Cody Dill

Dr. Tao

CST 361S Technology Tutors

October 18, 2018

 Prior to starting this course, I had been dreading it due to the difficulties of finding a non-

profit organization that would accept a student for information technology work. When the start

date of the class approached the search began and I was quite surprised as to how many people

turned down an offer for free tech labor. However, after many phone calls, an organization

returned my call informing me they would be ecstatic to have my services. This organization was

the Boys and Girls Club and the time I spent their changed my perspective of aiding the

community.

When I arrived at the site to meet the director and the chief information officer they were

welcoming and were happy for the technical assistance. I was informed that they were working

up upgrading their STEM center in order to teach the students about new technologies. This

would be a great opportunity to test the knowledge that I have received over the last few years by

working in an IT field. They wanted to install a green screen, 3D printers, new HP laptops, and

Apple IPads. This wasn’t going to be an issue due to my background working in information

technology. As the weeks progressed in the program I was able to interact with the students

while we were setting up the center and I was asked to present a topic regarding technology.

Since the 3D printers were getting installed at the time, I created a presentation on them and how

beneficial they have been since they were created. The software for the devices was installed

onto the HP laptops and the students were shown how to print objects. The software was capable

of grabbing files from an online website, but AutoCAD files were able to be printed. Watching

the students interact with technology was a great sensation because I could tell I was making a

difference. Fast-forwarding a few more weeks I was informed by other instructors at the site that

the students request another presentation with technology. At this time, the HP laptops and Apple

IPads were getting installed along with the green screen. I thought this would be a great
opportunity to show the students how movie making technology worked. The HP laptops had

built in software that would allow the students to drag and drop videos into a timeline. As for the

IPad they had iMovie installed on them which allowed the students to use either the IPad or the

HP laptops to create their projects. During the presentation, I showed the basics of movie editing

by presenting a video that I created in High School for my senior project. The students enjoyed

the presentation because they were able to get hands-on with the devices and work on their own

project. Some of the students use the green screen in their projects and I showed them how to

add effects to their movies. When the laptops and IPads were installed my time at the Boys and

Girls Club was coming to an end but the last week was tech week at the site. I worked with the

instructors on different topics they could research and present to the students. One of the

instructors requested assistance on a few worksheets regarding binary coding. I found great

worksheets for the students that would allow them to understand the concept of binary and have

fun uncovering hidden messages.

During my presentations, I was always amazed as to how intrigued these students were

with new technologies. Being able to create a better STEM center for these students was

rewarding because I know with the technologies that were installed the student’s creativity will

grow. The majority of students at the site came from backgrounds of poverty where they weren’t

able to use technology at home. Therefore, they were ecstatic to be able to use them in their

after-school program at the Boys and Girls club.

Reflecting back on my experiences at the Boys and Girls club has been life-changing.

The sparkly in the students’ eyes when the project was completed it was well worth the effort it

took to upgrade the STEM student. One of the major lessons I learned during my presentations

was being patients with the students. Since they didn’t come from a background of technology a
lot of the terms they didn’t quite understand. However, after they were able to grasp the concepts

they took off with creativity and I was always amazed as to what they produced. It was quite sad

when my last week at the site came and went. However, on my last day, I was invited to come

back whenever I wanted because the students enjoy the teaching material and there would always

be projects to work on. I will be setting up a time to go back to the Boys and Girls club to

provide my services and better the community with technology.

Since I had such a great experience at the Boys and Girls club I would recommend it to

anyone who is trying to benefit the community in one way or another. As for future technology

tutor students, this site would be a life-changing opportunity. Being able to work with the

students and teach them new technologies is rewarding in the aspect that what they lived that day

could impact their lives. That one day that a presenter talked about technology could be the

turning point in their life where they decide they want to pursue technology. Therefore, being

able to benefit the youth with the experiences that I have learned is wonderful. There was never a

moment while I was at the club where I left that my time was being wasted. The administrators

and instructors were truly grateful to have my assistance with the STEM center and requested I

used them as a reference for upcoming interviews. I don’t think I could have ended up with a

better site than I did.