SIMI VALLEY : Computer Labs Enrich Days at Summer School

Ten-year-old Danny Varola is jamming down the information superhighway, and acutely aware of his destination.

“Computer technology is a significant thing in the future,” he said, taking a break from his classroom keyboard. “It’s a good thing to learn now.”

That is the premise on which Santa Susana Elementary School has based its summer school program this year, which for the first time is using technology as an integral tool in the classroom.

In addition to their regular course work, the 400 elementary school children enrolled in Simi Valley summer school work in one of two computer labs for 30 minutes each day.

During the regular school year, the students spend only about a half an hour a week in the computer lab.

The students also use video equipment in the classroom to record student projects and listen to books on tape at classroom listening centers.

Simi Valley educators created the unique summer curriculum after noticing that technology captured the students’ interest and seemed to inspire them.

“The technology goes hand-in-hand with the curriculum in the classroom,” summer school Principal Judy Cannings said. “The thought was that students seem to want to do more (work) when they’re using the technology.”

The fifth- and sixth-grade students in Danny’s class this week agreed.

“It’s a funner way to learn,” said Jacqui Gari, 10. “It’s better than sitting in a chair and listening to a teacher.”

Jacqui’s summer school teacher Martha Dickerson said using computers and other technological devices allows the students to see their failures and successes.

“These children are actively engaged,” she said. “This type of tool can be tailor-made to a child’s needs.”

In the computer lab each day, the students practice typing, reading comprehension or math exercises. This week, Dickerson plans to have her students type essays that they recently wrote into the computers and edit them.

Often, she said, using the technology helps to boost students’ confidence.

“The more you practice something, the better you get,” she said. “And the better you get, the more you like it.”