Reading, Writing and Word Processing : Computers Spur Learning in County Elementary Schools

Simi Valley kindergartner Sadaf Fazly made the “puh” sound of the letter P, typed it on the keyboard in front of her and did the same for I and G. A fat, pink pig trotted onto the computer screen.

“I like playing it,” Sadaf, 5, turned to tell a visitor. “It’s fun.”

Every day, students like Sadaf illustrate the results of a two-year Ventura County study that showed a youngster’s introduction to computers is not only a vital early link to technology but a cutting-edge teacher’s aid.

“If it’s fun, if they like to write, then they will do it,” said Sherri Kolz, a second-grade teacher at Justin Elementary School in the Simi Valley Unified School District, one of four in the county that participated in the study.

“And what they can write, they can read,” Kolz said.

Encouraged by the results, Simi Valley officials plan to expand the use of computers to kindergarten and first-grade classrooms in all elementary schools within three years.

The effort has already begun in some Ventura schools, and Port Hueneme elementary school officials plan to redistribute computers from labs to classrooms, acknowledging that technology works better when it’s easy to get to.

“I didn’t know anything about computers when this started,” said LaVaun Campbell, a first-grade teacher at Justin with 30 years’ experience. “Now I wouldn’t go back to the old way. I just wouldn’t.”

In Oxnard, tight finances have forced the district to stick with the traditional method of labs where students go once a week to use computers.

The study of computers in selected elementary classrooms in Ventura, Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Simi Valley, along with Santa Barbara, compared children who have computers in their classrooms with those who don’t.

By the first grade, the study revealed, students using computers with teaching software known as “Writing to Read” averaged writing growth two levels higher than the control group.

In addition, 99% of students taught with a combination of the computer program and traditional methods reported having a positive reading attitude, compared to 50% in the control group that used only traditional methods, the study said.

“It’s a shame that our whole school doesn’t have it,” said parent Desnee Boyle, a helper in her daughter’s split second- and third-grade class at Justin.

“I told my daughter to enjoy it this year, because next year you’re not going to have all this,” she said, waving her arm toward a bank of computers where Kelsi, 7, sat writing a story.

The $500,000 pilot project, funded by IBM, was the company’s first study of how computers could become more useful if students had access to them all day, every day. IBM also funded the two-year study, which was conducted by Jean M. Casey, an associate professor of reading and language arts at Cal State Long Beach.

“The research shows that teachers use computers more often and more effectively if they’re in the classroom,” said Richard Kirby, principal of Loma Vista Elementary School in Ventura, one of the test sites.

Not all teachers agreed on the effectiveness of the IBM program. In Oxnard, the Spanish-language version of “Writing to Read” was not well liked and is no longer used, said Karen Myer, a first-grade teacher at Juanita Elementary School.

However, even those who differ on software agree that it’s beneficial to bring hardware out of the closet and into the classroom, officials said.

“We’ve gotten past the point of having technology for technology’s sake,” said Nikki Davis, assistant superintendent of educational services in the Hueneme Elementary School District.

One reason computers have helped to raise the students’ enjoyment of writing and reading is that limited eye-hand coordination often makes it difficult for 5- and 6-year-olds to write, said Susan Parks, assistant superintendent of educational services in Simi Valley.

“When you remove the barrier of working with a pencil, they write more and they write more complex sentences,” Parks said.

The computer reinforces what the teacher is already doing in the classroom in a patient way, said Kolz, the second-grade teacher at Justin.

“It will repeat the same sound 1,000 times if it has to,” she said.

“It’s like having an extra teacher in the room,” said Gayle Waddell, a kindergarten teacher at Justin and a 19-year veteran.

A big part of making the best use of computers in school is training the teachers, said Justin first-grade teacher Marsha Cutler, who has been an educator for 24 years. Many haven’t had much computer experience themselves.

“It’s a wonderful project, but it took a lot of adjustment,” Cutler said.

Getting past teacher intimidation is a key to making computers work in the classroom, said Principal Frank Chapman of Justin Elementary.

“Most people are afraid, but once they get to know what computers can do, most teachers would like working with them,” Chapman said.