How to Do It Guide

In this section, center coordinators will find resources and advice on how to set up a ScienceQuest team. The goals for center coordinators are to recruit ScienceQuest coaches and youth participants and prepare the computer lab for ScienceQuest teams. Resources for center coordinators to help accomplish these goals are included in each section.

Before setting up ScienceQuest teams, let's learn more about the different roles of ScienceQuest members.

| Find Coaches | Find Youth Team Members |
| Prepare the Computer Lab | Checklist for Set Up a Team |

Find Coaches [top]

Good coaches are enthusiastic about kids, curious about science and technology (but not necessarily experts themselves) and can commit to working with you and your kids for the duration of the ScienceQuest session. Sometimes staff people can devote time to working with the team, but usually the coordinator relies on volunteers as coaches. Volunteers can be parents, college students, board members, community members, local business people or others. Interview any perspective coach, ask them to fill in the coach application and check the references. Some centers do a background check, and you should follow your organization's policy about youth and volunteers.

Resources for recruiting volunteer coaches

There are great ways to find coaches for your ScienceQuest teams. You may try contacting the following organizations to recruit coaches:

• People you already know: adult students, board members, parents, fans of your technology center.
• Colleges and universities (find Student Employment offices and/or the Community Service offices)
• Local churches
• Girl and Boy Scout organizations
• Volunteer organizations (such as United Way and Boston Cares)
• Community businesses
• Idealist.org, local newspapers' announcement sections
• Stories from ScienceQuest coordinators
• Q&A on recruiting coaches

Downloadable resources for volunteer recruitment:

• ScienceQuest posters (to be available)
• ScienceQuest full color brochures which we will mail to you
• Internship description (PDF) for college and graduate student coaches/coordinators
• Short description of ScienceQuest to be sent to local volunteer organizations
• Email/letter introducing ScienceQuest to local organizations and businesses (to be available)
• ScienceQuest Fact Sheet (PDF)

Resources for working with volunteer coaches:

• Tech Soup has wonderful resources and discussion about working with volunteers.
• America Connects Consortium
• Pyramid Learning Chart (PDF). Use this chart to structure and organize your training workshops.
  

Important! Download these forms for coaches to complete and return:

• Coaches' application (PDF)
• Release form (PDF)

Find Youth Team Members [top]

If you work with 10 to 14 year-olds, you know how curious they can be! Inviting them to be on a team with adult volunteers might be just the place to offer them something special that will give them an outlet for their questions and curiosity. Think about what aspect of ScienceQuest would appeal to the kids you know: the science? the field trips? working with an adult? building a web page? being involved with something special in the afternoons? or, working with a team?

Start by looking to the kids who are part of your center or children of adult students. If you have partner organizations, you may want to partner with them in launching ScienceQuest teams. Children in the neighborhood and those from local schools could round out the group.

The following resources may provide ideas and advice for recruiting young people:

• Advice from experienced ScienceQuest coordinators
• Q&A on working with young team members

ScienceQuest is accessible to all young people!

Girls, minority kids, underserved youth, and kids with disabilities are all welcome to participate and learn to appreciate science and technology. It is important, however, to be aware of your kids' needs and skills. Incorporate kids natural interests and talents in ScienceQuest activities. Just as some kids are shy and others gregarious, some kids might have problems reading or using a computer mouse.

The following two organizations can provide you with information about working with youth with disabilities:

• Alliance for Technology Access
• Cast

For more information about girls in science and technology, check out Equity Online.

Connect with Parents

All parents should know where their children are after school and what they are doing. You might want to hold an information session with the parents to explain the project, answer their questions and get their approval and support. We have sample letters to parents, permission forms, and release forms for you to adapt.

Resources for working with parents:

• Flyers: Use these flyers to spread the word about ScienceQuest with both students and parents.
  • MS Word Flyer - just edit in your organization's information.
  • Editable Adobe Acrobat Flyer - If you have Acrobat (not Acrobat Reader), you can edit the specifics of your organization and meetings into this PDF flyer.
  • Basic Adobe Acrobat Flyer - Here's a basic PDF flyer ready to go. You will need to supply contact information, etc. separately.
• Tips on communicating with parents
• ScienceQuest Fact Sheet (PDF)

Important! Download these forms for parents to complete and return:

• Letter of introduction and permission form (PDF)
• Release form (PDF)

Prepare the Lab [top]

For ScienceQuest teams to run smoothly, we have compiled a list of recommended materials for center coordinators to gather.

Software requirements

• Homestead WebBuilder (for PCs only). You may obtain a copy of Homestead by either downloading the software at http://www.homestead.com/ or installing the software using the Homestead CD.
• Netscape Composer 4 (free) or web site design software (such as Macromedia Dreamweaver or Microsoft Front page (fee required))
• Adobe Acrobat Reader (free)
• Word processing (such as Microsoft Word, Works, or Star Office)
• Web browser (such as Netscape or Explorer)

Hardware requirements

• PCs if using Homestead software to build team web sites
• Computer(s)
• Printers
• Occasional access to Internet
• Camera and ability to upload pictures on the Internet (either through a digital camera, digitally developed film, or scanner)

Storage for computer documents

Center coordinators must determine a method for centrally storing each team's computer files. The storage must be large enough to hold Word files, graphics, HTML documents, and web site development files.

Teams may store their documents in the following manner:

• Network server
• Hard drive of computer
• Floppy disks
• CDs
• Zip disks

Optional hardware and software

• Digital camera
• Scanner
• Alpha Smart
• CD burner
• Photoshop software
• Brainstorming software such as Inspiration
• Advanced web development software such as Macromedia Dreamweaver or Microsoft Front page
  

Space

Center coordinators should arrange spaces for teams to meet weekly. They should also work with the coaches to determine if teams will need access to computers and the Internet at weekly meetings.

It is not necessary for there to be one computer for each team member. Kids can share, take turns, or rotate from a computer-based activity to other ones.

Storage for team equipment

Center coordinators should arrange a space for team members to store books, documents and notebooks.

Supplies for team

Teams will need standard school supplies for taking notes on research. In addition, some teams may need supplies to conduct tabletop experiments.

Finally, teams will need notebooks for their ScienceQuest journals. Coaches and coordinators should encourage team members to record and document all questions, thoughts, and discoveries in their journals.

The "How to Do It" guides provide coaches with helpful ideas on taking notes.

Checklist for Set up a Team

This is a checklist that center coordinators should complete before launching ScienceQuest teams:

| Find Coaches | Find Youth Team Members |
| Prepare the Computer Lab | Checklist for Set Up a Team |

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