Mediatech Foundation

Mediatech is turing five years old on May 23, 2008. We've survived on a shoestring now for five years, funded by research money, gifts and countless volunteer hours.

We're ready to move into the next phase:

WE'D LIKE TO HIRE A CERTIFIED TEACHER, AND EXPAND OUR HOURS

Mediatech is a non-partisan, non-religious, non-profit public facility serving all ages and economic groups. It is located in a small town in central New Jersey. While it serves many purposes, Mediatech is primarily a community technology center located in the second floor of the Flemington Free Public Library. It operates in partnership with Flemington’s library and schools in an effort to offer free, public access to the technology-based resources. Since its inception in May of 2003, Mediatech has become a destination for many children who are reaching the age of independence (grades 4 – 12) especially during the after school hours or on days when schools are closed. Many times, little brothers or sisters come with an older peer.

Because Mediatech offers a non-restrictive environment, students are free to socialize and explore the Internet in a setting that is both social and supervised. The students range in age from preschool through high school. While they range in income and family stability, those who come from struggling and marginalized families are very strongly represented. A more structured educational program would be well received among the community. It would enable the center to extend its hours, and provide more support to students both informally by having qualified homework helper onhand, and formally through structured classes and talks. In addition, the creation of a multimedia creativity contest (FAME, or Flemington Area Multimedia Expo) would provide (1) students with an opportunity to apply 21st Century skills that they learn in school in a visible and public setting and (2) would generate visibility and revenue for the center, to help sustain the work beyond the scope of the grant.

MORE SPECIFICALLY

The following five areas of the current program represent specific needs of the program, depending on the level of funding.

1. Teaching. Hire a bilingual, licensed-educator to serve as the teacher. This person would report to the Executive Director and would tutor informally in the after school hours, and coordinate classes and summer workshops at other times when children are not in school. Additional course instructors would be hired on a case-by-case basis.
2. Create a community-wide digital media contest. Calle “F.A.M.E.” (Flemington Area Multimedia Expo) this contest would give middle and high school students a forum within which to share what they’ve learned with the community at large. Mediatech editing stations would give them longer blocks of time and equipment like cameras and editing software, so they could start a project at school, and continue working on it at Mediatech.
3. Classes. The teacher will conduct classes on 21st Century Skills, helping students learn to improve writing skills in the context of blogs and wikis, and providing pointers on the use of powerful technology applications such as Flash and Adobe Indesign.
4. Lectures. Design a series of free, public lectures, featuring teachers from local schools.

5. Technical assistance for grant writing, PR and sustaining activities

6. Improved equipment, specifically current computers and software.

7. Help us document our growth, so we can help others start Mediatech-like centers in their towns.