School: Lakeside Middle School
    Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, USA

21 students, ages 11-14 worked together to complete this CyberFair project on March 15, 2007. They have participated in CyberFair in the following year(s): 2006

Classes and Teachers: Mrs. Gaddis

E-Mail contact:

Our School's Web Site: http://www.plps.org

1. Description of Our Community

Our town, Pompton Lakes, has a lot to offer everyone. We have great schools, neighborhoods, and people. There are sports and clubs, great places to eat and shop, as well as parks and a beautiful lake. After school, kids can go to the Teen Center, take a break at the Ice Cream Station, or study at the library. Pompton Lakes is a small town with a beautiful main street that has many great shops and restaurants. The community is very close and everyone helps each other. Overall, Pompton Lakes is a great town with a great past and promising future.

2. Summary of Our Project

Pompton Lakes: Then, Now, and Forever was created to highlight to the community the wonderful things in Pompton Lakes' history; the current individuals, organizations, and establishments that make our community what it is today; and the issues we face in the future. Hopefully, our page will encourage students and their families to take a renewed interest in our community and get involved in the many wonderful organizations that exist here.

3. Our Computer and Internet Access

A. Percentage of students using the Internet at home:more than 50%

B. Number of workstations with Internet access in the classroom:more than 6

C. Connection speed used in the classroom:dedicated connection

D. Number of years our classroom has been connected to the Internet:more than 6

4. Problems We Had To Overcome

This project went very well. However, there were some difficulties. First of all, there were more students than computers. We had 21 members and 19 computers. Fortunately, everyone agreed to share one computer per group and work as a team. Another problem we faced was with our hyperlinks. When students moved files or changed file names, the hyperlinks would no longer work. Thankfully, we were able to have a meeting to review what we had done and fix our mistakes. Also, this is the first year that we used Microsoft FrontPage to create our web page so there was a learning curve there. We found that weekly meeting where we discussed the problems everyone was having was a great benefit to the group because individuals could share their ideas and solutions to help the rest of the group.

5. Our Project Sound Bite

Our web site encourages Lakeside Middle School students and their families to get involved in Pompton Lakes and learn about their community. It brings students together to have fun and try something new.

6. How did your activities and research for this CyberFair Project support standards, required coursework and curriculum standards?

During this project, we addressed many state curriculum content standards. We discussed the ethical use of information from the internet, practiced safe internet usage, and learned how to use the appropriate tools for on-line research. We also learned how to create documents as web pages and how to hyperlink them. Students also learned how to present their information in a clear and concise manner to make it easier for others to understand. Using the Internet for teaching and learning has been a very effective method of teaching because it allows students to work independently at their own pace. Also, it allows them to learn in a hands-on environment which seems to speed up their learning process and motivates them to keep going.

1) What information tools & technologies did you used to complete your CyberFair project?

During this project we used 19 computers, 1 scanner, and digital cameras. The computers and scanner are located in the computer lab. The digital cameras were the personal property of students; however we do have digital cameras on hand in the computer lab for students to use. The number of computers that we have was a great benefit because it allowed a large number of students to become involved in this project. The scanner was a great help because it allowed us to scan old post cards to show how our town looked in the past. Lastly, the digital cameras were a wonderful asset because they allowed our groups the opportunity to take photos of the places that they visited during their research for this project.

2) In what ways did you act as "ambassadors" and spokespersons for your CyberFair project both on-line and in person.

The students acted as ambassadors to the community by publicizing local landmarks, organizations, and businesses. They listed the addresses and phone numbers of organizations and businesses so that students and their families can get involved in our community.

3) What has been the impact of your project on your community?

Our hope is that this web page will teach Lakeside students and their families about their community and inform them about organizations, businesses, and activities they were previously unaware of. It will help students find out where to go, whom to contact, or what website to go to in order to get involved. We hope that this website will inspire students and adults to take a renewed interest in the community and its businesses, organizations, and activities.

4) How did your project involve other members of your community as helpers and volunteers?

Many people helped to complete this project. The main source of help that we received was from the families of our students. They provided the transportation and support to our students, allowing them to stay for long hours after school. In some cases, they even gave up their weekends to drive the students around the local area to conduct research. We thank them for their help. Also, we thank those individuals that gave their time for interviews and comments.