BlB—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 18,1984
BY SALLY BAER
Staff Correspondent
LANCASTER - 4-H hasn’t been
just cows and cooking for a long,
long time, but it continues to adapt
to meet new demands. This year,
for the first time, a project in
computers was offered and was an
immediate success.
“There was a great response as
far as adult leadership,” says Chet
Hughes, Penn State Extension
county agent. At least three
community clubs expressed in
terest, although just two could
carry it through because of the
inability to schedule the use of
computers through local schools.
The two that did offer the
project, Mastersonville Com
munity Club and Penn Manor
Community Club, found more than
enough willing 4-H’ers.
According to Hughes, there are
two project books offered
currently, and the project is
designed to get the children used to
computers, the hardware and the
software, and make them com
fortable with the terminology.
Programming is discussed in the
second unit, but Hughes says, “It’s
pretty simple.”
Ruth Hoffer, organizational
leader for Mastersonville Club,
said she had to have one active list
and one reserve list because of the
demand. Since the high school
computers were not available in
the summer, Mrs. Hoffer found a
leader who had computers in her
home.
The recruited leader, Sherry
Kraft, started with one group and
plans to meet with the second
group after Achievement Day.
“I’m not a programmer. I’m
pretty much a beginner. In fact,
she says she was inspired to take a
course at the Mount Joy Vo-Tech to
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Leaders, 4-H'ers find first year of computer project a success
stay a step ahead of the 4-H’ers.
She admitted that those with
computers at home were able to go
further than those with no access
outside the project. She was
pleased with the progress made in
the six meetings, although said she
may limit the age to 12 if she offers
it again.
Dot Charles, organizational
leader for the Penn Manor Club,
succeeded in recruiting three
teachers, and was able to use the
computers at Penn Manor High
School. Their time was limited
because of others scheduled to use
the room, so they met three times
in six weeks to complete the
course.
Sharon Fleming and Barb
Kamen, both teachers at
Conestoga Elementary School,
volunteered after an informational
letter was distributed in their
school. Sharon, a fourth grade
teacher said, “We have taught it in
fourth grade, so the projects were
well within their age brackets.”
She adds, “We had a good time.
We let them get started, and
although we had a game plan, we
found out it didn’t go that way. It
was better to let them work in
dividually, and a couple stayed
after the allotted time to go fur
ther.”
Sharon expressed surprise at the
number of kids who had computers
in their homes, which made it
much easier and more educational
for the 4-H’ers.
Barb said that the course helped
them become familiar with the
keyboard and with any special
keys on the computer. Both
teachers are working on
developing a curriculum for K-6 in
their schools, and Sharon said,
“The kids fight to come in at recess
and play with the computers.”
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Ten-year-old Chris Coolidge
owns a Commodore computer, and
uses it primarily to play games,
though his mother uses it for her
work. He said he enrolled in the 4-H
project because he wanted to learn
more and believes it will help him
when he gets to use computers in
school. His other 4-H project was
rocketry.
Eric Musser, 15, was interested
in taking the project because he
had used a friend’s computer
before the friend moved. “We did a
4-H leaders Barb Kamen, left, and Sharon Fleming help Chris Coolidge and Eric
Musser, right, use the computers as they work from their 4-H computer project books.
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lot of stuff in the project, and
learned to put a time on it,” Eric
said. He added that his parents are
“thinking about” getting a com
puter, so he’ll be in a good position
to put it to use. A member of the
Penn Manor Club for 6 years, Eric
has taken pet care, oil painting,
and photography.
Thomas Black, another leader
for the Penn Manor 4-H project,
teaches computers to adults and
found the 4-H’ers very responsible
in learning to work with the
equipment.
Hughes said more project books
will probably be written for the
computer, and the project will
continue to be offered to interested
clubs and 4-H’ers.
Since computers seem to be here
to say, 4-H’ers can practice using
the keyboard leam the ter
mmologi amPfet a head start on
the technology which they may
need everyday in their future.