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Vol. 10 No. 5 — October 2003

News

Preparing for the Workforce of Tomorrow

The Benton Foundation has released a report that examines strategies to engage underserved youth populations to help them develop 21st century skills. The report, "Preparing Disadvantaged Youth for the Workforce
of Tomorrow," is based on the November 2002 Teens and Technology Roundtable co-hosted by Benton and Germany's Digital Opportunities Foundation (Stiftung Digitale Chancen). Written in German and English, the report is available as an online download. The Benton Foundation, 202/638-5770 or http://www.benton.org/.

Connecting Teens to Technology

The ConnectNet/Connectado campaign continues to link young people—especially low-income youth—with technology. The campaign features a toll-free telephone number (866/583-1234) with English- or Spanish-speaking operators who will identify locations where public Internet access is available at computer centers near students' homes. Using ZIP code information, the toll-free phone number and a companion Web site
[http://www.ConnectNet.org/ or http://www.connectado.org/], link up to a directory of more than 20,000 technology centers and libraries across the nation. The resource wascreated by the AOL Time Warner Foundation and the Digital Divide Network, facilitated by the Benton Foundation. Additional materials for thecampaign were created by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Family Foundation, http://www.kff.org/.

Helping Hands

Inspired Teacher Scholarships

Inspiration Software will award 30 scholarships of $750 each in thespring of 2004 to support professional development activities for teachers who champion the integration of visual learning and technology into the curriculum. Now in its sixth year, the scholarship program is open to educators from K-12 schools, colleges, and universities. A minimum of 1 year of service is required and applicants must demonstrate that they have direct contact with students. The deadline for applications is January 28, 2004. Information and application materials are available at http://www.inspiration.com/scholarship/. Inspiration Software, 800/877-4292 or http://www.inspiration.com/.

Library News

Excellence in Library Service to Young Adults

Three school libraries were honored among the 25 awards for outstanding programs for the Excellence in Library Service to Young Adults Project: Francis W. ParkerSchool in Chicago, Illinois, for the Zine Project; Floyd High School Library with Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library in Mastic Beach, New York, for theRelax. Read. Book Blitz; and Pleasant Valley High School with Robert W. Cranston Library in Chico, California, for Poetry Alive! Each of the 20 awards brings $250 and recognition in Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) publications and programs. Funded by the Margaret Alexander Edwards Trust, the awards are presented by YALSA, which is a division of the American Library Association (ALA). YALSA/ALA, 800/545-2433 or http://www.ala.org/yalsa/.

WINNERS' CIRCLE

Houston, Mississippi, Takes the Checkered Flag!

High school students from Houston, Mississippi, won the 2003 Dell-Winston Solar Car Challenge, a 1,500-mile race from Round Rock, Texas, to Cocoa, Florida. This is the third year that the team from the rural community of Houston (population 3,903) has won the race. Their winning car, the Sundancer, was powered entirely by solar energy and was designed and built by the students. During the race, it hit a top speed of 64 miles per hour (mph) and averaged 23.1 mph. The racers used Dell notebooks and wireless technology to gauge solar car battery usage, monitor weather patterns, track competitors via global positioning systems, and upload daily statistics to the race Web site. The Challenge is a part of the Winston School, a private K-12 school in Dallas, Texas, focused on realizing the potential of "bright students who learn differently." The school uses a combination of distance learning and a multi-city tour to educate teachers and students about the Solar Car Challenge, including how to plan, design, and build their own cars. The five teams competing in the 2003 challenge prepared for the competition for nearly 18 months, working in the areas of science and advanced technology. The 2004 Challenge will be held at the Texas Motor Speedway from July 13-16, 2004. Details are available online. Dell, http://www.dell.com/ or http://www.winstonsolar.org/race/.

Classroom Resources

Oregon Scientific Thincam

The latest credit card-sized camera from Oregon Scientific is a 1.3 megapixel digital camera, pocketsized at 3.3 inches x 2.2 inches x .2 inches and weighs 2.3 ounces. The flash thincam's self-contained rechargeable 48mAH lithium polymer battery provides enough power for approximately 500 shots between recharges and eliminates the need to replace the battery. The new plug-in strobe flash unit can be attached or removed and relies on its own AAA battery. PC and Mac compatible, the flash thincam attaches to a computer through a USB interface and automatically recharges the battery. The 16-MB internal memory provides storage capacity for 21 1.3-megapixel resolution images of 91 VGA-resolution pictures. The camera also features an SD memory card slot for expanded memory and portability. The camera is sold with an accessory strobe flash attachment, a protective leather carrying sleeve, a hand-strap, and ArcSoft Photo-Impression CD-ROM bundled software. The model DS6628 is priced at $150. Oregon Scientific, http://www.oregonscientific.com/.

Toshiba Notebooks

The Satellite A10-S177 and A15-S157 notebook PCs feature a 40-GB hard disk drive, integrated DVD/CD-RW multi-function drive, 15-inch diagonal display, integrated V.92 modem, 10/100 Ethernet, and two USB 2.0 ports. The Satellite A10-S177 features the Intel Mobile Pentium 4 Processor-M, 2.20 GHz, 256 MB RAM (expandable to 1024 MB), optional WiFi wireless connectivity, andMicrosoft Windows XP Professional. Pricing begins at $1,379. The Satellite A15-S157 includes the Intel Celeron processor, 2.20 GHz, 512 MB RAM(expandable to 1024 MB), integrated WiFi wireless connectivity (IEEE 802.11b), and Microsoft Windows XP Home.

Pricing begins at $1,249. Toshiba, 800/Toshiba or http://www.csd.toshiba.com/.