Ohio State is bridging tech gaps one child at a time

Children’s faces glowed like the iPads in front of them as they sat inside a 35-foot bus packed with technology and parked in the small town of Jackson, Ohio.

Young visitors to the Ohio 4-H Mobile Design Classroom – provided free by The Ohio State University Extension – were wide-eyed about using its tablets, smart boards, and digital media in the Appalachian foothills, where broadband internet access can be limited.

“The kids get on the bus, and you can see their minds explode with possibilities,” said Liz Harmon of Jackson, mother of two daughters, ages 8 and 6. “It’s opening up all these windows that they might never even have known existed. It’s almost magical.”

Creating special moments is the job of Christy Millhouse, a STEM educator for Ohio State Extension, the outreach arm of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. This year, she’ll drive the Mobile Design Classroom— and provide on-site teaching—to 30 towns and cities in 26 counties throughout Ohio, reaching more than 4,000 youth at camps, schools, county fairs and community events.

“We are taking what we do in 4-H out into the community,” Millhouse said. “The mobile classroom is an opportunity for young people to explore technology and to have the opportunity to try things maybe they’ve never tried before.”