. Our mission is to transport(all)™ leaving none behind."
To sum up, the major goals and objectives of HomeBase8™ are:
- Place an Apple iMac computer (complete with an Internet provider and E-mail account) into the homes of every District 8 student
-
Provide free training computer training for parents focusing
on
computer basics, word processing, educational use of the Internet, and E-mail techniques and protocols -
Create engaging Web-based activities which will be accessible,
via
our web site, at school or from the home - Create seamless E-mail communication for the entire District 8 family
Be Well & Eyes on the Prize,
Joe Josephs
Technology Learning Specialist
CSD#8
Bronx, NY