2006 Tech Savvy Award National Winner

Enemy Swim Day School
Waubay, South Dakota

When you are part of an isolated community with limited means of communication, technology can be a vital way to open new doors.

The Family and Child Education (FACE) program at the Enemy Swim Day School in the rural northeast corner of Waubay, South Dakota, is opening doors for the American Indian families it serves. The program is using an innovative technology to preserve the Dakotah language and culture of this unique population by bridging its history with the educational experiences of parents and children today. The positive effects the FACE program has realized from its use of information communication technology (ICT) resulted in the school’s being named, in 2006, the first national winner of the Verizon Tech Savvy Award.

Although it is the most populous of the seven Lake Traverse Reservation districts, the Enemy Swim district also is the most isolated. Most families do not have phones or transportation and almost no one has a personal computer. Families often travel 25-30 miles one way to access education services, tribal resources, and other activities. The Enemy Swim School has become the community resource and learning center for the tribal families of the Lake Traverse Reservation—their focal point for social and educational services.

Inside the classrooms at Enemy Swim School, however, the world does not seem so big or so far away. Classrooms are fully equipped with the technological necessities—the latest computers and software programs, Internet access, digital and video cameras, DVD players and a variety of software for publishing, photo editing, and training. This equipment allows families to communicate and connect with others despite their remote location. It also enables the school to provide opportunities for both students and their parents and caregivers to enhance their academic potential while fostering cultural pride and promoting lifelong learning.

The Enemy Swim program helps parents and children learn about technology together. Parents become advocates for their children, ensuring they are prepared for the workforce of the 21st century. Adults use computers to practice for the GED and for employability and computer skills training, Internet research, and personal and class projects, such as creating photo pages and résumés.

The adult students also create and use spreadsheets to track their daily progress and each adult has an e-mail account for personal and class communication. They use publishing software to produce flyers that advertise fundraisers and to create monthly newsletters that share news and opportunities available through participation in the FACE program. Communicating through e-mail and monthly newsletters provides a means of connecting with others in their community and beyond that the families of Enemy Swim School have not had in the past.

"Society as a whole has changed the way we communicate with each other, and our program provides adults with access to the technology to practice these skills—skills they need to know to be successful in the workforce and as a member of society," said Teresa Shoemaker, who oversees the adult education component of the FACE program.

Undoubtedly, however, the most rewarding use of technology has come through the RealeBook project. Special software provides a template which allows programs and individuals, including children, to write, illustrate and print their own unique books.
Using computers, digital cameras, scanners and printers, parents can produce books that are meaningful and relevant. In addition, they are learning important life skills, such as planning, organizing, editing and teamwork. This project results in the production of four original books within the FACE program each month.

Through the RealeBooks project, FACE families at Enemy Swim are preserving their language for their children. Books have been created to teach the names of animals, body parts, family members, colors and numbers in the Dakotah language. The books are shared with all FACE families, kindergarteners, school administrators and school board members to promote literacy and cultural pride throughout the community. Parents and children can even post their books to the Internet to share with friends, family, and participants in other FACE programs around the country.

FACE adults are proud of their literary creations and several are budding authors.
When asked “What did you like the most about making your own book,” parents said:

• "I can put what I think will interest my child in it."
• "It was a great experience and enhanced my computer skills."
• "Seeing the kids' faces when taking pictures and that I made this book for everyone. It's a great feeling to know that I made this all by myself."
• "I like the idea of writing RealeBooks to meet a need of my child."
• "I had a lot of fun doing RealeBooks this year and can’t wait until next year to start again."

The $25,000 Tech Savvy award will be used to expand the RealeBook project and open an on-site day care. This will allow Enemy Swim to provide additional services for home-based parents with children too young to attend the early childhood classroom.

"With daily access to technology, parents and caregivers are learning to use technology as a means to learn just about anything, which is helping to prepare them for their life outside our program," Shoemaker adds. Sharing experiences between children and parents using technology increases the learning bond and, for the families at Enemy Swim, helps them perpetuate their culture and language through the next generation.