The following timeline is a sequence of events that took place in the development stage of our project. The project was designed to be ongoing and will continue to develop in successive years. It can be used as a springboard for future Whiteaker students to view and learn from as they create their own career projects using the equipment and capabilities that this project provided. New advances in technology and student's own computer skills are sure to foster more advanced and sophisticated projects in the future. September 1996 - Developing the Idea Whiteaker fourth and fifth graders traditional have completed a career studies research project in the past. Teachers were looking for a way to integrate this project with the use of multimedia to increase student motivation as well as develop much needed computer skills. Most Whiteaker students do not have computers in their homes so it was felt important for them to get this experience in the school setting. October/November 1996- Locating Possible Funding Sources The Eugene 4J School District server provides educators with up to date grant and funding opportunities for supporting educational projects. It was through this service that the U.S. West Foundation for Learning With Technology was brought to our attention. November 1996 - Writing the Project Proposal We obtained the grant application from the U.S. West Foundation for Learning with Technology and proceeded to write our proposal. In March of 1997 we were informed of our funding. June 1997 - Ordering and Installation of Upgrade Equipment This process proved to be more time consuming than we had planned. We were faced with problems of equipment ordered being incompatible with our existing hardware as well as some mail ordered equipment not being what we actually ordered. Installation was also a time consuming factor. March 1998 - Project Introduction and Expected Outcomes Students were introduced to the project and provided with expected outcomes. More detailed information is provided in the Lesson Plans section of this project. March 1998 - Locating and Determining Career Resources Students were initially given URLs located first by teachers to insure that their Internet search provided useful and appropriate findings. Many students used these addresses to find even more pertinent information for their research. Students also accessed electronic resources available on the school's web page and on the district's software available through networking. Contacts with community members in chosen career fields were made through both parents, teachers and school staff members. April/May 1998 - Facilitating Students in Research and Project Development Students were provided with a structure in order to record their findings. Teachers, staff and parents supported them in their searches and r recording of findings. May/June 1998 and ongoing - Students Showcase Their Findings Students were required to give an oral, written and multimedia presentation of their findings. More information on this process can be obtained in the Student Projects section of this project. June 1998- Structuring and Combining Student Projects for Web Page Sample student projects were selected to be highlighted on the Whiteaker web page. Marty Casado's consulting and web design skills were greatly utilized and appreciated for this process. June 1998- Uploading Student's Work to the District Server