Administrators 'Link to Learn' best ways to help local schools

University President Judith Rodin led the celebration yesterday for the newest travelers on the information superhighway. A new program, called "Link to Learn," works to introduce and maximize the use of technology, especially computers, in area schools. It is a joint effort between the Center for Community Partnership -- which won the supporting grant -- and the West Philadelphia Partnership. Link to Learn demonstrates the University's commitment to "making education happen at every level," Rodin said at the kickoff celebration at West Philadelphia's Shaw Middle School, her alma mater. Students and their teachers from six area schools, including Shaw, West Philadelphia High School, Sayre, Sulzberger and Turner middle schools and Wilson Elementary School, gathered to demonstrate to University and Philadelphia school officials how they applied the newly available technology. Shaw students showed their "Flight" project, in which students plan a virtual trip to locations throughout the country each week. They use the Internet to find flight information and then go to different sites that relate to their "destination." On a recent trip, students "visited" the White House and wrote the president over e-mail. White House staffers responded by sending the students a book about the White House and a poster. Other projects focused on community service. Some schools designed community newspapers using desktop publishing software, while others created geographic information systems (GIS) about areas near their schools. Khalita Haggard, a 10th grader at West Philadelphia High School who created a GIS map of her neighborhood, said the best part of the program involved using the technology to better the community. "I liked helping the city by showing them things that they couldn't come and see themselves," she noted. According to Janis Butler, the leader of the West Philadelphia Cluster, the program has spurred a dramatic increase in access to information. "We're happy to see the type of projects that can have such a richness because of the information the students can retrieve," Butler said. The funding for the program came in the form of a Technology Testbed Grant, which is part of Gov. Tom Ridge's Link to Learn Initiative. The University -- whose goal is to expand the use of technology in classrooms throughout the state -- was the only recipient of the grant in Philadelphia. According to Peter Bonasto, Link- to-Learn's project manager, the state awarded the grant to the University because of its extensive work with the Philadelphia school districts and its partnerships with many businesses in the city. The University solicited the help of four local companies, Bell Atlantic Corp., Cabletron Systems, Tri-State Telecommunication and DCAnet, to install and maintain the computers and Internet access. The Thomas Penn Foundation donated the hardware used throughout the schools. Administrators hope to have the Link to Learn program up and running in schools throughout the district by fall of next year, according to Butler.

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