Parents’ Turn to Learn : Some are admittedly clueless when it comes to the computer skills many of their kids have mastered. With its after-school classes, Santa Ana helps bridge that knowledge gap.

With computers a growing presence in the classrooms, many parents face a quandary. They know less about the new education technology than their children do.

Such a knowledge gap can lead to problems for parents who want to help with schoolwork and don’t know how. But some Orange County schools are starting to offer a solution.

In the Santa Ana Unified School District, parents can take after-school classes to pick up basic computer skills.

On a recent afternoon at Sierra Intermediate School, 20 parents worked on sample resumes, memos and letters in a weekly three-hour seminar using Macintosh computers.

Instructors showed them how to change fonts, print in color and add graphics. Some were still learning how to boot up the computer, maneuver a mouse, create a file, and cut and paste--skills that seem second nature to today’s youngsters.

In Santa Ana, there’s another complication. For many parents, computer-speak is a second language that they have to learn after mastering English.

“Many of them came in there with tremendous anxiety and fear,” said Al Mijares, superintendent of the school district, during a tour of Sierra’s computer shop. “They think you can’t even turn [a computer] on without a college degree.”

That was the case with Maria Teresa Tobar, 36, who has three children in public schools and one in preschool. But after a few months in the Sierra class, she now feels at ease in front of a computer screen.

“I was scared to ask questions,” Tobar said. “But I was patient, and I started learning. This is very exciting.”

She proudly displayed her mastery of fonts with poems that she had transcribed into a file using old English letters and indentations, and with a sample outline.

Her motivation? “I want my children to go far in this world. If they have help at home, that will help them get ahead.”

Beatriz Torres, coordinator of the class, said the seminar has been extremely popular since it began last year. She said the school district plans to wire the computer lab for Internet access soon and unveil a new cluster of IBM-compatible computers.

Torres said parents interested in the class, including those whose children attend other schools in the district, may call her at (714) 558-5886, Ext. 265.

Experts in computers at school offer these tips for parents who want to improve their technological know-how:

* Check with your child’s teacher to find out exactly what computer skills students are expected to know.

* Ask your children to show you what they can do. Chances are, they’ll want to show off. You’ll learn from them.

* If you don’t have a computer with Internet access at home, check whether your school does and whether parents can use it after hours. Also, you can call your school district and ask to speak with the technology specialist--most have one nowadays. Your local community college is another resource.

* Urge your school to offer parent classes if it doesn’t already. “Schools are quick to respond to parent demand,” said Pat Lawrence, an Orange County representative of a statewide group called Computer-Using Educators. “Schools need to be encouraged to do exactly what Sierra’s doing.” Some schools also schedule “technology nights” to update parents on what’s new.

* Don’t be afraid to surf the Net. Use a search engine to check out a favorite hobby or research a possible vacation spot. Another good starting point is the county Department of Education site (www.ocde.k12.ca.us), where you can click on a button marked “especially for parents.”

Once parents get logged in, “they really can’t hurt anything,” said Norm Neville, technology specialist at Saddleback Valley Unified School District. “They should be adventuresome and inquisitive.”

That’s a point well taken by 43-year-old Maria Gutierrez, another after-school student at Sierra Intermediate.

“Sometimes you think you can’t do it because you’re too old,” she said. “But it’s very important to have the will to learn.”