| Description: |
The Electronic Generation Connection (Bloomfield Hills, MI) literally puts the students from Della Lutes Elementary School and Hickory Grove Elementary in communication with "students" from another generation. Fifth grade students work through varying stages of digital communication skills with senior citizens at three community senior citizens centers in Michigan. As you know, kids ask great questions! They may deal with the recipient's country of origin, political climate which prompted their (or their parent's) emigration, the route taken to get to the U.S., their elementary days, childhood games, significant events, and favorite ethnic food.
As the youngsters are learning from and sharing with unseen friends, they are concurrently studying reading, spelling, grammar, history, math, geography, and social studies. They generate maps, measure distances, compare and graph cost of goods over a period of time, carefully prepare and peer-edit questions, and use their "free" reading time to investigate unfamiliar terminology of references. They use computers, scanners, digitizing cameras, printers, modems, electronic bulletin boards, encyclopedias, CD-ROM, videodisks, and VCRs.
The culminating activity for this yearlong project takes place at a party prepared by the fifth graders. All the students and senior citizens meet face-to-face for the first time. Many are surprised to discover that their partner is of another race or ethnic background or is, perhaps, seriously handicapped. The fifth graders serve punch and cookies to their guests, and each presents the senior partner with a special book: a biography based upon the information provided all year long. The project is over, but the knowledge gained and the intergenerational friendships, enabled and fostered with technology, continue.
This project is being developed through the Pioneering Partners Program. |
