"The Notagains": The Disaster Preparedness and Response CD-ROM for Children
Table of Contents
Introduction and Welcome
Audience Information
Program Section Descriptions
Computer Requirements
CD-ROM Operating Instructions
Teacher's Guide
CD-ROM Ordering Instructions
Give Us Feedback
Introduction
"The Notagains" CD-ROM is the result of a cooperative arrangement between the American Red Cross and Phillips Petroleum Company. A generous grant from Phillips Petroleum was provided to the Red Cross to invest in disaster preparedness and response following the devastating bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. The response to this tragic event has shown that people respond well in emergencies and that there are always new ways to help people.
Part of the grant funding was used to build two trailers known as "EmTrac" (emergency tractor-trailers) units. These full-size trailers are based in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. They can serve as on-site command posts for the American Red Cross, as well as sites to conduct family service interviews or offer remote training. They are fully equipped with radio, computer, and other equipment required for Red Cross disaster response. The CD-ROM is another product of the grant funding, and is sometimes referred to as the "EmTrac CD-ROM."
About the CD-ROM
"The Notagains" CD-ROM provides interactive learning experiences appropriate for students in primary school settings and can enhance a school’s health and safety curriculum in a fun and engaging way. This CD-ROM uses authentic disaster situations (tornadoes, floods, thunderstorms, and chemical emergencies) intensified with sound effects, animation, video clips, and humor to encourage informed disaster preparedness and responses.
The CD-ROM tells the story of the Notagain family--a family uprooted by disaster after disaster and now ready for anything. Through multiple points of view (mother, father, teenage son, grandmother, and family pet) students learn about such things as what to do if your clothing catches fire, smoke detectors, outlet safety, how to handle a kitchen fire, and how to keep their family safe during a fire, tornado, flood, chemical emergency, or earthquake. Children learn about and practice these life-saving skills through click-on guided tours of the Notagains’ house, finding information about family emergency meeting places, the family car, and a variety of challenging games. A visit to the Red Cross helps them learn about the history of and services provided by this organization. A visit to Phillips Petroleum helps them learn more about this company and its commitment to community safety. And provides a tour of EmTrac, a sophisticated mobile command post designed to enter a disaster area and help people get the services they need.
Throughout the CD-ROM, members of the Notagain family provide coaching for the user--more support is available in the early stages of the program and this is gradually reduced as the students become more confident in their abilities to make good, "safe" decisions. Additionally, planned redundancy, practice, and feedback within the CD-ROM provide opportunities to learn and use the information in a variety of ways. Students can choose to read and hear about natural disasters that can occur in their own community/region, for instance, floods: They can hear about and see the Notagain’s getting ready for a flood disaster before it strikes; play the disaster game--making choices against the clock; and work at home to create their own family flood disaster plan.
Audience Information
The primary audience revealed during development testing stages for the "The Notagains" Disaster Education CD-ROM is children ages 5-10. Children of those ages have stated that they enjoyed playing with the CD-ROM and learning from it.
The secondary audience is families with children of that age. Many families enjoy using the computer together.
The CD-ROM may be kept in libraries, schools, Red Cross chapters, emergency management agency offices, fire departments, and many other locations.
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