| UC Links at Santa Barbara
| In the
Santa Barbara area, there are two UC Links sites during
the 2004-2005 academic year. A total of 230 children
and 90 undergraduates work together on a variety of
after-school learning activities during this period.
UC Links principal investigators at UC Santa Barbara
are Mary E. Brenner (Education) and Richard Durán
(Education). The UC Links sites are: |
 |
Club Proteo— Located
in Goleta. A
collaboration of the Goleta Boys and Girls Club and the
Graduate School of Education, UC Santa Barbara.
Parents, Children, and Computers Project— Located in Isla Vista. A
collaboration of the Isla Vista Elementary School (Goleta
Union Elementary School District) and the Graduate School
of Education, UC Santa Barbara.
|
Club
Proteo:
Club Proteo connects undergraduates from UC Santa Barbara with children and youth in the exploration of educational software and the construction and programming of Lego models. The participants in this after-school program also take local field trips and write letters to pen pals in Germany. |
 |
|
Club Proteo
Goleta Boys and Girls Club
Goleta, CA
Principal Investigators: Professor Mary E. Brenner (Education, UC Santa Barbara) and Professor Richard Durán (Education, UC Santa Barbara)
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|
Participants
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200 children
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Ages 5-12 years
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Predominantly Latino
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Collaborators
|
Goleta Boys and Girls Club
Graduate School of Education, UC Santa Barbara
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Activities
|
- Collaborative exploration of educational software
- Pen pal correspondence with children in Germany
- Construction and programming of Lego models
- E-mail and/or off-line letter writing to other program participants
- Field trips
- Board games
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Goals
|
- Increase knowledge and improve attitudes and aspirations toward higher learning for participating youth
- Provide a safe learning environment where children learn through interacting with each other and undergraduates using computer technology and board games
- Increase interest and experience in writing
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Evaluation Strategies
|
- Documentation of letter writing activities via videotape and field notes
|
Parents,
Children, and Computers Project:
This site connects parents and children in the intergenerational exploration of multimedia and publishing software. Parents also learn computer skills through collaboration with undergraduates from UC Santa Barbara.
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 |
|
Parents, Children, and Computers Project
Isla Vista Elementary School
Isla Vista, CA
Principal Investigators: Professor Mary E. Brenner (Education, UC Santa Barbara) and Professor Richard Durán (Education, UC Santa Barbara)
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|
Participants
|
30 children, 25 parents
|
Children range in age from preschool to high school
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Latino families, most from Mexico
|
Collaborators
|
Isla Vista Elementary School
Graduate School of Education, UC Santa Barbara
|
Activities
|
- Intergenerational exploration of multimedia and publishing software
- Collaborative publication of project newsletter authored by parents and children
|
Goals
|
- Increase knowledge and improve attitudes and aspirations toward higher learning for participating youth
- Provide a safe learning environment where children and parents learn through interacting with each other and undergraduates using computer technology
- Encourage parents and children to share family and community stories and to produce a published project newsletter
|
Evaluation Strategies
|
- Survey to assess development of parents' computer literacy skills
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Undergraduate
Course:
"Teaching
and Learning in Sociocultural Contexts," offered by
the Graduate School of Education at UC Santa Barbara, provides
undergraduate and graduate students with instruction in
ethnographic research skills and the opportunity to explore
the possibility of teaching as a career. Undergraduate and
graduate students enrolled in this course participate in
either the Club Proteo or the Parents, Children, and Computers
UC
Links programs.
Teaching and Learning in Sociocultural Contexts
Education 124
Graduate School of Education, UC Santa Barbara
|
Course Instructors
|
Richard Durán, Professor (Education)
Mary E. Brenner, Associate Professor (Education)
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Participants
|
90 undergraduates, 4 graduate students
|
Diverse majors, including Anthropology, Biology, Computer Science, Latin American and Iberian Studies, Psychology, Communication, and Sociology
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Fieldwork
|
Undergraduates participated four hours per week in the Club Proteo or the Parents, Children, and Computers UC Links programs.
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Course Goals
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- Improve undergraduate education for participating students by connecting theory to practice and improving conceptual and practical knowledge of course content
- Provide undergraduate students experience conducting ethnographic fieldwork
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Evaluation Strategies
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- Analysis of undergraduate field notes and course projects to assess development of content knowledge and understanding
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