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45 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, November 13, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 7, 2004 (New) computers in the classrooms By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune David Cosand, a sixth-grade teacher at Kennedy Elementary School, tracks grades, attendance and other student records on a classroom computer. He also uses it to design worksheets and develop activities. When students can’t get to a computer lab, they tap the classroom computer for their projects. Throughout the district, however, the computers on teachers’ desks are getting old. They’re slow. They can’t run the latest software. They’re break down often. "There are a lot of limitations," Cosand said. "The last several years, that’s been a growing concern." In recognition of that concern, the Medford School Board has spent $327,460 to buy 337 new computers from Dell. This year’s budget included $485,000 to start replacing all the district’s 3,000 computers over the next several years, said Phil Long, the district’s director of curriculum and elementary education. Advertisement About $33,000 for this purchase came from federal Title 1 grants to schools in poor areas and $8,500 came from school fund-raisers Previously, the district hadn’t had a schedule for technology upgrades, leaving schools to patch together their own plans, Long said. "Rather than doing onesie-twosies, we can put together a big package that cuts the cost per machine, said Craig Anderson, the district’s manager of purchasing and receiving. Of the computers just purchased, 245 will go to elementary teachers for record-keeping and other classroom use. Others will go to computer labs at Kennedy and Jackson elementary schools. In the Kennedy lab, the new computers will enable students to edit video and audio and prepare multimedia presentations, Cosand said. It will also smooth the way for state standardized testing that is done via computers. "Our (computer) lab is just coughing along," Cosand said. "Students sometimes have to sit out" and wait till their classmates finish before they can take their tests. At Abraham Lincoln Elementary, teacher DJ Muller laments that his 8-year-old computer can’t keep up with his fourth-grade students. Starting the attendance program takes precious minutes every morning, so he has to find activities to keep kids busy while he waits to take roll. A math-teaching program crashes three times in an hour-long class, sending teacher and students back to the beginning. "It’s much more sophisticated than the machine can handle," he said. "I love to use computers, but it’s so frustrating." He and Cosand praised the district for upgrading technology even though times are tough. Long said the new computers will decrease the time and money spent on maintenance, make teachers’ jobs easier and boost students’ technology experience. "It extends wonderfully into how students use technology," Cosand said. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities