GENERATION YES

At this month?s National Educational Computing Conference (NECC), we are announcing a major upgrade to our student tech support curriculum, Generation TECH. Generation TECH has a new website, new tools, an upgraded curriculum guide, and more.

These days, schools are faced with ever diminishing tech support budgets for ever increasing needs for technology integration and support. Generation TECH students can provide an answer to this dilemma - with benefits for both the school and the students. Generation TECH offers a student-centered project-based learning curriculum that provides a rigorous academic structure, assessment, online tools, and key strategies for security and other implementation issues.

We know students are making the difference in so many schools, and many of you reading this are leaders in this regard. We hope Generation TECH will prove to be a timely solution to maintenance and support issues you are facing. Our goal is to provide practical support for student involvement in all aspects of technology integration.

Forward,
Dennis Harper

What's New at Generation YES
Generation YES at NECC, June 29-July 2. Seattle, WA
SEE US AT BOOTH NO. 1529
Generation YES will take part in many youth oriented activities at the National Educational Computing Conference (NECC). Besides our booth in the exhibit hall, there is an all day Generation Y Teacher Certification Workshop (Sunday, June 29), Birds-of-a-Feather meeting (Monday, June 30), and numerous Generation Y and Generation TECH sessions. Check out the complete Gen YES NECC Activity Schedule at:
https://genyes.org/news/events

Mini Gen Y demos in the booth. Generation Y students will lead demos of Generation Y and create technology-infused lesson plans using the Generation YES online tools.
https://www.genyes.org/scripts/neccbooth/booth.php

The NECC Generation Y teacher certification workshop is a first-time ever event. This is an incredible opportunity for a comprehensive, daylong experience with the Generation YES president, Dr. Harper, as your workshop leader. If you've been waiting for a chance for an in-depth look or to get on board with Gen Y, this is it! You can register for this event with your NECC registration; sign up for workshop SUF224. All participants in the teacher workshop will be eligible for a special discount off the Generation Y class license price. You can register here as well:
https://center.uoregon.edu/NECC/NECC2003/attendees/registration/

New York State's Learning Technology Grant
Fourteen New York schools will implement Generation Y next fall as part of the state's Learning Technology Grant. Generation Y is an established program in many New York schools and we look forward to working with these new members of the Generation YES family.
https://genyes.org/news/0503

Technology Innovation Challenge Grants Unite
Generation YES and the Borderlink project ( https://www.borderlink.org/ ) have formed a 2-year partnership to teach local students how to provide professional development and technical support for Borderlink hardware and programs. Borderlink, a federal Technology Innovation Challenge grant, will incorporate two Generation YES programs to ensure the long-term sustainability of their successful project. Generation Y, also a former federal Technology Challenge grant project, will teach students to provide support to the schools in southern California's Imperial and San Diego Counties.
https://genyes.org/news/0603

Technology & Learning Magazine Cites Generation Y as a Way To Reduce Technology Support Costs
Technology and Learning Magazine (June 2003) published a feature article on ways schools can cope with decreasing technology budgets and increasing No Child Left Behind requirements. Generation Y and Generation TECH programs were singled out as a proven cost-effective strategy. "On average, using Gen Y services runs about half the cost of the next low-cost option, online courses." See Strategy 8 at:
https://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2003/06/morewithless.html

Student Showcase
Generation Y Kids Even Help the Custodians Integrate Technology
When the Olympia School District, in Olympia Washington, needed a better building maintenance website, they looked inward and found Mandy Ly, an 8th grade Generation Y graduate (called a Gen Did) at Washington Middle School. Mandy designed the entire site at no cost to the district.

The maintenance department is no stranger to student empowerment. Gen Dids have created a personalized work order system, a 20-minute video to show custodians how to clean a restroom, and an informational brochure. Recently, these student accomplishments were highlighted in the opening keynote at the National School Maintenance Conference in Spokane, Washington.
https://kids.osd.wednet.edu/departments/maintenance/main

Kansas Football and Generation Y
Longfellow Middle School's Generation Y class will be doing all of the production work for Hill City's "Battle On The Plains VI" semi-pro football bowl game. Hill City, Kansas, will host the champions of the Colorado Football Conference and the champions of the Texas United Football League on Saturday, September 13th, 2003.

Working with SportsJuice.com, Longfellow's Gen Y class will do all the video and audio production. Chris Terrill, Longfellow Middle School's principal, will do the play-by-play, while a Gen Y student does color commentary. Longfellow's Gen Y class will be doing all of the pre- and post-game work as well as all video production during the game. The "Battle On The Plains" will be tape-delayed and archived on SportsJuice.com's web site approximately a week after the game is played.
https://battle.zurnet.com

Tech Tips Plus
Palm Education Software
With over 18,000 programs for the Palm OS, these quick guides will help you find the right software for your classroom.
https://www.palm.com/education/resourcelibrary/quickguides.html

Featured Book
Visual Literacy: Learn to See, See to Learn - Dr. Lynell Burmark
This is a fascinating and practical book about visual literacy and education. Learn about the effects of fonts and colors, what makes a presentation work (and what doesn't), and how to improve your "critical eye". Written for both teachers and students, this book is a useful addition to any tech-savvy classroom.
https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0871206404/

News You Can Use
Free Money!
Grants are a great way to fund your Generation Y class or even a computer or network upgrade. Apple has a concise, yet informative list of the larger grant programs.
https://www.apple.com/education/k12/curriculumsolutions/funding/

How Many Versions of Truth Are There - Classroom Explorations of News Reporting
This recent article uses many real-world examples to inspire classroom exploration of the many issues and gray areas that can arise in journalism and news reporting.
https://www.newcurriculum.com/

Gen Y - Who Are You Really?
The current generation of teens, known as Gen Y, have been characterized as cynical and apathetic, but recent studies show this to be a declining trend. Religious belief is up, drug use and crime are down, respect for parents, teachers and other authority figures is up and that's just the tip of the iceberg. This is a different point of view from a website interested in marketing issues - but can be a real conversation starter in a classroom.
https://www.brandchannel.com/start1.asp?id=156