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Telepresence StudioTouring the Campus
| The sound of children's laughter filled Nortel's Richardson campus in early summer 2008 as approximately 200 children participated in a Take Your Kid to Work Day. Richardson's variation of having the events take place after school was out for the year was a successful "school's out" but "learning technology is in!" twist that engaged both kids and parents.Organized by the Richardson Business Councils, the event included tours and demos of the Solutions Showcase, MCS lab, Executive Briefing Center, and Telepresence Studio. Take Your Kid to Work Day is a variation of the national initiative, Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day. In addition, the children also learned about the History of the Internet via a video from Nortel LearniT's Discovering the Internet series and then demonstrated their knowledge playing Nortel LearniT's JeopardyiT game. To break up the day and add some physical activity, they learned a Nortel cheer and our Aralia staff hosted an exercise session. View a video of the day's events, see the resources they used that you might use in a similar event on your campus or in your community, and read about what participants did: The students and their parents were welcomed to campus with a free pancake breakfast, as well as a high energy opening session hosted by Black Business Council President Dan Moore and Nortel Vice President of Operations, Joe Flanagan. Thanks to a severe thunderstorm at noon, most children stayed on campus for a special kid-friendly lunch with their parent. Lunchtime also offered the students an opportunity to learn how to use the XO laptops designed for the One Laptop Per Child initiative. (According to our Leadership Edge hosts, the students wanted to spend much more time using these new computers!) The day ended with an exciting closing event hosted by Richard Piasentin, Global Pricing Leader, which included a fun and educational Telecom Skit starring members of Toastmasters and some RICH New Grads. An ice cream social provided the perfect ending to a fun filled day! Feedback from employees and children has been very positive. According to employee Paul Knudsen, "I thought it was a really worthwhile event…it was a pleasure to see so many children taking part. My son found it very interesting and now has a better understanding of what I do when I head off to work each day." Robert Stanulis said, "Everyone's favorite part was the Telepresence studio, although some kids didn't believe that it was real!" Hosts Joe Flanagan and Richard Piasentin agreed it was a great success. "It was a true pleasure to have the opportunity to speak with all the kids. It was amazing how knowledgeable and interested the kids were in Nortel's technology and how the technology is used in business today," said Flanagan. "As a technology company it's vital that we communicate the excitement and importance of what we do for society. Getting this across to our children is crucial as we strive to increase enrollment in and graduation from the technical education disciplines," added Piasentin. The group credited, with special thanks, the Richardson Business Council's planning team whose participation ensured a successful event: Laura Bernard, Beth Kolman, Dixia Molina, Fred Harris, Dan Moore, Julio Zhang, Summer Sharp and Ha Dinh. Other Nortel LearniT/Richardson-developed resources suitable for kids on campus days are found in:
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