Purpose
The purpose of the Conexiones Project is to encourage lifelong learning and to increase both educational and occupational opportunities among traditionally under served minority students through the use of technology. Although the potential for computers to impact education has been well recognized, the revolution of computers in the classroom has emphasized the need for a collaborative effort among educators to realize improvements in educational practice as well as the need to ensure equal access among students to the technology. In response to these needs, Conexiones models innovative approaches to using network communications and educational computer applications by leveraging technology to actively engage educators, students, and the community to educate traditionally under served minority students.

History
In an effort to promote lifelong learning among traditionally under served minority students, Conexiones has provided educational opportunities for students of migrant workers since 1992. Conexiones students engage in learning activities on the Arizona State University campus throughout the year in order to familiarize them with higher education and technology. Students engage in constructivist and project-base learning activities that promote bilingual language literacy as well as proficiency in technology use. Through the Conexiones program, students establish a network of university faculty, staff, students, and mentors who are either familiar or have personal experience with the challenges that linguistic, cultural, and economic differences pose for education. So that students are encouraged to continue their learning in the home, the students’ family and community members are also encouraged to participate in the program.

General Goals
Although the means of accomplishing our purpose will evolve as new learning technologies, teaching approaches, and learning theories emerge, the following goals guide Conexiones in its efforts. These goals reflect our multilevel approach that supports students, teachers, and the community in a collective effort to successfully promote and support lifelong learning among traditionally under served minority students.

Addressing the unique educational needs of minority students who are traditionally under served
Minority students, who are traditionally under served, have unique educational needs and issues. These needs and issues include limited English proficiency, few opportunities to develop technological skills, few opportunities to engage in academic or job training (Education, 1992), historically high drop out rates (Programs, 1987; Education, 1992), and low university enrollment. We feel we can best address these needs by creating an environment of respect and trust, challenging students with curricula designed to help them develop English language and technological fluency, and supporting students by helping them to develop a university-wide network of students, mentors, and educators.

Fostering an academic environment of respect and trust
Respect and trust are fundamental to the Conexiones Project. We respect the cultural diversity, unique talents, and different perspectives our students bring to the project. By demonstrating our respect, we are able to establish a trust between the Conexiones staff and students. In such an environment, we are able to promote positive academic development (Benard, 1991). Students are subject to less stress, which can adversely affect their academic performances by reducing their willingness to persist at academic tasks and by interfering with the cognitive processes involved in learning (Gougis, 1986). In addition, students are more likely to develop positive, rather than negative, feeling towards school. This is important because migrant students tend to drop out of school because of their feelings about it rather than because of grades or failures (Johnson, Levy, Morales, Morse, & Prokopp, 1986).

Empowering multicultural students to be fluent users rather than passive consumers of technology
To ensure that Conexiones students utilize technology to both its and their full potential, we empower minority students to be fluent users rather than passive consumers of technology. Digital technologies can enable children to become more active and independent learners who take charge of their own learning through direct exploration, expression, and experience (Cassell, 1997). We encourage active learning in our students.

Conexiones students engage in the programming and design as well as the use of computer applications. Research indicates that in a learner-as-designer environment, learners, instead of merely receiving information from computers, become an intellectual partner with the technology and engage in a constructive learning process (Salomon, Perkins, & Globerson, 1991). As designers, learners have the opportunity to be creative and to actively pursue their goals (Liu & Rutlege, 1997).

For students to become technologically fluent, they need to live in a "digital community," and to interact not only with technological equipment, but also with people who know how to explore, experiment, and express themselves with the technology (Bender, Chesnais, Elo, Shaw, & Shaw, 1996). For this reason students work closely with mentors and faculty members with expertise in a variety of computer applications. Students develop skills that enable them to communicate with other students throughout the world as well as with scientists, engineers, and computer experts.

Establishing a dynamic, interactive ‘connectivity’ between educators, researchers, parents, and students
The Conexiones Community Network is exemplary in that it provides a model for constructing and implementing an interactive community network. The Conexiones Community Network facilitates the collaborative work of educators, researchers, parents, and students by providing an international forum in which participants can exchange ideas, concerns, perspectives, and research.

Creating a research environment for the exploration and investigation of emerging learning technologies, innovative teaching strategies for both minority and technologically integrated education, and effective evaluation and assessment of student performance
Conexiones is a pioneer in the use of learning technologies. When the Conexiones Program began in 1992, students and their families were given access to electronic bulletin boards, which were used as teaching tools. Currently, Conexiones is exploring the use of object-oriented and HTML programming, image processing, graphics production, web-based instruction, and programmable legos. From the beginning, Conexiones has recognized the potential for learning with technology to offer students new ways of thinking about problems and solving them (Resnick & Rusk, 1996) as well as the need to offer minority children the opportunity to use the technology in these ways.

Conexiones hopes to model innovative teaching strategies for both minority and technologically integrated education. Conexiones also hopes to model effective evaluation and assessment of student performance. The need for flexible and culturally sensitive assessment techniques has continued to be stressed by many educators (Facundo, Nuttall, & Walton, 1994). Today, researchers know that intelligence takes many forms and therefore requires that many criteria be used to measure it. This understanding has led educators to question traditional definitions of intelligence and current assessment practices and procedures. Educators must identify outstanding talent by observing students in settings that enable them to display their abilities, rather than relying solely on test scores (Ross, 1993). Conexiones has used a variety of means to assess its students. These means include portfolio assessment and individual goal setting and evaluation.

Establish a clearinghouse to disseminate, on an ongoing and continuous basis, the impact of Conexiones curricula, pedagogical practice, and technology integration in ways that will foster generalization of what is learned and developed to other applications in other educational settings
The Conexiones Clearinghouse is a means of disseminating the knowledge gained through the Conexiones Program as well as being a means of exchanging knowledge among educators, researchers, students, families, and technology experts worldwide in order to improve education. The clearinghouse capitalizes on the potential for computer networking to enable educators to share learning resources (Hall, 1997), tested curricula, effective pedagogical practices, and innovative approaches to technology integration.

Educators recognize not only the potential for computer-mediated instruction but also the need for evaluation and assessment of it. Childress (1996) says that much more research is needed on integrated curriculum, especially in the field of technology education. Jones reinforces this belief with a statement of his own: "There is no a priori way of predicting how learners behave and what they will struggle with or benefit from: the only way of obtaining this information is through close detailed observation and tracking" (Jones et al., 1996). Through the clearinghouse, we can provide educators and administrators with definitive research that their investments of time, work, and money can result in improvements in student learning.

Conexiones Objectives

The Conexiones objectives reflect our belief that encouraging lifelong learning and increasing both educational and occupational opportunities among minority students requires a collaborative, multilevel approach. Our approach is to engage educators, the community, and students. The following objectives outline how and why we support their collaborative efforts.

Educators

Support those who teach under served minority students in forming a close professional community
The Conexiones Community Network and the Conexiones Clearinghouse offer educators a virtual meeting space in which to network with one another to discuss teaching and research practices that have the potential to improve the education of under served minority students. The network and the clearinghouse promote collaborative relationships among educators who can support one another in meeting the needs of diverse populations such as migrant students (Valencia, 1996).

Structure Conexiones in such a way as to embrace educators who teach minority students with support tailored to their specific needs and interests
By the turn of the century up to 40 percent of the children in the nation's classrooms will be non-white, with the majority Latino; because the teaching force is primarily white, preparing educators to serve a student population different from themselves is imperative (Valencia, 1996). Through evaluation and dissemination of the pedagogical approaches and computer applications proven effective in both the Conexiones Program and other educational settings as well as the exchange of information facilitated by the Conexiones Community Network, educators will be better prepared to serve their students.

Create a network of educators
Educators who would like to share their teaching experiences with both technology integration and minority students or would like to replicate approaches used by others are able to do so by participating in the Conexiones Community Network. Teaching with cultural sensitivity and technology has the potential for improving education for all students and is therefore applicable to many educational situations.

Community

Establish physical ‘connectivity’ among students and educators and then extend the definition of connectivity to include inter-connectivity among educators, researchers, students, and students’ families
The Arizona State Public Information Network (ASPIN) is a nonprofit organization and dedicated to establishing connectivity for traditionally under served communities, such as those in rural areas and on Native American reservations. ASPIN, a partner of Conexiones, is committed supporting a communication network between educators, researchers, parents, and students to assist them in their collective efforts. This interactive connectivity utilizes the technology to its fullest potential to not only involve educators in the dialogue about teaching minority students and integrating technology, but also to include the community of researchers, students, and students’ families to shape the way educational practices are designed and applied.

Encourage parent participation in the education process
Parental support and involvement are significant factors in migrant children's academic achievement (Putka, 1991) and successful completion of their education (Salerno & Fink, 1992). For this reason, parents are invited to participate in many of the program’s activities, including the end of semester student presentations. By involving the parents in their children’s learning process, Conexiones provides another means of support to its students.

Students

Create a bilingual learning environment in which students can enhance their English language communication skills
One means by which we foster a respectful and trusting environment is providing our students with bilingual staff and mentors. This enables our students to converse in the language with which they feel most comfortable. It also ensures that the families of our students are able to communicate effectively with us in order to express their perspectives and concerns as well as to promote learning in the home. The bilingual learning environment we create is a step towards establishing mutual respect and trust between the school and home (Education, 1992).

The benefits of offering our students a bilingual learning environment are not limited to the fostering of respect and trust. Significant research indicates that bilingual programs, when compared to English-only instructional programs, greatly enhanced academic achievement (Wong-Fillmore & Valadez, 1986; Krashen 1997; Willig, 1985); yet, state- and federally-funded bilingual education programs reach only a fraction of eligible students (Statistics, 1997). We understand that students’ efforts to learn English as a second language and to develop English literacy without the support of first-language literacy can be discouraging (Krashen, 1997). Our bilingual staff offers Conexiones students the support they need to successfully improve their oral and written English language skills.

Establish an educational network that fosters relationships between under served minority school children and culturally diverse academic mentors, role models, and university faculty
Conexiones students meet leaders of on-campus organizations and programs that offer minority students financial, social, academic, and administrative counseling and assistance. Students also develop relationships with mentors and faculty members who understand the unique situations of our students either because of academic training or personal experience. These faculty members and mentors offer the students guidance, advisement, and inspiration in both their current and future studies. In addition, this campus-wide network provides our students with role models who enable them to envision themselves following similar career paths (Resnick & Rusk, 1996). We believe that helping our students to establish a university network increases their chances of completing their education at both the secondary and university levels. This is evidenced by the number of Conexiones participants who have returned to the program as mentors, university student volunteers, and staff members.

Provide a unique population of under served students with professional and academic opportunities
Conexiones participants engage in computer-mediated instruction and learning that enables them to become more competitive both academically and professionally. They work in a university setting that enables them to see the direct applications of their education to the pursuit of higher education and careers. They construct online portfolios that allows them to demonstrate their technological talents and skills to future academic mentors and employers.

Create a technology-based community of learners to facilitate the development and fluency of academic and marketable technological skills.
Computer-mediated instruction, especially online instruction, provides learners with a means of experiencing the possibilities of being a primary researcher. As a primary researcher, a student can develop research skills that will enable him or her to engage in lifetime learning (Jones et al., 1996) as well as to perform well in an academic setting.

In a much-quoted national report by the 1991 Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS), U.S. Department of Labor, technology is listed as one of the five workplace competencies needed for solid job performance. The report states that our present education system does not prepare students to enter a workforce that has been drastically altered by the globalization of commerce and industry, and the explosive growth of technology on the job (Skills, 1991). By providing students with the opportunity to develop technological skills that enable them to learn at higher rates of effectiveness and efficiency, we are helping them become more competitive in the job market (Wellburn, 1996).

Create an educational environment so students can pursue constructivist and project-based learning
Constructivist learning places high priority on making projects personal. Its proponents assert that when students make personal connections with their projects, they do their most creative work and learn the most from their experience (Resnick, 1991; Johnson et al., 1986). Conexiones students participate in constructivist learning because research has shown that it is particularly effective for nonschooled learners because it resembles their own experience of learning from life (Hasegawa, 1966). Conexiones students employ a basic constructivist use of computer networks by using them as a forum for discussing. By using electronic mail, newsgroups, and bulletin boards, students can exchange ideas, tips, and strategies about their design and construction activities (Resnick, 1996). Conexiones students also engage in computer programming, which Harel (1991) and Kafai (1995) describe as a beneficial constructivist activity for students

Conexiones curricula often require students to work cooperatively and collaboratively. Students work together using computers to complete projects such as online and print newspapers. Cooperative learning for migrant students is effective because it lowers anxiety levels and strengthens motivation, self-esteem, and empowerment by allowing students to act as instructional agents for one another (Platt, Cranston-Gingras, & Scott, 1991). Studies have shown that migrant students do well in cooperative learning settings because they sense other students are encouraging and supporting their efforts to achieve (Johnson, Johnson, & Maruyama, 1983).

Research provides evidence that the computer provides opportunities for collaboration, group work and interaction which fosters cognitive change (Wild, 1995). Evidence from classroom observational studies indicates that there are positive effects on motivation, learning and problem-solving behaviors as a result of collaborative work around computers (Holyes, Healy, & Pozzi, 1991; Natasi & Clements, 1992). Students working together around computers have peer support and increased verbal exchange leading to higher levels of task involvement, problem-solving behaviors, and higher order thinking (Bennett & Dunne, 1991).


Conexiones is both a national and local effort as it is funded primarily through the US Department of Migrant Education and supported through contributions of time, financial assistance, and resources from local businesses and associations such as Intel, The Hispanic Association of Real Estate Professionals, Arizona State Public Information Network (ASPIN), and the law firm of Valenzuela & Associates as well as Arizona State University’s College of Education, Information Technology, and Instruction Support.

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