THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 25, 1994 TAG: 9408250563
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B01 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
Dare County's newest roadway won't be packed with out-of-town tourists, and its shoulders won't be lined with restaurants, souvenir stands and outlet malls. The new highway's passengers will (hopefully) stay in one place, and will read road signs in an ancient language that for them will be a new tongue.
Thanks to the information superhighway, students at two Dare County schools will be able to simultaneously learn Latin on a fiber optic road through modern interactive television.
The county's foray onto the information superhighway is one of a number of changes in curriculum and services offered to Dare County students when the 1994-95 academic year begins Friday.
The innovation will provide Latin instruction during the fall semester at Manteo High School and Cape Hatteras School. The class, taught at Manteo, will be beamed to Hatteras students via interactive TV.
Martha Potter, who will guide students through Latin in their first venture on the information superhighway, said it will mean adjustments, both for teachers and students.
``I'm used to dealing with students face to face,'' she said. ``It is the old story of the unfamiliar. We're constantly organizing, constantly evaluating, and constantly finding new challenges. The biggest concern is that we will be able to do as good a job as we have done in the past.''
The implementation came after a legislative battle between Gov. James B. Hunt and the General Assembly. North Carolina lawmakers passed a scaled down version of Hunt's information highway plan, in which school districts are required to pay for equipment at a cost of $92,000 per school.
However, school districts are eligible for reimbursement in the form of grants. Dare County has applied for those grants, which school officials say will more than pay for the equipment.
To assist in the transition for students, and to give teachers a better idea of students' progress, facilitators will be at Manteo and Hatteras. During the first semester, Potter will meet with facilitators frequently as part of the monitoring process.
Ironically, Latin, which provided the foundation for Romance languages such as Italian, French and Spanish, and has had a significant impact on English, will, at least in Dare County, provide the basis for a key link in education's future.
``There's no limit to how far we can go,'' said Landra Cartwright, information highway coordinator for the Dare County Schools. ``In the future, our children will be allowed to take courses taught in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Wilmington, and Greensboro systems. It will provide them with more academic choices.''
The link will also provide upper level high school students with an opportunity to take college level courses.
``It's possible that students could begin taking college courses in their junior year, and by the time they graduate, they will be able to enter college as a sophomore. It will save parents the financial burden of that first year of college,'' said Cartwright.
The technology will also allow educators to pursue advanced degrees.
``We have a group of very dedicated teachers here in Dare County,'' said Cartwright. ``Many of them have driven three hours one way for graduate classes at East Carolina University. The information highway will allow them to take those courses closer to home.''
Dare County's first small step into the world of interactive education begins Friday morning. The class will be taught to students, not only at Hatteras, but at St. Stephens High School in Catawba County.
For the immediate future, the information highway will be the route for probability and statistics, food sciences, electronic field trips, student seminars, and limited community access. A fee schedule is being developed for community use.
``We have students in the western part of the state who have never seen the ocean, and we have students here who have never seen the mountains. This will open up a whole world for them.''
KEYWORDS: DARE COUNTY SCHOOLS
by CNB