Help! I need an expert! - yellow-pages directory

Instructor, Sept, 1995 by Joan Novelli

How to create your own directory of homegrown helpers

What do you do when you run into roadblocks with a new piece of software? Or when you need materials about your students' new favorite author - fast?

If you were in the Alhambra School District in Alhambra, California, you'd find the help you need just a classroom or two away. Thanks to a school yellow-pages directory they developed themselves, teachers and students at Alhambra know just where to turn for assistance. "So many people know so much," says Gail Lovely, a technology and learning consultant. "With the yellow-pages system, students and staff become a schoolwide resource for each other."

Gail helped teachers and students at Alhambra create their yellow pages. Here are the steps they followed.

Estimated Time: To set up a schoolwide yellow pages, five or six 40-minute sessions

What You Need: You could create your yellow pages by hand - but using a computer can streamline the process, add polish, and make updates easy. To use your computer you'll need the following:

* software: any word-processing program will do, but a tool such as ClarisWorks (Claris, [800] 325-2747; see information on page 120), Microsoft Works (Microsoft, [800] 426-9400), or KidPix (Broderbund, [800] 521-6263) will let you add graphics and art;

* a photo of your school or another visual for the cover;

* access to a printer;

* copy paper; and

* a report-binding machine or stapler.

HERE'S HOW TO DO IT

1. Gather information for the directory.

Ask students and staff members to identify what they are really good at and could help someone else with. Suggest topics such as: Computers, Literature, School Subjects, People Skills, and so on.

2. Create the yellow-page ads.

Have each contributor design an ad to fit a business card-size space (about 3 1/2-by-2 inches). Some programs, such as ClarisWorks, include business-card templates. Identify items to include in the ads: name, grade/room number, help available. Encourage contributors to include a logo or other art.

3. Arrange ads on pages by categories.

Have students work together to alphabetize ads by category. (Eight to ten ads will fit on a page.) Have headings on hand to paste in place at the start of each new category. If you're working with files created by the same program, combine ads in one file, then move them around.

4. Design a directory cover.

Open a new document. Select a font and type size. Type in the directory name and date. Insert a digitized school photo or leave space for an illustration. Add a border or rule around the cover. Make necessary space adjustments and print.

5. Create a title page.

Go to a new page. Type in the directory title, add clip art, graphics, credits, and then print.

6. Publish!

How many directories will you need? Make copies of each page, collate, bind, and deliver. Keep in mind that this is not a one-time document. As people's skills grow and change, so will the ads. Re-evaluate and update periodically.

TAKE IT ONE STEP FURTHER

You might consider turning your yellow pages into a database, which will let you search and sort for just the help you need. Also, as you change, add, and delete entries, you won't have to redo, reprint, and redistribute the whole directory.

All-in-one programs like Claris Works and Microsoft Works include a database. To create your yellow pages, make each kind of information (category, name, grade, room number, help available) a separate field. Have students take turns inputting their data. Test a few searches - can you find a fourth grader who's good at art? Then sort the database by category, and print as a sample. Let everyone know who to contact for specific searches.

Want to really harness the power of your school yellow pages? Go online and invite students and teachers across the country to advertise ways they're willing to help others.

RELATED ARTICLE: New Product News: ClarisWorks 4.0

Want to create certificates, stationery, or newsletters fast - without having to fiddle around with design? With ClarisWorks 4.0, an integrated program with word processing, spreadsheet, database, graphics, and presentation capabilities, the computer does all the work for you. All you do is answer a few questions, then click and create. If you've opted for a "new age" newsletter, for example, an elegant layout will appear before you, complete with the name of your newsletter, the date and issue, and text and picture boxes ready for your stories and art (the program even offers more than 500 clip-art images to choose from). Other features include ExpressStyle, which lets you instantly format your documents (great for writing grants), and FastReport, a database feature that makes it easy to search, sort, and report. Call Claris at (800) 325-2747 for more information.

JOAN NOVELLI, a former teacher, is now a contributing editor at Instructor.