Today’s Program Update is from Tara Rocha, our BridgingApps Digital Learning Specialist.
Our Digital Literacy Training and job-search program for disabled high school students is in the final months of its two-year Comcast grant, which ends in November. My aim was to do as much as possible over the summer, getting this year’s student groups on track to finish the program ahead of schedule.
The official goal was to get a total of at least fifteen students through the program. I focused on signing up more, to compensate for attrition: there are always a few who aren’t able to finish for one reason or another. I think I had eighteen or twenty when we started, and now we’re exactly at fifteen. And some of the others want to continue later, when they can.
Communication Counts
There were also a couple of times when students were traveling during the summer, for vacation or on college visits. While they were on the road, I was able to connect through Microsoft Teams, and to record sessions for anyone who couldn’t attend in real time.
Another priority was getting parents involved. At the beginning of this year, I had some Teams parent meetings to go over expectations. I stressed that the parents should learn how to log in to Northstar—the platform we use for digital-literacy training—and become comfortable helping their students complete lessons at home. Each week, I would report to the families on who’d finished what and what was still needed. Also, before each class I texted information on apps we’d be covering, so families could experiment with them ahead of time.
Expanded Training
Something else that was new this year: I got some financial coaches from Easter Seals Greater Houston to come and talk about creating a budget (and learning other everyday financial skills) with digital tools. Apps we looked at included EveryDollar, Greenlight Kids & Teen Banking, and True Link Financial.
We also had ESGH employment coaches come and share information on how to fill out job applications and handle job interviews. Apps that we referenced included:
- Resume Star, for creating quick ready-to-go resumes.
- Adobe Fill & Sign, for filling out PDF online applications with preloaded information. (The students also got a printable form to save information commonly requested on job applications, as a quick reference tool for anywhere an application might be picked up.)
- Video Teleprompter Lite, for practicing interview skills. (Students appreciated the chance to get their jitters out by creating little elevator-pitch videos.)
In related news: this year we also worked with a younger group of high school students at GiGi’s Playhouse in Sugar Land, talking about ways they could save money and spend wisely, and how to use restaurant apps for planning ahead and taking advantage of deals and rewards. We also used the Apple Notes app to make a simple Financial Literacy Plan, where students could practice for when they’d be earning regular income.
Coffee Talks, Anyone?
I’d add that not all our Digital Literacy sessions were in a strictly “classroom” environment. Our Katy group met at the local Humble Grounds Coffeehouse, in a little building across from the coffeehouse actually, where the Humble Grounds staff would serve us even though it was a bit of a walk for them. Because we were a nonprofit and the class was without charge, they let us use the space for free. I even used Humble Grounds gift cards as an incentive for completing assignments; and those also served as another tool to practice financial skills.
Finally, a couple of student success stories:
- One young man had been deemed “not able to work” by the Texas Workforce Commission—no idea why, because he’s very high-functioning. He got really excited about our program. Now he’s working on starting his own nonprofit, Friendships for Life, as a post-secondary-education equivalent to the Best Buddies program that helped him in high school.
- Three days after our Katy “end of class” celebration, one student with low vision emailed me that she’d already found a job to apply for; and next time we met, could we help her complete the online application?
It was a very lofty goal to finish all this over the summer; and, I feel, one of our biggest accomplishments.
