At my school the following projects and activities garner the most interest:
1. Open Source. Legal free software, cheap computers to game/chat on: excellent. Teach students to build inexpensive boxes loaded up with stunning applications.
2. Student technicians. High schools have intense computer support needs and often lack adequate funding. Students love to be trained in how to troubleshoot, like the access and status they get as techs, and work for nothing. Recruit a few girls and distribute some keys to the techs and the program will take off.
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At my school the following projects and activities garner the most interest:
1. Open Source. Legal free software, cheap computers to game/chat on: excellent. Teach students to build inexpensive boxes loaded up with stunning applications.
2. Student technicians. High schools have intense computer support needs and often lack adequate funding. Students love to be trained in how to troubleshoot, like the access and status they get as techs, and work for nothing. Recruit a few girls and distribute some keys to the techs and the program will take off.
3. Movie Making. Always fun.
4. Video game creation (with a point and click marvel like GameMaker) http://www.cs.uu.nl/people/markov/gmaker/
5. Robotics, but only if you have the resources to do some significant metal work (lego robotics much better for middle school).