Technology Goes Home is a technology training program serving inner-city families through the Boston Public Schools.
Technology Goes Home (TGH) has served over 3,500 families through the BPS and community programs during a nine year period. The TGH program, while teaching technology skills to underprivileged families, brings students, parents, and teachers together at school in an atmosphere that fosters trust and community building, particularly between parents and teachers.
TGH programs begin by demystifying technology for participating families, and concurrently succeed in demystifying the school itself. Parental involvement in their child's education promises improvements in student performance. Further, it can improve the whole school system.
A case study of the O'Donnell Elementary School found that once parents became involved in their children's schoolwork, they also engaged with the workings of the school; nearly all of the site council parents are TGH graduates. Additionally, parents have been able to improve their job prospects through lessons learned at TGH classes.
Administrators and teachers are attracted to this one-of-a-kind program because it improves student academic performance, changes the dynamic between parents and teachers, and it improves parental involvement with their children and the school. As word spreads about TGH, we believe that more schools, teachers, and families will welcome the program.
TGH is administered through the child's Boston Public School. Families attend an initial informational meeting at their child's school and fill out an application. The program training includes the student and one of his or her parents in a group setting with peers. The child's teacher conducts the training. Participants commit to 25 hours of rigorous, specialized technology training from the child's teacher after school or on Saturdays, creating an opportunity for parents and teachers to communicate regularly and get to know each other. TGH is offered to students in grades 4-12.
The program curriculum begins with an introduction to Microsoft Word, an explanation of the Windows operating system and how to use the computer, followed by more work with Word in connection with the MCAS. Families come up with a topic for a research project that they will develop throughout the course. Then networking will be addressed, including basics of the Internet and email, as well as internet research using search engines. Students and parents will continue researching for several classes as they hone their skills before being introduced to PowerPoint, which will be used to present each family's research project at the conclusion of 12 classes.
Teachers in the TGH program make a point of respecting parents for their uniqueness in order to build trust in the classroom. Instructors encourage a support system within the class wherein families encourage each other in the learning process and in their projects. The principal and parent coordinator/liaison are invited to class to meet parents and have a discussion, thus forming closer ties between families and their school's leaders. With growing trust in school officials and regular encouragement, we hope to see parents continue their involvement with their child's education and their school long after the TGH program concludes.
When a student graduates, their family can purchase a refreshed computer and a new printer for a nominal fee.
TGH has found a completely unique way to involve parents in their children's education and in their children's schools. Unlike any other program, TGH uses teachers as a key resource, instead of bringing outsiders into schools. The program integrates the curriculum from the regular schoolday with TGH's evening and weekend classes, thus providing a continuation of the day's work. Each school requires the desire and permission of the school principal to have a TGH program, so the project is welcomed in every new school.
The Boston Digital Bridge Foundation's TGH program is one of several in the country that address the digital divide. However, independent assessments have repeatedly found our program to be unique not just to the nation, but to the world. A branch of Intel which addresses digital divide issues has assessed our program positively, and believes that it should be used generally in education; they have borrowed our ideas for new programs being tested in Michigan. We have received queries from worldwide educational institutions, as well as from our nation's organizations and schools, who want to use our curriculum and develop our program in their schools. In addition, our foundation has received awards from the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
