It begins

It is with all good intentions that Gail and I continued this blog (it was started as a requirement for a class), but to date, there's only 1 post that has nothing to do with school work...

and the school work continues.

Intro

This blog will now journal work on a research project about internet safety for families who live in public housing. The project culminates my years working on a Master's Degree in Bible and Educational Technology at Johnson Bible College in Knoxville, TN - a truly lovely venue.

Earlier this week I was given permission by my graduate school advisor, Dr. Chris Templar, to move forward on the project. I am already two weeks behind based on the timeline in the JBC Graduate Handbook so started looking for ways to "catch up."

The project will use a case study approach and follow 3 Hispanic women as we move through the development and implementation of an internet safety curriculum. There are elements of a participatory model as we will interview them to gain insight into their perceptions of internet safety and their ideas of what is important for them to learn. There is also a component of a train-the-trainer model in that the initial trio will teach at least one other person. Success, as defined in the original proposal, will mean that the 2nd generation of women are able to create and use a MySpace page.

Where I am now - Initial Report

I met with the computer lab facilitator who will work with me most closely on this project on Thursday afternoon. Her name is Samantha and she's 2 credit hours shy of having her AA in computer technology with special certificates in networking and web design. She's bilingual which is almost a requirement for direct service providers who work with low income adults in Arizona. (I am a monolingual supervisor for social services programs offered to participants in Phoenix assisted housing programs - with limited direct service contact.) I have suggested that Samantha ask her school if she could do an independent project in conjunction with my project.

Samantha and I also explored several websites that are dedicated to helping parents learn more about internet safety. Some information was already translated into Spanish. Samantha showed me how to use Google Translate for other articles. She's very patient as I try to read Spanish to see if the info is important or relevant. She also suggested that many of her parents love Web MD so we checked out internet safety and found several good articles on Web MD. This could be a good place to have them start.

We also discussed having someone from law enforcement speak to the group for about 20 minutes. Research shows that persons tend to find the information more reliable if it is given by someone who has some type of credible authority. We decided that if we can find someone to do this, we would videotape them for use with future groups.

Progress made since last report

NA

Potential Problems

Project is already 2 weeks behind.

We have a significant issue with consistent attendance so that, and some basic computer experience are the main factors for selecting candidates.

Samantha and I discussed whether the implementation of AZ House Bill 2008 will have any impact on us and the participants. Although this legislation is supposed to begin on 11/24, the Housing Department and its attorney have not decided how to interpret and put into practice its requirements. There is considerable speculation that HUD programs would be exempt; however, if it is determined that the Housing Department must comply, we would be required to report all non-citizens in Housing Department programs to some unnamed legal body. Consequences for non-compliance could be an arrest for a Class 2 misdemeanor. I am hoping for a resolution early next week. The interesting part is that almost all of the parents who participate in our programs are most likely non-citizens. It has been my experience that they are more motivated learners - especially if there's a willingness to bridge the language gap.

Ways I plan to solve the problems

At our meeting, we reviewed the basic timeline and decided we will attempt to accomplish the 1st 2 weeks of activities identified in the proposal next week even though there's a holiday in the middle of the week. We also decided we could probably condense some things over Thanksgiving break. I also found out that Samantha had already translated the consent form into Spanish which was a great relief.

We hope to address attendance prior to the start of the project, by identifying persons who are more reliable and interested. Samantha has identified 3 prime candidates for the project based on their attendance, experience and interest. Two have attended classes at the computer lab for 1-2 years. The other woman is much younger and newer to the program, but has been attending regularly. All are Spanish dominant and all may be non-citizens. (The fact that their children were born in the U.S. makes them eligible to live in public housing - although the portion of the rent that is for non-citizens is not subsidized.)

Unfortunately I cannot solve the 2nd problem myself. This will have to await direction from counsel. Samantha and I discussed whether there is the potential for finding citizens to participate, but they just haven't proven very reliable. I want to wait another week before I decide whether this will become critical.

Help I need

NA

Where I am going next

Next week, we will explain the project, have consent forms signed, have participants take the screening test on Tuesday, and have the 1st individual interviews on Friday.

We'll see how it goes...