Digital Arts Service Corps - technology

Getting it Done

Chris Anderson — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:58:25 +0000

Field report time!

I have been putting this report off in hopes to have some great media and artifacts to present, but this will have to wait until my next report. I found some time to give a quick status update of what I've been up to. We really need more activity on here!

I have been working on two major goals right now: developing programming for our evening workshops and establishing a system to track our technology that both stays in-house and are rented out to the community.

For our evening workshops at Media Arts Center, we've slowly been reaching our goal of having our calendar ready 3 months in advance.
We have just reached having it all set one month- the workshop type, instructor, goals, marketing, scheduling, etc are currently ready one month in advance. We have had great turnouts for Final Cut workshops and build-it-with-others workshops like the DIY Steadycam. New volunteers are increasing, thanks to new volunteer recruiting/policies we have established. The next step for our workshops is to redesign our brochures/marketing. We need to be more appealing to younger audiences, cut costs, and create new job descriptions for volunteers/interns. This begins mid-december.

As for tracking technology, I had to start from the very beginning. The current inventory spreadsheet was missing crucial information including serial numbers and price values. I was able to finally utilize the snazzy barcode scanner I purchased to make the task a lot easier. The information is almost 100% entered in and will benefit accounting, identifying outdated technology, and our equipment rental process. Audits? Easy. Grantwriting? Simple! Equipment rental? Sure, let's see what's available! By the end of January, I hope to have finalized a working rental system that incorporates barcodes into our equipment inventory and member databases. I'm hoping by the end of my year here, we can have a reservation system available on our website, and maybe even a mobile app.

On Tuesdays, FabLab offers design workshops of all sorts. They have vinyl cutter, laser engraving, 3D scanners...man!!! I joined their fun last tuesday @ Intro to Interactivity. We made IR pens to make DIY smartboards. It really works!!

More to come,
Chris

Amazing opportunity -- FREE Computer Summer Camp for girls in grades 10-12

Victoria Edwards — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:02:57 +0000

Hey Guys, those of you are working with youth users of community technology centers, -- Microsoft is offering a free computer summer camp for girls in grades 10-12. Unfortunately, it's not being held in Miami, Florida (where I am) but the camps are being held in:
Charlotte, NC
Chicago, IL
Fargo, ND
Las Colinas, TX
Redmond, WA
Stony Brook, NY
Washington, D.C.

(I cut and paste from the website to provide the information below:)

We are now accepting applications to Microsoft's DigiGirlz High Tech Camps. We are requesting your assistance in promoting this learning
opportunity for high school girls. The camp was developed to provide girls with a better understanding of what a career in technology is all about.
This exciting three to five day experience provides opportunities to learn about careers in technology, talk with Microsoft employees about
their life experiences, and enjoy hands-on computer and technology workshops.
What Participants Can Expect
* Hands-on learning sessions to educate
* Keynote Speaker series to inspire
* Career/technology tours to heighten awareness
* Resume and interview workshops to prepare
* Employee panels to answer questions

Testimonials
Here is what some DigiGirlz had to say about their experiences at the camp:
* "[The event was] very empowering and I know that I can accomplish anything!"
* "It definitely had a positive impact on me. It got me inspired to get involved and really gave me confidence to live out my dreams. It
gave me great ideas and I am so excited to continue on!"
* "Even in the short time I was at Microsoft I learned so much about technology, but more about how people can achieve professions that
they love and enjoy. Everyone's enthusiasm about their professions inspired me to find what I love and pursue it -- not only in technology,
but in life."
* "I am now much, much more interested in technology-related careers. They are so much fun."

Application Details

To apply, girls need to complete the online application form which is available at:
https://www.microsoft.com/about/diversity/programs/camps.mspx

In addition to providing contact information, the girls will be asked to answer two essay questions. After being selected into the program, they
will receive a packet of information with additional forms for completion.
They will also be asked to submit a letter of recommendation from a teacher or counselor. The documents must be completed and returned in
order to be fully registered for the camp. Girls must currently be in 9th-12th grade to be eligible. This camp is free of charge to participants.

Visit
https://www.microsoft.com/about/diversity/programs/camps.mspx
for more information.*

OLLIE gigs and Dental complaints

gariet cowin — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 21:45:09 +0000

I'm just finishing up week one (week two for some schools) for the Winter session of OLLIE. The groups we are working with this time already seem to be an infinite improvement over some of the groups from last session. I'm not going to put all of the blame on the schools and students though. I was so burnt out by the end of the Fall session, that I probably wasn't very fun to work with either. From now on, I am going to make sure that I have a couple weeks between sessions where I can regroup and de-stress. That doesn't necessarily mean a vacation. In my case, it just means doing something else that doesn't involve kids.

In other news, I am extremely frustrated with my dental situation. I've been avoiding the dentist because I can barely afford a cleaning, not to mention whatever fillings might be required. Turns out this was a bad idea. But now I REALLY can't afford to go to the dentist because I know something is (expensively) wrong, but not wrong enough to warrant immediate relief-of-pain surgery which is the only type of coverage I have. So what can I do? Wait until it gets worse and painful, I guess.

Would it really cost that much for the government to throw in a little basic dental care for us? It seems to me that it would save them money on costly emergency dental procedures. Maybe I'll just swap my teeth out for some dentures. Then I won't have to worry about it.

Technology

danielle martin — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 15:04:42 +0000

This area contains resources pertaining to technology (databases, CMS, medialabs).

Librarian's Internet Index

Jessica McCoy — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 22:27:05 +0000

So I just ran across an interesting site, the Librarian's Internet Index. As the name suggests, it is an index of websites organized into categories and then subtopics. Each area contains links and short descriptions of relevant, useful websites. The sites listed have actually been reviewed by librarians and recommended as containing quality information. These aren't just random Google search results. Seems like this could be a useful research tool, especially for folks working with young people in/outside of schools.

The site also offers a "New this Week" email newsletter. Opening of the Oct. 26 newsletter: "This week grow what you know with websites about elections, Halloween festivities, iron ore, invisibility cloaks, federal spending, spider bites, paper cranes, prisons in the UK, and more. Bon appetit from librarians Karen, Wendy, Jennifer, Maria, and Charlotte."

Hmmm...Maybe it's a little old-school, but I like it. I like it because the hit-or-miss nature of search engines can be frustrating (especially when working with kids!). And because I think librarians are cool people. :o)

--Jessica