Make It Take It at Mila Elementary

Mila Elementary School has begun the first elementary school MITI class. Twelve 6th graders were selected based on teacher and administrator recommendations. Before being chosen, each completed a survey regarding their computer needs and wrote a short essay stating why they should be chosen for the program. Mila decided to have sixth graders participate so that they would have access to the technology they need when attending Middle School next year.

The Make It Take It initiative involves a partnership between Brevard Public Schools and the Institute for the Study of Digital Inclusion (ISDI). The Institute for the Study of Digital Inclusion was founded in 2001 to promote digital literacy for all, but particularly targets those youth and their families in underserved communities, who, by definition, are generally considered the most “at risk”.

A major advantage of joining this alliance is the permission to use the licensing agreement with Microsoft which provides operating systems and Microsoft Office applications for each computer distributed through the “Make It Take It” (MITI) project for a nominal fee. Most of the computers for this program have been donated by NASA, local area businesses, and from the Brevard Public Schools technology refreshment program.

Students in the Make It-Take-It program spend several weeks learning the following skills:

• How to use a computer (basic computing concepts; computing terminology)
• How to rebuild a computer
• Common office software (Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Email)
• Internet usage and safety

During the course, donated computers are disassembled and the students begin the process of reassembling them. Technical problems that are inherent to the process provide the students with real world troubleshooting skills. Once reassembled, students introduce new hardware and software into the system. Another part of the comprehensive curriculum gives students hands-on experience with computer hardware. A lab environment is used with computer workstations for each student. During this part of the class, students remove each component of the computer and learn how they interact to form a working unit. Another part of the program teaches students how to use basic applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Information about Internet safety is also presented in during the 6-week course. Not only does this program offer a broad foundation of knowledge and computer skills, it extends the accessibility to technology that may not otherwise exist for these students; some may discover a career path may not have considered otherwise.