How About Hosting a Technology Fair for Teen Tech Week?
Dodie Ownes -- School Library Journal, 12/17/2008
Looking for a way to integrate your school’s technology program with Teen Tech Week? St. Vrain Valley School District (SVVSD), Longmont, Colorado has put together an award-winning Student Technology Fair project, and since Teen Tech Week 2009 is just around the corner (March 8-14), now is time to start planning.
Started in 2007, the SVVSD Student Technology Fair originally targeted secondary school students, and added elementary and charter schools in 2008. To moderate the number of entries, submissions this year were limited to two entries per level, per school: primary ( grades K-2); intermediate (grades 3-5); middle (grades 6-8) and high ( grades 9-12), which were vetted in school level fairs to get a bid to the district fair. And of course, there are prizes to act as an incentive to enter: 5GB Pocket drives to every entrant; $100, $300, $500 - 1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards by level; and a grand prize of $1000 and an engraved Traveling Trophy.
Career Days for elementary and secondary level winners were also added in 2008. Elementary students spent a day with Longmont Channel Three Public Access and KGUD Radio, while secondary students met with Seagate Technologies employees.
One of the high school winning entries this year, sponsored by an English as a Second Language teacher and a teacher librarian, was “Where Are Our 1st Amendment Rights.” As part of the project, two students, recent arrivals to the United States, read the book Nothing but the Truth (Avon Books), researched related cases and laws, and presented the information gathered via a Voicethread podcast.
Another notable entry was Novel Dame and Pages Turned, a blog that one high school student created to post reviews, reading recommendations, and book discussions. Though she didn’t win, the student has credited the Technology Fair with giving her a renewed focus on her future education plans, and even used the blog in her college applications.
Connie Masson, manager of instructional technology at SVVSD, gives her colleagues much of the credit for the success of the Technology Fair. “Because Holli Butcher, an assistant media coordinator, had the idea to host a technology fair in celebration of Teen Tech Week, our district now has an on-going, much praised methodology for presenting student achievement and learning utilizing library technology resources.” Tip to SLJTeen readers –get ready for your own technology fair by visiting SVVSD’s Technology Fair Web site for more information.
