Schools Seek to Bolster Computer Classes : Plan Is Urged to Streamline Purchases, Help Teachers, Find Money

At Standley Junior High School, teachers and students have access to well-equipped computer labs and the latest software that gives them more than simply video work sheets. The University City school also has a state-of-the-art telephone system and electronic library databases.

But Standley can be contrasted with other San Diego city schools where old-fashioned switchboards and manual typewriters predominate in the office, and where computer use by students is on a hit-and-miss basis, depending on the particular interest of an individual teacher.

And all schools can still fall prey to fast-talking salesmen eager to peddle their high-tech wares or may run into conflict-of-interest problems by not soliciting enough bids before making a selection.

Better Standards Sought

To try to establish better standards for all schools, a special task force Wednesday asked the Board of Education to set up a unique department of educational technology. Among other activities, the proposed department, an innovative move unusual among school districts, would help speed development of new technologies for area schools, provide assistance to teachers in putting new projects into schools, and identify outside funding.

“The questions are how to determine the value of (technology), how to decide what to use, how to figure your return on investment, how to manage the technology and how to determine what (educational) product you want at the end,” Terry Churchill, co-chair of the task force and area vice president for Pacific Bell, said Wednesday during a presentation.

Together with setting up the department, the district would also draw up an ethical code to prevent potential conflicts of interest during the selection process by individual schools, which would still retain the authority to purchase the technology that they believe will best suit their educational requirements.

“The district situation has been helter-skelter up until now,” said Point Loma Principal Barbara Brooks, a leader in moving technology into the classroom and a member of the joint public-private committee on technology that wrote the report.

The extent to which a school has moved forward with technology--both in the classroom and in the office--has depended largely on the interest and knowledge of its teachers, Brooks said.

“It takes a tremendous amount of work by a teacher or teachers to spend their own time evaluating software, going to conferences, just being aware of what is going on,” said Standley Principal Ernest Calderon.

Hundreds of Hours Spent

Rachel Flanagan, principal of the visual arts Zamorano Elementary magnet, said she and her two resource teachers spent hundreds of hours two years ago poring through catalogues, talking to other teachers and visiting numerous schools in trying to pick the best computer system before they opened Zamorano.

“A department would make a standard level of expertise available to all schools, sort of like having a technology fair so people have a central resource to draw on rather than having to depend on themselves,” Calderon said. “It would not limit the creativity of individual schools but would channel it to other schools so that they can learn more quickly.”

The number of computers in the district has proliferated since first used in a wide-scale way in 1983, when Apple Computer donated equipment to every school in California. San Diego now has almost 8,000 machines across its 160 schools contrasted with 800 six years ago.

“People are more knowledgeable today,” Point Loma’s Brooks said. For example, one of her history teachers is attending Princeton University this summer on a special fellowship to learn about software available in social studies areas.

But statewide, California ranks only 27th among all states in terms of the number of computers per student and too many schools rely on informal contacts and luck in planning their use of technology, technology advocates say.

Because of the lack of coordination, district administrators have become increasingly aware of the potential for poorly planned purchases and for conflicts of interest.

“There have been some sites that went out and were swayed by the first salesperson they met into buying certain software and have subsequently become disenchanted,” said Susan Reese, district vocational education director, who has closely followed San Diego’s efforts since 1983.

Apple Is Predominant

Reese said that about 80% of all classroom computers in the district are manufactured by Apple, in large part because of the “brilliant marketing move” by the company in 1983 and the fact that most software was originally written for Apple and not for IBM and other brands.

Calderon said the initial thrust by Apple has made it difficult for schools to use other manufacturers because teachers become accustomed to familiar software and to ease of maintenance. Earlier this year, he obtained 30 surplus Epson computers, which are IBM-compatible, as a way to introduce students to non-Apple apparatus.

“Many of my teachers asked whether we could sell the Epsons and buy more Apples instead,” Calderon said. “But I believe that we should not just focus on one company but get exposure to as many technologies as possible.”

IBM is now making a major push to serve schools. It provides the computers in a new skills lab at Hoover High School that is being funded under a private foundation grant with ties to the computer company.

Because of the increasing competition, the district wants to set down guidelines on how evaluation and selection of technology should be carried out.

“A school should be able to justify its selection of a particular company,” Till said. “A lot of educators are naive about the business world.”

Matter of Ethics

Till now attends computer technology conferences only at district expense. Several months ago, he accepted an invitation by Apple to attend a Washington, D.C., conference at the company’s expense.

“We had no purchases or anything going on but still, in retrospect, even though I was only there to get information, I agree it is hard to justify and it is cleaner if we pay ourselves,” Till said. Last month, he went to another Apple conference but expenses were paid by the district.

Brooks said some oversight is desirable. She conceded that in theory, a principal could steer purchases toward a relative involved in computer sales and remain undiscovered.

“I don’t think that has happened, since we principals mainly rely on what our teachers want and what will make their programs go better, but yes, the potential (for mischief) is there.”

The district is also researching the educational benefits of using new technology as a follow-on to the committee recommendations.

“I am kind of shocked to say that there are not many studies as yet documenting educational improvements for students” from use of computers, Reese said. “I am a real advocate of technology and a lot of teachers talk about seeing gains, but as far as documented research to show reading, math, English growth, there isn’t that much.”