ROGERS — New technology came to the oldest school in the Rogers School District this fall.

Money from the federal stimulus program paid for computers and software for all the elementary schools around Rogers over the summer. Each school is using the new technology a little differently.

In Garfield, 24 computers were spilt between two labs. The lab in the main building (which houses grades kindergarten through second) has the WaterfordEarly Learning program.

In the Dorothy Ross building (where third through fifth grades are located) the computers are programmed with Successmaker.

Both Waterford and Successmaker allow students to work on math and literacy. Both programs allow students to work at their own level and speed. Color graphics, rhymes and songs keep the students interested.

Every student in the school spends time in one of the computer labs every day.

Becky Sutherland, a paraprofessional at Garfield, has been helping teachstudents to read. Now she runs the computer lab where students, 12 at a time, quietly find the computer with their name on the screen.

Even the youngest students know exactly how to enter the room, sit down, don headsets and start working.

Once the students are settled at their station, they’re independent, Sutherland said.

Sometimes, she works with a small group at the table in the center of the room while other students work on computers all around them.

With only 12 computers in the Waterford lab, only half of each class can bein the lab. Second-grade teacher Penny Bradford is happy to have that time to work closely with a smaller group in the classroom.

The class is divided according to their needs, Sutherland explained, which isn’t unusual. Teachers always work with small group based on need.

The difference now, Bradley added, is that she knows the other half of the class is getting quality instruction while she works with a small group in the classroom.

The Successmaker lab is run by paraprofessional David Childers, who is new to Garfield. He’s impressed with the computer program.

He watches students play speed games during their math lesson. Some are doing simple multiplication problems utilizing one-digit numbers. Next to them another student may be multiplying three-digit numbers.

A few fifth graders have already started algebra.

Sometimes special education students work next to students identified as gifted and no one notices the different levels.

“Everyone gets their own challenge,” he said. “Everyone is in their own little world and everyone gets to feel good about themselves.”

If a problem isn’t solved correctly, Successmaker goes back and reviews.

The review is based on the incorrect answer, so the specific weakness can beaddressed, Childers said.

Once a student is successful, the program moves on, but review is always a part of the process. The program returns to previous lessons on a regular basis.

The Successmaker lab is also used for creative writing. Fourth-grade teacher Lucy Minardi teaches writing to both fourth and fifth graders. She combines the two grades and then divides them into three groups.

Each group starts each unit with a lesson on writing, then they put it to use by writing a short story. Meanwhile, fifth-grade teacher Steve Dirks gives one group a lesson in problem solving. Every third week, each group takes their stories into the computer lab to publish them. A parent volunteer helps teach the publishing software and helps students add pictures to their stories.

When they’re done, Minardi hangs her student’swork in the hallway. Students also keep some copies in their portfolios.

She could teach writing without the computers, she said, but the lab work makes it more fun for her students, Minardi said.

Having the same students for both fourth and fifth grades gives her a chance to know them and for them to know her. Since they started the combined program, their test scores have gone up, she said.

Eventually, Minardi would like to add software to the computers to make the publishing process easier.

The Successmaker software is located in a building that was constructed in 1900 and then restored by the Garfield community in the late 1990s. While the building may look old, modern students are using the latest technology to reach contemporary learning goals.

Scholars, Pages 7 on 10/21/2009

Comments

To report abuse or misuse of this area please hit the "Suggest Removal" link in the comment to alert our online managers.

Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.