COMPUTER LEARNING FOUNDATION
Mission and Organization Background
The Organization:
The Computer Learning Foundation (CLF) is a nonprofit educational foundation serving the United States and Canada.
Mission:
The Computer Learning Foundation is dedicated to bringing together businesses, schools and communities to improve the quality of education and preparation of youth for the workplace through the use of technology.
Key Activities:
Headquarters: 1066 West Evelyn Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Press Contact: Sally Bowman Alden, Executive Director
Founded:
Computer Learning Month began as a project of the Software Publishers Association in 1986, with the first Computer Learning Month held in October 1987. CLF was separately incorporated in 1988 and changed its name to the Computer Learning Foundation.
Sponsors:
Corporate Sponsors: CLF is funded primarily by contributions from corporations. Numerous hardware, software and other corporations actively support CLF's public education efforts.
Honorary Sponsors - National Nonprofit Organizations: 26 national groups have officially endorsed CLF, including American Federation of Teachers, International Society for Technology in Education, National Education Association, National Parent Teacher Association and National School Boards Association.
Honorary Sponsors - Departments of Education: 52 U.S. State and Territory Departments of Education and 4 Canadian Ministries of Education have officially endorsed CLF and work with CLF to disseminate information to schools.
Audiences: Parents, educators (PK-12), teacher training institutions and children (PK-12)
Foundation Programs:
Computer Learning Month(R): Each October, CLF hosts Computer Learning Month, a month-long focus on the importance of technology to children's learning. Thousands of Computer Learning Month events and activities are hosted each year by schools and community groups throughout North America. These events provide individuals with the opportunity to share their technology experiences with others and to expand their knowledge of effective uses of technology with children.
Annual Contests: Attracting thousands of entries each year from students, educators, schools and community groups, CLF contests promote and recognize innovative uses of technology and encourage individuals and groups to share their knowledge about technology with others in their community. Contests are launched each year during Computer Learning Month, and thousands of dollars in technology products are awarded as prizes each year. The best entries are published in new Foundation materials and articles.
Our Town: In the Our Town Initiative, launched in 1996, students work with others in their community&emdash;other students, schools, community organizations, government offices and businesses&emdash;on the development of a web site for their town. Our Town web sites include historical, geographical, economics, activities, places of interest and other information of value to local users and people around the world. Easily integrated into classroom curricula, this initiative provide students with the opportunity to learn to communicate on the Web, to showcase their learning, and to provide a valuable service for people in their community and around the world. As of Summer 1999, over 125 Our Town sites may be accessed through the CLF web site.
Clearinghouse of Information for Parents and Educators: CLF reviews and publishes information for parents and educators on using technology effectively with children both at school and at home.
Computer Learning: CLF's annual publication, released each August, with articles, information on CLF's projects, rules for Computer Learning Month contests and a catalog of CLF resource materials. Available free of charge to the public and distributed to most schools in the U.S. and Canada each August.
Resource Materials: CLF reviews numerous books and resource materials from outside publishers to select the best ones to help parents and educators use technology effectively with children. CLF distributes many of these materials at special prices and in special bundles. When CLF is unable to identify a resource that meets a need of parents and educators, CLF secures grant funding to develop a new resource guide or product.
Web Site <http://www.computerlearning.org>: The Computer Learning Foundation web site provides information on all CLF programs, contests and materials; includes links to numerous sites reviewed by CLF and found to be safe for children or sites that are valuable to parents and educators using technology with children; and displays information on resource materials endorsed, published and/or distributed by CLF with online ordering. CLF contiues to expand the site to include posters and graphics on responsible use of technology, lesson plans, software reviews and other information collected in Computer Learning Month contests to provide educators and schools with access to this information.
Foundation Materials:
Preparing for a Career in the 21st Century: Book for high school and college students, parents and adults which discusses ways computers are used in non-technical vocations and provides activities to begin preparing today.
Everything You Need to Know (But Were Afraid to Ask Kids) About the Information Highway: An introductory book for parents on using telecommunications with their children at home, including basic terminology; required equipment; the benefits of the Internet to children's learning; how to select an Internet Service Provider; child safety, netiquette and ethical issues; and over 50 pages of online activities and Web sites for children, organized by age group. Links to all sites included in the book are kept current at CLF's Web site for easy click-through.
Lesson Plan Books: Twelve separate volumes, which include the best lesson plans submitted by U.S. and Canadian teachers in Computer Learning Month contests, including Edition I (three volumes: Grades K-5; Grades 6-8; Grades 9-12); Learning Together (three volumes: Grades K-5; Grades 6-8; Grades 9-12); Integrating Technology into the Curriculum (three volumes: Grades K-5; Grades 6-8; Grades 9-12); Early Childhood; and Special Education.
Telecommunications in the Classroom: A complete resource guide to using telecommunications in the classroom, including terminology, the benefits of telecommunications to educators and students, how to get started, equity and ethical issues, exemplary uses in schools, lesson plans, a directory of commercial and non-commercial online resources, a glossary of terms and a listing of other resources.
Opening the Doors of Our Schools: Increasing Access to Technology: A guide for setting up a program that makes technology available after hours to students and the community, including steps to follow, program ideas, suggested activities and exemplary programs.
Community Relations Kit: A kit to assist schools and educators in building partnerships and communicating better with their community that includes press releases, sample letters and activities.
Computer Learning Month Promotional Kits: CLF offers the Computer Learning Month Promotion Kit with ideas, plans, banners and posters for hosting a Computer Learning Month event. CLF also offers a Computer Learning Month Celebration Kit which includes the Promotion Kit, 60 books for parents to be used as handouts, special offers for parents and a book display to use at events.
Our Town Web Development Kit: This kit includes a CD-ROM, video and print tools to help people participate in the Our Town Initiative and develop web pages for their town's web site. The CD-ROM includes Web Workshop™ for Our Town with graphics related to towns; a 90-day trial version of Claris Home Page; two Web browsers, Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer; The Technology Roadmap, an electronic guide to preparing a technology plan; The Connected Learning Community video; and the Our Town Planning Guide, which includes suggestions for incorporating the development of web pages into classroom activities.
Cisco Internetworking Academy for Education: Funded by Cisco Systems, this 7-hour video series with handouts clearly presents the technical information educators need to know to network their school for connecting to the Internet. Topics include internetworking, NIC cards, MAC addresses, IP addresses, how data moves across networks, data packet structures, the OSI Model, types of networks and cabling, how to plan a school wiring layout, potential problems when installing cable, when to use routers, hubs and switches, how to configure a router, router commands and network security methods.
Chip & FriendsŪ: Produced by the Atterbury Foundation, Chip & Friends materials help children, pre-K to grade 3, learn to use computers responsibly. Different kits are available for home and school that include a videotape of delightful puppet characters that lead children through topics of how to handle disks, how to take care of computer equipment, the importance of saving files, what passwords are and how to protect them and the importance of respecting others' privacy, electronic property and ownership of electronic information. Also included in each kit are the Chip & Friends Interactive CD-ROM (Mac/Win) to reinforce and expand upon concepts introduced in the video, a Chip poster, computer puppet, parent or teacher guide and a student activities guide.
Posters on Responsible Computing: Produced by the Atterbury Foundation, these colorful posters include 16 professionally-developed and 4 student-developed (previous Computer Learning Month contest winners) posters that focus on different topics related to using computers, software and the Internet responsibly.
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