Karen Archer Perry, Founder and Principal Consultant, Karacomm LLC

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Digital EmpowermentFor Students, Teachers
andLow-Income Families

• Karen Archer Perry, Founder and Principal
  Consultant, Karacomm LLC
• Visionary, April 27, 2007

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• Broadband, or high speed Internet, is
  technology that, in terms of powering economies,
  could be the 21st century equivalent of
  electricity.
• - McChesney and Podesta,
• Let There Be WiFi, Jan-Feb 2006

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Digital Empowerment Objectives

• Extend technical empowerment deeply in the
  community
• Extend the learning environment for students
• Bridge the digital divide and level the playing
  field for students
• Increase communication between teachers and
  parents
• Enable students to become digital leaders for
  their families
• Help parents establish credit
• Individualize learning opportunities
• Ensure programs are sustainable

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Best Practices in Innovation and Sustainability

• Boston Digital Bridge Foundations Technology
  Goes Home
• Fairfax County Public Schools K12nect II
• School District of Philadelphias FamilyNet and
  Know it all programs
• Computers for Youth
• Gateway Regional School Districts One-to-One
  Laptop Lease Program
• New Yorks Technology Placement Program

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Program Components

• Communication and awareness campaign
• Professional development and technology
  integration into curriculum
• Affordable Internet access
• Incentives
• Technical Support
• Integrated Management

• Digital Literacy Training
• Value-enhanced PC bundles
• Applications that enrich learning
• Enhanced communication channels between school
  home
• Financing options

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Digital Literacy Training

• Helping students, teachers and families move
  from Digital Novice, to Digital Basic, to a Fully
  Functioning Digital Household, to Digital
  Professional and Digital Innovator
• Technology Goes Home requires 32-40 of training
  for student and parent, with homework! Grade
  level after school classes are curriculum aligned
• Computers for Youth does an intensive four hour
  Saturday training session for students with
  parents and their guardians prior to sending
  sixth graders home with PCs
• Gateway Regional School District offers seminars
  basic computing, connecting to the internet, home
  networks, photography, video, databases and runs
  a digital film camp in the summer.
• K12nects II offers optional seminars on 24-7 and
  provides a county-wide resource guide.
• The Digital Divide and Digital Opportunity
  for the United States, Rick Herrmann.

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Value-Enhanced PC Bundles

• New users are looking for advice, solid
  configurations, software that meets their needs,
  and extras like technical support and training
  that ensure their investment has long-lasting
  value.
• Technology Goes Home has partnered with a local
  vendor HiQ Computers, Microsoft, Lexmark, HiQ
  and Intel to create a high value configuration
  with a printer available to all Tech grads.
• Computers for Youth starts with a refurbished PC
  and bundles in an extensive suite of educational
  software aligned with the grade six curriculum,
  adds in family training, dial-up internet and a
  year of tech support
• Gateway Regional School District based their
  one-to-one program on the Apple laptop with
  OpenSource software, insurance, and a locally
  supported maintenance program.
• San Francisco TechConnect will offer four
  discounted pre-configured hardware/software Dell
  configurations with and a two-year maintenance
  contract.

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Applications that Enrich Learning

• Fairfax County Public Schools 24-7
• is the online resource that allows students to
  extend learning beyond the traditional school day
  and beyond school facilities. Students, parents,
  and teachers are invited to use FCPS 24-7
  Learning to access homework and classroom
  assignments, view class calendars, explore links
  to enrichment activities, and much more.

The New York Technology Placement Program
provides extensive training in the Microsoft
Productivity Suite and Adobe Classroom Edition
Teacher Centers also use the Verizon Foundations
Thinkfinity (previously called Marco Polo) which
they have mapped to the State curriculum
standards.
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Communication Channels

• Philadelphias Home School parent portal
  connects families and schools to enhance
  community and meet educational goals

www.phillyhsc.org
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Financing Options

• Low-income consumers are looking for
  affordable monthly payments and a deal that
  doesnt gouge.
• Technology Goes Home has partnered with the Bank
  of America to provide all Tech graduations with a
  guaranteed no-interest, no-down-payment PC loan.
• Fairfax County Public Schools K12nects II program
  offers participants a zero-interest,
  zero-down-payment loan for a new PC.
• Participants in San Franciscos Working Families
  Credit program will be offered a market-rate
  signature loan for a new PC with no down-payment
  and nominal credit checks.
• Gateway Regional School District offers families
  a three-year lease with a 1.00 buy out and
  provides discounts for students on the free and
  reduced lunch program.

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Marketing and Awareness New York State TPP

• Realize your potential and help your students
  realize theirs.
• TPP helps teachers bring technology home.
• Learn, Share, Grow

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Marketing and AwarenessSDP FamilyNet

• Back in the day, being a know-it-all was a bad
  thing. Today its everything.
• Check List
• So, be sure to complete your Know-It-All
  checklist and become a part of the growing
  digital community here in Philadelphia.
• Get a home computer
• Get low-cost, high-speed Internet through
  Wireless Philadelphia
• Attend the free training classes
• Sign up for FamilyNet and school-related
  information through the Home and School Council

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Professional Development

• Gateway Regional School District provides each
  teacher with a laptop and extensive professional
  development opportunities to help teachers
  integrate laptop technology into their
  curriculum, encouraging students to learn from
  the laptop both in and out of the classroom.
  Program Director, Paul Facteau has also worked
  with the Westfield State College to develop a
  series of graduate-level courses aimed at using
  laptop technology to assess students and to
  evaluate programs. Teachers can work towards a
  Master in Education right on the GRSD campus.
• Technology Goes Home provides teachers with
  training before those teachers offer the Tech
  programs to their students and parents. Teachers
  are encourages to customize all training to align
  with their curriculum and class interests
• NY TPP is a teacher training program offering
  courses at 133 Teacher Centers statewide in
  conjunction with Intel, Microsoft, Adobe, and the
  Teachers Union.

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Additional Program Components

• Affordable Internet Access
• Vouchers and Incentives
• Technical Support
• Integrated Management

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Best Practices in Innovation and
Sustainability Boston Digital Bridge Foundation

• Digital literacy training offered to student and
  parent
• 25-40 hr curriculum with homework and final
  evaluation
• Available in the Community and Schools via
  network of partners and teachers
• Opportunity to purchase a PC with a no-interest
  loan
• Partners Boston Public Schools, neighborhood
  collaboratives, Microsoft, Lexmark, HiQ
  Computers, and Bank of America
• Program distributes 500 PCs annually 3000
  families have graduated since program start in
  1999
• 87 report a significant increase in their
  connection to the community as a direct result of
  the program.
• 92 of parents report their children's schoolwork
  improved significantly

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Best Practices in Innovation and
Sustainability Gateway Regional School District
(MA)

• Laptop lease program available to all families of
  students Grades 7-12
• Supported with strong professional development
  for technology integration and evaluation
• 3 year lease at 30-35/month includes software,
  insurance and warranty 1 buyout refresh at
  Grade 10
• Discounts provided by the School District for
  students on Free and Reduced Lunch Programs
• Laptops available for all teachers computers
  available in school for those who do not lease
  systems
• Dial up access provided through schools
• Participation rates are well over 60
• Shared model encouraged increase investment from
  schools

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• Did you know?/Shift Happens by Karl Fisch and
  Scott McLeod, Arapahoe High School, Littleton,
  CO Karl teaches Constructivist Thinking with
  Technology and other topics
• http//thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2006/08/did-you-k
  now.html
• https//breeze5.umn.edu/didyouknow/
• Download white paper and briefs at
• www.Karacomm.com
• For more information, contact
• Karen Archer Perry, Founder and Principal
  Consultant, Karacomm, LLC,732-859-4231,
  kaperry_at_Karacomm.com
• www.Karacomm.com

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Best Practices in Innovation and Sustainability
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Best Practices in Innovation and Sustainability