Are you ready to meet and inspire the next generation of computing innovators? Many professionals in IT provide service to their community through youth education. We've made it easy for you to help introduce middle-school students to the world of computing. Outreach-in-a-Box includes everything you need to prepare for and deliver an engaging class presentation at a local middle school -- including a presentation, hands-on robotics activity, and program guide for how to use the materials. All of the materials are available for download in the links below. You will generally use them in the sequence shown. Just click to get started!

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Outreach At-a-Glance
This informational flyer introduces Outreach-in-a-Box: Discovering IT.
Distribute this in order to inform others about resources that support their outreach efforts.

Outreach Program Guide
This step-by-step guide helps an IT professional engage a school audience and prepare for the class visit. It includes an Activity Plan for a robotics lesson and tips on how to prepare for the class.

Outreach Letter to Schools
Use this letter to introduce yourself and to promote the school visit
opportunity. The letter will help you inspire and inform school leaders and faculty about the importance of introducing students to computing during middle school.

Outreach Letter from Schools
Are you a middle school educator wanting an IT professional to visit your school? Customize and send this letter to university or industry computing professionals. The letter describes and links to the Outreach-in-a-Box web pages.

Set-the-Stage and Extension Activities
Set-the-Stage activities are a series of optional, twenty-minute activities the host teacher can do with students before or after the presentation to get them thinking about computing. Extension activities can be used by you or the host teacher to reinforce and extend the learning experience.

Outreach Instructions: Acquiring Your LineChaserz Robotic Car
The hands-on activity during your visit has kids learning about computing fundamentals with the help of a savvy little robotic car. Follow the steps in this document to order and redeem a coupon for your LineChaserz car. Allow one week for delivery and experimentation prior to your class visit.

Outreach Slideshow Presentation
This slide presentation includes 1) template slides that you, the presenter, can customize in order to share your work life and passions; 2) a series of slides that associate kids' interests to computing-related career opportunities; and 3) slides that support the hands-on robotics activity.

Takeaway Tech Brochure
Extend the impact of the outreach visit by giving kids more things to do! The Takeaway Tech Brochure includes resources for programming and robotics, creative media, career exploration, camps, clubs, competitions, and more.

NCWIT thanks the following people for their contributions to Outreach-in-a-Box: Discovering IT: Chris Stephenson, Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA); Holly Yanco and Fred Martin, University of Massachusetts at Lowell; Mike Eisenberg and Leah Buechley, University of Colorado at Boulder; and Jane Krauss, Education Consultant.

Tell us your initial impressions of this Box, so we can learn how best to meet your needs.