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December 1, 1998
A Breton Class Reaches into the Community
by Kevin Kearney
The Grade 12 CRS 441 class at Breton Education Centre in New Waterford, Cape Breton
Island, Nova Scotia, has taken technology to the streets. Armed with a digital camera, a
notepad, and determination, our students are using technology to bring their school and
community closer. They are doing so by discovering the histories and intricacies of
various community service groups and churches.
I believe that education must be linked to social responsibility and that most
effective learning is active—that is, connected to experience in some meaningful way.
With this in mind, I developed a program of advanced HTML study that would culminate in my
students performing a meaningful service to their community while engaging in a form of
reflection and study related to that service. In this way, I set out to help the students
at Breton become more aware of the needs and issues that face their community. Here’s
a brief outline of the project:
- Students learn basic HTML.
- Students learn advanced HTML for enhanced Web-page construction.
- Students experiment with related technology.
- Students create practice pages (including their own).
- Teacher contacts community groups and organization.
- Students are provided with contact people for their organizations.
- Students research their groups or organizations.
- Each student designs and produces a Web page for the group or organization.
- The group or organization approves the page.
- Pages are placed in a community outreach section of the school home page.
- Students, teacher, and administration host a page launching for contact people and
invited guests.
- Students present their individual projects.
This project was implemented in the hopes that computer networking or technology
education might ultimately draw entire communities together. The project helps form a
connection between our school and its community. Our students receive a valuable lesson in
community involvement, discovering firsthand what it means to be involved in service-based
organizations, and the community groups and organizations get Web-based links to the
outside world.
Schools work best when there is constant interaction between the community and the
classroom so that students have a sense of the real-life relevance of their efforts.
Projects such as this one allow just such a connection. For more information, check our
completed community service index.
E-mail: Kevin Kearney
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