Community volunteers work with PowerUp:HUB teachers

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There were some new faces in the PowerUp:HUB training at Milby High School last week. New volunteers attended the professional development session to meet teachers and help them get up to speed on the HUB, an online learning management platform they can use to deliver lesson plans, homework, and tests to students.

Milby is a PowerUp school, which means that all students have laptops 24 hours a day and can stay in contact with their teachers, as well as have a place to store and access all their papers and notes. But first the teachers have to know how to use the HUB effectively, and that’s where the volunteers come in.

They were trained by HISD Instructional Technology Program Specialist Diana Bidulescu, who came up with the idea of the volunteer program. “Last October, I asked the Milby PowerUp team to invite parents and community members to Parent Night,” she said. “I thought it made sense to create a support system within the Milby community to improve morale and make it a ‘family affair.’ Today is the first time the teachers are meeting their volunteers.”

Milby physics teacher David Winters begins the training with a session titled “Going Paperless or Nearly So.” He showed the teachers how to save documents into folders, organize them, and give tests online. “I got tired of students always losing their homework and study guides,” he said. “The HUB is the answer.”

When Winters gave the teachers time to experiment with the software, the volunteers moved around the room assisting them. All of the volunteers are from Technology for All or Mission Milby Community Development Corporation, two nonprofit organizations located near Milby High School.

Phil Clayton from Technology for All worked for 35 years in computer technology in the business sector, followed by 20 years for nonprofits. “I had one of the first personal computers – an IBM-AT,” he said. “Fast-forward to 1999, when I retired. I discovered that I truly enjoy helping other people learn about technology.”

Eddie Hilliard is the executive director of Mission Milby, where volunteers work to reduce poverty in the neighborhoods around Milby. “We run an after-school program that provides a safe place for Milby and Deady Middle School students, so volunteering here makes sense for me. Milby Principal Roy de la Garza sits on our board of directors.”

Pat Owens also volunteers for Mission Milby, having retired from running her husband’s office. “I had to find something positive to do with my time,” she said.

Will Young, who graduated from Madison High School and ITT Technical Institute, enjoys giving back while he is looking for his dream job. “I’m a troubleshooter, so I can help out with just about anything when it comes to computers,” he said.

Bidulescu hopes to expand the program to other HISD PowerUp high schools in the future.

from News Blog http://ift.tt/1wMjB4V