Tracking Teens: Using Technology for Longitudinal

Impact Studies

Teaching with New Technologies

Tracking Teens Learn to Earn Intern program

• Local/community teens

• Opportunity for personal and professional development

• Teens get paid to be teaching assistants for Curator Kids Club

Tracking Teens Learn to Earn Intern program

• Local/community teens

• Opportunity for personal and professional development

• Teens get paid to be teaching assistants for Curator Kids Club

Goals: Our perspective• Foster self-esteem

• Make science learning relevant

• Use informal science as a vehicle to build skills for academic achievement and success in the work place

• Prepare students for the workforce and college by focusing on communication and leadership skills

• Stimulate a life-long interest in learning about science

Tracking TeensTracking Teens

Goals: Teens’ perspectives:• To have fun

• To gain people skills (i.e. work w/kids, help kids learn, help/interact with people)

• To gain job/life skills (i.e. what it’s like to have a job, teaching/leadership skills)

• To have a learning experience

Tracking TeensTracking Teens

Typical evaluation/follow up method• Pre- and post-program interviews with manager of

research and evaluation.

This year, track down and interview alumni• HR Records• Cold calling to set up interview date• Telephone interview

Tracking TeensTracking Teens

How’d that work for us?Out of 24 alumni…

Tracking TeensTracking Teens

How’d that work for us?Out of 24 alumni…

Only 4 responses... • Not returning calls or emails, in spite of initial

enthusiasm• Phone numbers disconnected/changed (esp. cell

phones)• Addresses changed• Email addresses changed/inactive• Spam filters

Tracking TeensTracking Teens

Why is this a problem?• The program purports to change lives.• Funding agencies demand answers especially because

the program involves so few participants so it’s about quality, not quantity in this case. Expectations are high.

• We can’t get these answers, risking loss of or decrease in funding.

What’s the solution?

Tracking TeensTracking Teens

In 2005, participants were asked:

“Would you participate in an ‘electronic’ alumni program?”

Tracking TeensTracking Teens

The response was a resounding YES!

2005 Evaluation Report concluded:“It is recommended that an alumni program be created to maintain long-term relationships with former Interns with the goal of tracking their educational and career paths … it may also be possible for alumni to return to the California Science Center to speak to current Interns as mentors or role models. The effects of this peer teaching/role-modeling should be explored since long-term outcomes of this nature and participant commitment to the program are especially important to funding agencies that support community programs like Learn to Earn”

TrackingTracking TeensTeens

Original Ideas

• Webpage accessible only to L2E• Electronic newsletter (via email)• Alumni could keep in touch with each other• Alumni could return to the science center to mentor

current Interns, serve as role models, talk about college, being in the work force, resume building, etc.

Tracking TeensTracking Teens

Two Years Later…

• “My Space” is all the rage (www.myspace.com)

• Current Learn to Earn program manager is active on My Space and herself keeps in touch with Interns with this forum

• Presently developing Learn to Earn My Space page for consideration by science center executive staff…however…

Tracking TeensTracking TeensObstacles• Executive staff nervous about web communication

• Controlling content (verbal and visual)• Who monitors/polices it?• Keeping up with technology – requires savvy staff to design,

maintain and update/upgrade

• Generation Gap:• Most older staffers don’t use such tools so requires extra help • Learning curve – new terminology/language/jargon

• Executive staff worried about maintaining museum identity

• Though other museums and organizations have done it• MOCA• LACMA• NHMLA• LA Shakespeare Festival

Tracking TeensTracking TeensOther organizations have tried it and here’s what onehere in LA says:

Chris Anthoney from LA Shakespeare Festival Re: “Willpowertoyouth”

• “A lot of kids are already on MySpace and they get excited about finding people they know on it. Some past participants found us!”

• “They don’t need us to stay in touch with each other. So it’s more about us being in the loop rather than us managing the exchange of information.”

• Most beneficial: “I get to know more about what’s going on with them. … who may be in need of services, who may be in crisis. That’s why we stay in touch, to make sure everyone’s okay”

Tracking TeensTracking Teens

Not to mention countless church youthNot to mention countless church youthgroupsgroups

• Quick search for “church youth group” Quick search for “church youth group” returned returned over 14,000 sitesover 14,000 sites! Even if ! Even if only half of those are legitimate…only half of those are legitimate…

Tracking TeensTracking Teens

Not to mention countless church youthNot to mention countless church youthgroupsgroups

• Quick search for “church youth group” Quick search for “church youth group” returned returned over 14,000 sitesover 14,000 sites! Even if ! Even if only half of those are legitimate…only half of those are legitimate…

Well…you get the picture!Well…you get the picture!

We need to get on the bandwagon!We need to get on the bandwagon!

Tracking TeensTracking TeensOur page would:• Be a meeting place for current and former Interns

• Be “hosted” by the science center• We choose who’s in the community• Can exclude ‘outsiders’ by restricting who you allow to be

a “friend” and only friends can post comments

• Be the kids’ page• Informal• Interns and alumni control content

• Include message boards for “community” info. sharing. i.e.:

• Need advice on filling out college applications• “What’s it like at that college?”• “What’s dorm life like?”

Tracking TeensTracking TeensOur page would:• Ultimately, help us follow up and keep in touch

with participants to see how the program has helped them with school or career or other life decisions.

Tracking TeensTracking TeensWill it succeed?• This generation is building the technology so they

are invested

• It is to them what E-mail or cell phones were to many of us

• Today many people can’t imagine life without one or the other or both. We use these tools without thinking.

• It is becoming a legitimate way of communicating

• Shrinking-world mentality• Keep in contact with anyone anywhere• Web pages don’t change or “expire” like phone numbers,

addresses, email

Tracking TeensTracking Teens

Potential for success is highBut we’ll know more next year…ifwe get the final approval to moveahead!

Tracking TeensTracking Teens MOCA: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction

=user.viewprofile&friendid=70175250

NHM’s Sonic Scenery Exhibit: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=47147396

…and their First Fridays Program: http://www.myspace.com/firstfridays

LACMA: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=98475592

LA Shakespeare Festival: Willpowertoyouth: http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=151904818