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Reinberger
Foundation Grant Awarded to INFOhio for Parent Education INFOhio Adds Resources for Parents to Its Web Site COLUMBUS – The Parent Resources section of the INFOhio Web site has been improved by the addition of several resources to help parents help their children find appropriate materials on the Internet. "Parents are their children's first teachers," says INFOhio's Executive Director, Theresa M. Fredericka. "INFOhio provides a basic collection of age-appropriate, curriculum related materials to all Ohio PreK-Grade 12 students and educators. And our new Parent Resources section leads parents to lots of other resources to help with homework, foster a love of reading and keep kids safe online." INFOhio, the state's virtual library and information network for PreK-12 public and nonpublic schools, is using a Reinberger Foundation grant to develop educational materials to help parents learn about and take advantage of the free electronic educational resources available to children at home. The new Parent Resources pages were developed with the assistance of a series of focus groups that gathered hundreds of ideas and suggestions from parents. Many suggestions were refined by Ohio school library media specialists and INFOhio staff. Others will be implemented as funds become available. To take advantage of the Parent Resources, point your Web browser to the INFOhio Web site at http://www.infohio.org. A link to a newly-produced four-minute video, What Is INFOhio?, is easy to find in the large white box just under the INFOhio banner. Fast-paced and fact-filled, the video is a perfect overview of INFOhio's efforts to provide Ohio PreK-12 students, educators and parents with the resources they need to enrich student learning. After watching the video, click on the blue Parent button near the top of the INFOhio home page, and the Parent Resources page opens. The first entry is a getting started guide for parents. Just one page, the guide summarizes the main points about INFOhio that parents should know. The Books and Reading section has links to reading lists, author information, tips to encourage children's love of reading and sites that help improve reading skills. There are even links to e-books to read online. For parents who need a bit of help in order to help their child complete assignments, Homework Help Tools suggests several resource types, such as almanacs, encyclopedias, math resources, writing essays and the like. Each section suggests links to specific help, including resources within INFOhio's Core Collection. How to Help With... links to a wide range of sites to help your child with specific assignments and tasks such as book reports, posters and science fair projects. Been a while since you had to write a term paper? Help is a click away.There's much more help linked from Parent Resources, including information on Internet Safety and other links just for parents. Be sure to check out the materials on the Ohio Department of Education site, also linked from Links for Parents. While each local school is responsible for how they interact with the parents of their students, INFOhio wants to provide schools with the tools to help them reach out to parents and their communities. INFOhio wants to help parents to understand the importance of information literacy, to take advantage of the statewide electronic resources available, and to use school and public libraries to enrich student learning as well as lifelong learning experiences. Technology today has the power to teach, motivate, captivate and transform ordinary classrooms into multi-dimensional learning experiences. Computers, the Internet, electronic databases, visual images and interactive media are the educational tools of the information age. But, sometimes there is a generation gap when it comes to the use of computers and familiarity with online resources. For many parents and grandparents, this can make it awkward or difficult for them to get involved in their student's education and homework assignments. INFOhio's Executive Director, Theresa M. Fredericka, wants parents more involved. "Common sense tells us and research shows that when parents are involved in a child's education, the student generally has higher grades, higher test scores, better attendance, and more consistent and completed homework," says Fredericka. That's why INFOhio and the Reinberger Foundation are joining forces to help bridge the technology information gap. In addition, INFOhio will involve key partners in the project. The Ohio Educational Library Media Association (OELMA) and the School of Library and Information Science, Kent State University (KSU-SLIS), will contribute specialized knowledge, services and expertise. A grant from the Reinberger Foundation in 2001 established The Reinberger Children's Library Center at Kent State's School of Library and Information Sciences, a unique national center and model children's library dedicated to training librarians who serve children, young adults and schools. The INFOhio-led effort is coordinated by Ann Tepe, project director for Student Learning Through Ohio School Libraries: The Ohio Research Study, the first comprehensive research study based on students' evaluation of their school media centers. Tepe is a former Ohio teacher and school librarian with more than 25 years of experience in the field of education. The Reinberger Foundation was established in 1966 by two Ohioans, Clarence T. Reinberger, a pioneer of the auto parts industry, and his wife, Louise Fischer Reinberger. The Foundation is committed to enhancing the quality of life for individuals from all walks of life and favors proposals in the areas of arts, education, medicine and social services. INFOhio, established more than 10 years ago, is managed by the Management Council of the Ohio Education Computer Network (MCOECN). Its services are delivered through the 23 Instructional Technology Centers using the existing school telecommunications infrastructure that links school libraries statewide. INFOhio allows every primary and secondary school in the state -- regardless of size, location or fiscal resources -- to access a core collection of electronic resources. For additional information about this project, contact: |
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