UCI, IBM Help Keep Cielo Vista Pupils On-Line

Michelle Culver sat at the computer studying the keyboard. Today’s lesson was touch-typing, and Michelle knows that to succeed in this technological world of microbits and bytes, she must acquire this basic skill.

But Michelle is not enrolled in a high school typing class. She’s in second grade. And like the other pupils at Cielo Vista Elementary School, Michelle practices her keyboard skills nearly every day.

That’s because at Cielo Vista, computers are an integral part of the curriculum from kindergarten through sixth grade. In fact, when the school was built two years ago, every classroom was wired for computers, according to Principal Larry Callison.

Thanks to a $150,000 grant from IBM, the 900-pupil school has 85 computers. And thanks to an additional $55,000 grant from UC Irvine, the school was able to train all its teachers how to use the computers to develop a curriculum that blends technology into every subject.

This collaboration between a university and an elementary school has created something different at Cielo Vista, says Callison.

“We are trying to teach kids that computers and technology can be a tool to learning. That is the key goal. Computers are tools in our school. We try to make sure that (the youngsters) acquire reading, writing and arithmetic and those skills, but we also say, ‘We are moving in a different kind of world and that world is technology-oriented. Technology is an integral part of the world we live in. In our society children who embrace technology and use it are going to be more successful children.’ ”

Callison says parents are surprised--and pleased--to discover that kids receive their first exposure to computers at Cielo Vista in kindergarten. “It is amazing to see how comfortable kids are with technology,” he says.

The computers are used to promote the philosophy of “writing across the curriculum,” according to Callison. “The UCI Writing Project says that if you want kids to be good writers, make sure they write. So we write in language arts, math, science, social studies. That is the thrust for our school and what makes us somewhat unique.”

At Cielo Vista, computers are not grouped together in a computer lab as they are at most schools. Instead every classroom has two or more computers and additional computers are clustered throughout the school in specially designed rooms.

Each computer cluster is shared by only four classes. Individual classroom teachers are responsible for computer instruction as part of their regular curriculum--instead of turning their pupils over to a computer lab specialist.

“Labs are great,” says Perrin Turner, a third-grade teacher at Cielo Vista. “But at our school we wanted to have the computers on all day long so that the kids have access to them all the time. So we didn’t want a computer lab. This way we are all computer teachers, just as we are all math teachers and science teachers. All teachers are responsible for teaching computer skills.”

Ultimately, that approach is more successful, according to Callison. “Research shows that having teachers responsible for the instructional program is more effective than having an aide in a computer lab,” he says.

Susan Pizzi, a second-grade teacher at the school, says she did not know much about computers before she was trained through the UCI project. Now, she says, she wouldn’t want to go back to the way she taught before. “This is just wonderful and the kids are not fearful of it. They say, ‘Please let me use the computer.’ ”

At Cielo Vista, pupils use computers to check out books, do library research, keep up with homework assignments and even to take tests. Most children, such as second-grader Michelle Culver, have their own computer discs. “Children can even use them to have a computerized voice read books to them as they follow along,” Turner says.

Turner points out that teachers have available to them more than 25 different computer programs that can aid them in teaching everything from math to science. “The reason why I’m sold on (computer learning) is that children are really excited. They like Nintendo and Gameboy stuff, so to them it is a fun activity and they are highly motivated to learn.”

Turner says the teachers are pleased with the new technology, even though for many of them, learning to use it required a lot of extra time and effort.

“One teacher was petrified by computers and now loves them,” says Turner, who is responsible for trouble-shooting problems with the school’s computer network. “We’re pleased because we see results. Kids are learning, their brains are working and we get a higher level of thinking. We still use textbooks and the teacher is not replaced by the computer, but basically computers enhance our curriculum and allow students to go above and beyond what is expected.”

Computers also allow teachers to “go above and beyond” expectations, Turner points out. Many teachers use the school’s desktop publishing system to create classroom newsletters to communicate with parents and report on the children’s progress. Turner produces a weekly newsletter called “News Flash! Room 9.”

“I use mine to communicate the different skills I expect the kids to learn,” Turner says.

For example, in September Turner’s third-grade pupils learn how to log on and how to do simple typing, saving and retrieving of information. During this month, children should know how to use the keyboard and by June they should be able to type reports using a publishing program.

As a teacher, Turner says that she believes computer technology is in the classroom to stay. “I am not saying creativity equals technology,” she says, “but I would like to see more schools using this integrated approach.”

Other schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District are adopting similar integrated programs, according to Linda Smith, technology specialist for the district.

“Our district goal is not just technology, but using technology to accomplish curriculum changes to assist school principals and teachers in meeting their needs,” Smith says. “If technology helps, we use it. We are not interested in replacing what someone else does well, but in enriching, enhancing and solving problems.”