Societal+Issues+Resource

[[image:Generation_Yes.gif width="160" height="131" align="left" link="http://www.genyes.org/"]]
=S tudents Implement Technology in the Classroom =

==== Generation YES (GenYES) puts students in the driver’s seat when it comes to how and what technology is implemented in the classroom. GenYES, is a for-profit company, specializing in involving students in the planning and implementation of technology in the classroom. Students serve as teacher-partners and in most cases, leaders, when it comes to how to implement technology in the classroom and into specific lessons. In some cases, students can actually teach lessons. Aside from technology skills, students learn how to work collaboratively in teams, and they learn transferrable skills such as time management and project planning, applicable to the real world. An article in[| Edutopia] highlights Washington Middle School in Olympia, where the program is in place. The George Lucas Foundation created a video of the program in action, which is embedded in the article. ====

====The company has over 12 years of research to back up its programs and a [|summary of GenYes research] documents why the program is successful, and why it helps kids. Students are trained in technology, instead of teachers, because students are attributed to being more tech savy. “Students represent more than 90% of the K-12 education population, and they likely possess 95% of the technology expertise in the school.” GenYES started in Olympia, Washington in 1996, and offers free on-line resources such as white papers, presentations, handouts, and how-to guides. The program costs about $500 for 30 students. 39 schools are reportedly using the program in Washington. ====

[[image:kijana_simple1.gif width="165" height="112" align="right" link="http://kijanavoices.org/mission/"]]
==== GenYES has a non-profit arm called [|Kijuana Voices]. Its mission is to promote ... “constructive technology use by youth. We will accomplish this mission by providing resources, materials, models, and collaborative opportunities for youth: created, coordinated, and constructed by their peers.” The GenYES model is being used to help create a school in Liberia become a 21st century school, provide scholarships through an education fund, and help seniors in Olympia learn technology with the help of at-risk teenager mentors. ====