Technology

9/5/2010

Home

The Latest Happenings

Make On-line Donation!

Technology

Our Technology Plan

The Technology Plan for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County mirrors the BGCA Youth Development Strategy. Our number one goal in the technology centers of the Whatcom County Clubs is to bridge the "digital divide”-- the gap that exists between those that have access to technology and those that do not.

Our Computer Labs

Each one of our Clubs operates a computer lab utilizing laptop or desktop computers. Various educational software programs engage children and youth in learning-based activities including math, spelling, reading and geography.

Thanks to a grant from Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the Microsoft Corporation, all Clubs in Whatcom County take part in the Operation Connect, Skill Tech and Club Tech programs. We are exceptionally grateful to the Beaumont Foundation, Toshiba Corporation, & the Todd Wagner Foundation for their generous support of our computer education programs.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County is deeply greatful to the Boeing Employees Community Fund for providing grant funding to upgrade computers in all of our Clubs!

The Boys & Girls Club is the "great equalizer" in computer education. Many kids do not have a computer in the home, and have limited access in school. At our six labs, kids have supervised access and instruction for 2-5 hours up to five days per week.

The Digital Arts Suite teaches members ages 6 to 18 how to create computer-generated art. In each of five programs (Web Tech, Design Tech, Photo Tech, Music Tech and Movie Tech), members advance through three levels of animated lessons online (delivered in English or Spanish) and participate in instructor-led group activities.

Club members ages 10 to 18 are invited to submit their artwork to the annual Digital Arts Festivals, which celebrate Club members' creativity in;

Web design
Graphic Design
Photo Illustration
Music Composition
Movie Making/Screenplay Writing

Digital Arts Suite and Festivals are a part of Club Tech, which is a partnership between Boys & Girls Clubs of America, founding partner Microsoft and Best Buy Children's Foundation.

Check out the 2008 national winners in our Digital Arts Festivals Virtual Gallery.

NetSmartz is an Internet safety resource from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America that uses the latest technology to create high-impact educational activities for even the most tech-savvy kids of any age group.

The goal of NetSmartz is to extend the safety awareness of children and empower them to make responsible decisions online and in real life. This is accomplished by:

enhancing the ability of children to recognize dangers on the Internet
encouraging children to report victimization to a trusted adult
supporting and enhancing community education efforts
increasing communication between adults and children about online safety
enhancing the ability of children to understand that people they first "meet" on the Internet should never be considered their friend.

Founded in 2003, Techathalon was designed to help young people ages 6-18 in our communities gain technical fluency by providing a fun venue for them to showcase and build their technology skills. Through the sharing of information and ideas, participants maximize the learning experience while making friends and being recognized for their accomplishments.

Techathalon features four Challenge Events encompassing graphic design, technical know-how, productivity software mastery, and general technology knowledge. In addition, participants can explore cutting-edge technology tools in the Exploratorium - a fun-filled science, technology, engineering and math carnival.

For more information:

Please contact our Director of Technology at ewahlgren@whatcomclubs.org

360-527-9777

1715 Kentucky Street

Bellingham, WA. 98229