Technology grant helps children in Albany learn about technology

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Story Published: Oct 19, 2007 at 1:09 AM PDT

By Michele Armand

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ALBANY - What does it take to make a future leader of tomorrow? Besides vision, it often takes skill and education and one organization in Albany has a new resource to help make it happen.

If you visit the Boys and Girls Club of Albany you'll see science in action. Several small robots are being built and the minds behind the planning and controls belong to children from the new Miracles Academy located in Albany.

"Not all kids have the opportunities to work with this type of technology, it's not very affordable for the majority of kids in the U.S.." said Jacob Johnson, the technology director.

The Boys and Girls club of Albany received a $140,000 grant from the Todd Wagner Foundation to fund hardware and software for the after school program. The curriculum focuses on technology, robotics, character and leadership as well as careers.

"Just about every career that is available will need some technical skills," said Johnson

The goal of the program is to teach children a variety of skills to prepare them for the future.

"I'm learning different things about the robot everyday and it's getting easier and easier," said Morgan Welling, 12 years old.

"I'm really interested in computers and robotics is kind of my thing," said Taylor Bair, 12 years old.

But the Miracles Academy isn't just about computer and technology it's also about showing the children the benefits of team building.

"You have to figure out how to build it, how to program it and do all these obstacles," said Bair.

And creating a game plan that satisfies everyone isn't always easy.

"We all have to agree on everything before we can do anything with the robot," said Welling.

But after all is said and done and once the robots are in motion, many agree, the skills learned at the Miracles Academy are skills that many of these kids say they hope to use in the near future.

The Albany program is one of five pilot programs that will run for two years. If successful, the Miracles Academy will be launched throughout Boys and Girls clubs across the country.

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