MOUSE Students Using Technology to Change the World, Teacher Librarian Magazine
Four impressive high school students traveled from New York to San Diego to present their digital media and technology projects at ISTE, one of the largest education technology events in the world.
These students are part of the MOUSE National Network, youth who play a leadership role with technology in their schools. When asked about his experience with MOUSE, Neimat, a twelfth-grade student responded, “We are innovators who use technology to change our world.”
MOUSE is a youth development organization that empowers and inspires underserved youth to learn, lead, and create with technology, preparing them with skills essential for their academic and career suc- cess. Today, MOUSE involves over 4,200 students in more than 375 schools across the country.
The MOUSE Squad program trains students to be the digital media and technology experts in their schools. As the technology support team, members take on important roles that give them the chance to lead, build confidence in their ideas, and become the makers of change for the world around them.
“MOUSE Squad helps students in middle and high school work together to improve their school,” said Hiram. Joshua added, “My favorite part about being a member of the MOUSE Squad is that I not only learned more about technology, but also about myself.”
In addition, MOUSE Squad students have the opportunity to receive certifications, explore new technologies, and attend events around shared interests with their peers.
High school students from MOUSE Squads in New York City can also participate in MOUSE Corps, a design and technology program that develops emerging leadership and professional and technical skills. In this after-school program, students who are self-proclaimed techies, innovators, and tinkerers achieve over one hundred hours of applied design, technology, workplace, and leadership experience. MOUSE Corps students brainstorm, prototype, and present technology projects that address social needs while growing their skills and discovering career paths with technology mentors across diverse professional settings.
In MOUSE Corps, youth pursue their technology interests and develop skills vital in today’s workforce: teamwork, project management, design, research, analytical thinking, problem solving, and leadership. MOUSE Corps members work with design professionals from organizations like IDEO and Cooper Hewitt, where they learn the essentials of human-centered design and create legacy projects focusing on social issues. They receive valuable guidance from technology mentors, build their digital portfolios, and prepare captivating presentations for local and national events.
MOUSE students have designed several extraordinary projects that have been recognized and awarded much praise.
This past year, MOUSE Corps researched, designed, and prototyped innovative projects addressing technology needs identified by the blind and visually impaired. They met with volunteers from Visions, an organization providing services for blind youth, adults, and seniors. In one of their interviews, a volunteer spoke about how her vision impairment made it difficult to eat in public. Inspired by her situation and the possibilities, the team brainstormed with their mentors on a technology that could help address this issue. “She had a problem and we wanted to help,” said Youssef.
The end result was the Dining Band, a technology that addresses a problem that had never been solved before, as described by Visions’ specialists. The Dining Band, created by seven MOUSE Corps members, helps the blind or vision-impaired identify where food is on their plate. The device is an Arduino circuit with a temperature sensor and distance sensor attached to a wristband, which vibrates as their fork hovers over food on the plate.
Commenting on her involvement in this project, Zainab said, “I learned a lot more about the blind and visually impaired. I learned about the challenges that they face in their day-to-day lives and how it differs from the challenges of people with sight.”
Another project designed for the visually impaired is called Your Path, created by five MOUSE Corps members. Your Path is a smartphone app that records how vision impaired and blind users adapt Google Maps directions to accommodate their specific needs and challenges. The phone stores the adapted path for later use or to create reverse directions. These more accessible routes can be uploaded to an online database of adapted paths so others with similar needs can get from location to location safely.
“This project taught me the process of designing a product. In the beginning, I thought that designers simply have ideas and magically make it happen. This experience has taught me that the process is much more complex than I had initially envisioned,” reflected Joshua, a member of the Your Path team.
In previous years, MOUSE Corps members designed Sol-Tech, a prototype using wearable solar panels on a baseball hat or messenger bag to charge portable USB devices, and Immigrantville, a video game designed by a group of students who had all immigrated to the United States. “We wanted to have everything that we knew would be helpful for newcomers to the city, including information about subways, taxis, housing, and jobs,” stated Dhondup. “After designing the prototype, I learned that you can create anything if you put your heart into it.”
MOUSE programs are designed to teach, inspire, and provide opportunities for youth to become creators and innovators. Students are taught technical skills, as well as soft skills, such as teamwork, critical thinking, and problem solving.
When asked why they join MOUSE, students cite an interest in learning more about technology, getting better prepared for careers, and having the opportunity to help others. As a result of participating in MOUSE, students report improved communications, problem-solving and leadership skills, a more positive outlook on their future, better college preparation, and more motivation to pursue careers in STEM fields.
“My time with MOUSE has helped me realize that technology isn’t just about computers and printers—it’s also about involvement with the community and figuring out a way to implement a project throughout the population,” said Joshua. “I have also learned about the many careers that are involved with technology through internships and visits to prominent technology-based companies.”
Youth are encouraged to lead, fail for- ward, and innovate. “What I enjoy most about MOUSE is the sense of having a school-based family where we all look out for each other,” said Zainab. “I also enjoy being able to learn new things and be exposed to different opportunities.”
Read the full article in the December issue of their digital edition (starting on page 19) here!
