E-Mail Across The Ages

'What makes you happy?' children ask senior citizens

By Jan Simms and Bruce Simms

Jan Simms is a fifth-grade teacher at Hickory Grove Elementary School, in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Bruce Simms is a fifth-grade teacher at Della Lutes Elementary School, in Waterford, Mich.

Where were you when President Kennedy was shot? What is the greatest medical invention developed in your lifetime? What do you remember about Dec. 7, 1941? What makes you happy?

These are some of the questions our fifth-grade students asked a group of highly knowledgeable people in our community: senior citizens. And they asked them these questions--and a host of others--using the kind of active, participatory format most teachers dream of: telecommunications.

It all started so simply. We wanted to extend our students' use of technology and telecommunications, and we began looking around for the best our money and time could buy. We found what we were looking for in two senior citizen community centers, and the Electronic Generation Connection was born.

The Electronic Generation Connection is a project designed to use telecommunications to bring together two generations. The goals of the project are to help students become aware of and more comfortable with technology while encouraging relationships with adults. Like all good ideas, the project was simple, easy to pull together, and priceless in its benefits to students and seniors alike.

Putting things together

The idea for the project came to us while our respective classes (we teach at elementary schools in different school districts) were learning the basics of word processing and using telecommunications. Students at both schools were computer pals with each other; they were comfortable logging on and off an electronic bulletin board, and they used National Geographic's Kids Network units with their science and social studies lessons. Then they began writing their autobiographies, moved onto biographies, and practiced interviewing people by brainstorming questions to ask district notables, such as the superintendent of schools.

While students were developing these skills, we contacted two senior centers in the community to see if any seniors were interested in working with us. A total of about 50 seniors from the two centers said, "Let's do it." All we had to do was to get computers to them. This turned out to be no problem: Both school districts agreed to loan computers, printers, and modems to the centers. (The computers were available due to the upgrading of office computers within the district.) Everything was set up and ready to go. The students were eagerly looking forward to the project and helped come up with ideas for making the money needed to get dedicated telecommunications phone lines at the centers.

Fifth-graders in one of our classes (we both teach fifth grade) sold candy to their families, friends, and neighbors to earn $200 for a phone line at the Senior Drop-In Center. Fifth-graders in the other class sold fresh popcorn to students during lunchtime to earn $150 for their seniors' phone line. The cost of on-line time is picked up by both districts and runs about $10 a month.

Next, seniors at both centers, ranging in age from 55 to 91, received some user-friendly in-service training on the use of the telecommunication computer software and electronic bulletin board procedures. Although the majority of seniors were unfamiliar with computers, they quickly gained confidence in their ability and looked forward to using the computer on their own.

We developed folders for each senior citizen, giving them information about the goals and objectives of the project, a help sheet of handy tips for using the system, and some ideas about what we hoped our students would learn from the experience. We asked them for their help in broadening the education of our students, and they were more than willing to comply.

Macro education

Each student began electronic communication with a senior by sending an autobiography telling about the student's families, pets, hobbies, favorite colors, foods, books, and other interesting things. Then, while still on-line, of course, the student asked questions about the interests, heritage, and special events in the adult's life.

Seniors downloaded and printed the students' messages and questions, then took the print-outs home to think about their responses. (Typical questions from the students include: "What person do you admire most and why?" or "What historical events were most memorable to you and why?")

The project is especially meaningful to the students, because it gives them an audience for their writing and a reason for writing effectively; they know they have to use correct punctuation and spelling. When the seniors write back, the students gain vocabulary words and historical information, all of which they find intriguing. In fact, so far, students have researched World War II, glaciers, and Jupiter missiles as a result of their on-line contacts. They've also had to find clarification for certain phrases such as "dressed a rabbit," "bookkeeper," and "puppy love." With such wide-ranging conversations on-line, it's easy for us to work language arts, history, math, geography, and science skills into the project as well.

There's another benefit, too. Many of our students come from single-parent families, and many do not have frequent contact with their grandparents. The relationships that we have seen develop through this project benefit students, senior citizens, and teachers alike. We've also seen an increase in students' self-esteem, leadership, cooperative learning skills, and overall academic achievement.

Making a book

One goal of the project is to have the students write brief biographies of their on-line companions. When all the questions needed to write the biographies are answered, students write and edit the text and assemble the finished product into a book. Using information from the biographies, students construct an acrostic, word search, and crossword puzzle. They create computer-generated maps showing the seniors' places of birth. Graphics software allows students to design a title page and book jackets. On the back cover is a digitized picture of the author (the student) with a short autobiography accompanying it.

The culminating event of the project is a party to bring the two generations together face-to-face. At this time, students present the biographies to their senior friends.

It's a priceless moment, worth all the effort that went before it.

For more information, contact Jan and Bruce Simms, 1080 Frankel Lane, Bloomfield Hills, Mich. 48302; telephone (810) 335-5838; voice mail (810) 673-1236-6441; Internet E-mail: jansmi@aol.com or brucemich@aol.com.