THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 23, 1994 TAG: 9410210320
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 09 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
At 10 years old, Adam K. Wright already knows how to boot up a computer.
The Windsor Oaks Elementary fifth-grader also can move and merge computer files and work with DOS, a computer operating system.
Fifth-grader Leslie Lopez uses a program that hones her reading skills.
Leslie and Adam are members of a new generation of computer-savvy students whose need to be ready for a fast-changing world is spurring educators nationwide to boost technology in schools.
Virginia Beach and Chesapeake have made it a priority to raise money to buy more and better computers and other types of technology for schools.
The effort hasn't been completely successful yet. In Chesapeake, most schools still don't have fax machines. In Virginia Beach, a proposal last winter to spend $194 million on technology (particularly to bring older schools up to par with newer ones) stalled because school officials could not provide enough details on what they would buy, and could not win public support for such a huge expense.
Beach school officials this fall launched a public relations campaign to show people how much already has been accomplished in the world of technology and what still needs to be done.
Windsor Oaks is among many city schools getting in on the action. Monday night, parents were invited to a series of presentations to demonstrate how the school and the school system are using technology.
Parents visited the library, where students can discover stories or find information on just about any animal on the planet on CD ROM. They saw a computer hooked up to the Internet, a system that links computers worldwide.
In the computer lab, parents watched their children play games designed to teach them geography and boost their reading skills. One game, called the Oregon Trail, requires kids to navigate a trail across Oregon in a covered wagon, choosing supplies, interpreting a map, marking direction and calculating distance, pace and rations.
Parents were impressed with their children's proficiency on the computers.
``There are high school kids who can't do as well on computers as these elementary kids can,'' said Frank Harris, who has a third-grader at Windsor Oaks. ``It's just become a natural thing for students to come and work on computers as part of everything we do.''
Harris is a member of the Technology Action Team, a subcommittee of the school's parent and staff Planning Council. For 2 1/2 years, the team has worked aggressively to promote technology use. Last year, it opened the school's first technology lab, with about 15 of its best computers.
This year, two fifth-graders were picked to sit on the team and help make technology decisions, such as which equipment and programs to buy. Another group of fifth-graders will be formed to advise the team.
The team is trying to raise $5,000 for technology.
The team's efforts so impressed school officials recently that they aborted a plan to remove a portable classroom from the school's grounds, which would have forced Principal John Mirra to eliminate the computer lab to make room for a regular class.
``Everything we're doing is not just for the children today,'' said Gerry Logue, a parent who is in charge of fund raising for the team. ``It's for tomorrow, too.'' by CNB