Project Proposal

1. What specific area(s) within the field will be investigated, researched and/or studied?
   
   I will be investigating and researching the requirements for the PCs4Kids Mentor's Handbook.
2. How will knowledge or ability in the field be acquired, developed, and demonstrated through the year?
   
   Knowledge and ability in the field will and has been acquired through my mentoring of students and their parents during the workshops that The Lazarus Foundation and Bright Minds Foundation have held in October and November of 2009.
3. What will be the product(s) and/or outcome(s) of the internship?
   
   The product  of this internship will be the development of the PCs4Kids Mentor's Handbook and the outcome will be an enhanced PCs4Kids program.
    
4. What proven need will be addressed? What real problem will be solved? What question will be researched?
   
   This issue of students not having the knowledge of how to use a computer will be addressed. This will be addressed by teaching these students computer skills through mentors that have met the requirements set forth by The Lazarus Foundation. The question researched is what constitutes a PCs4Kids Mentor's Handbook.
5. What (Who) is the intended audience for the project? Who, other than the student, will learn or benefit as a result of the result? To whom will the outcomes be communicated? For whom is the product or result intended?
   
   The intended audience of the handbook are high school students (i.e. the PCs4Kids mentors). In addition to the PCs4Kids mentors, the recipients of the computers including High, Middle, and Elementary school students will benefit from the result of this project because they will be taught computer skills based on the content of the Mentor's Handbook. The outcomes of the project will be communicated through The Lazarus Foundation and the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) via the hands on workshops. The end product is an essential component of the PCs4Kids program.
6. Will the audience be local, state or national? Note: The mentor, the student, and the GT Teacher should not be the only audience.
   
   Initially, the audience will be HCPSS students but the program is designed to be expanded to both the state and national levels.
7. How will the product and outcomes be communicated to or performed for the selected audience? What will be the outlet vehicle?
   
   The handbook will be used by The Lazarus Foundation during its hands-on PCs4Kids Workshops.
8. What resources will be required for the project? (human, print, organizations, media)
   
   My mentor (Don Bard), other Lazarus Foundation Associates, HCPSS teachers, colleagues, friends, family. In addition I will be using other resources including: materials available through the Internet, newspaper articles, and other documents from the library.
9. What are the special considerations of the project? (cost, materials, equipment, transportation, special permission, printing/distribution)
   
   Special considerations include: the printing and distribution of the Mentor's Handbook, special permission from potential PCs4Kids mentor's parents (to allow potential PCs4Kids mentors into the program), and permission from student's parents and school (all costs will be incurred by The Lazarus Foundation).

10.  How will the project be evaluated?

The PCs4Kids Mentor's Handbook will be evaluated  at the end of each workshop.

By the end of...

    November:

Finalize Project proposal with Mr. Bard and Mrs. Cockrell

Create a list of reasons why high school students would want to become PCs4Kids mentors in the PCs4Kids program

Create a one page document that can be used to attract high school students into the PCs4Kids program as mentors

    December:

Developed an outline for my synthesis paper

Give presentation to G/T Student/Parent Orientation Dec. 10

Presentation to an English class

Create the list of qualifications that a student must meet to become a PCs4Kids mentor

Have a draft of my synthesis paper given to my mentor

    January:

Synthesis paper completed

Develop the guidelines that a PCs4Kids mentor must follow

Propose to present at Student Learning Conference (SLC)

    February:

Create the forms (contracts) that PCs4Kids mentors and their parents must sign

Create the first meeting agenda that will  be used by The Lazarus Foundation when they meet with the PCs4Kids mentor and his or her parents to go over the PCs4Kids program

    March:

Create a first edition of the PCs4Kids Mentor's Handbook

Present to a Mount Hebron High School class

    April:

Final edits to all the documents above 

Attend Mount Hebron High School Celebration of Excellence

Attend  SLC