My 10th-grade students are enrolled in a brand-new, mandatory course on Effective Communication. It is here where they learn the crucial skills of winning (jobs, contracts, the respect of others, etc.) in life through effective oral and written communication. This public high school is located in a very rural community suffering from population drain. Unemployment and underemployment are problems in the area - and the students seem well aware of this. To my delight, many students see the clear link between effective communication skills and their future success. These are students who know the challenges they face, and who have already made impressive headway in becoming better communicators.

My administrators and colleagues have worked hard to win technology grants and put things like laptop computers and digital video cameras in classrooms. Unfortunately, the grants we've won are frustrating for their inflexibility and inability to provide the nuts and bolts of the operation. We have computers in almost every classroom, but our network often can't support them. We have printers, but have struggled to put ink in those printers. We even have digital video cameras - but no tapes on which to record. The technology has brought incredible results thus far, but it's being grossly under-utilized. In a world where technology evolves at such an amazing rate, students need to take an active role in manipulating this equipment to help develop their communication skills in all mediums. With limited resources, I'm not able to make this happen with meaningful regularity.

My students are about to embark on an intensive oral communication unit that involves speeches, interpersonal communication exercises, and even the creation of refined, edited video shorts stemming from impromptu skits. But the technology gaps are monkey-wrenching these plans. With limited outlets, it's hard to even charge the 8 video cameras I'm able to get. A surge protector with multiple outlets is the easy and obvious fix. With no money available for video tapes, the cameras are of very limited use. With 30 tapes, all 130 of my students could work in a group of 4-5 to create and edit a short video production. In the process, they'd use one of 8 requested microphones to record, improve, and re-record narration for the piece.

When students can practice a speech on video, they are often amazed by watching the footage. They can quickly and easily see that their eye contact is poor, or hear that their speech lacks a certain enthusiasm. When they lend their voices to record narration for an student-developed video, they learn the importance of brevity and clarity in speaking. By effectively utilizing this technology, they see that they have collective and individual talents that far exceed their current station. With the limited resources I have, I've already seen wild success. I truly believe the materials requested will help these students better themselves - and improve their life chances dramatically. All of these materials would be used for numerous projects, and for years to come. The impact would be significant, immediate, and repeated through years of students.