Computers in the Classroom: How Teachers and Students Are Using Technology to Transform Learning

Computers in the Classroom tells the stories of six schools that are using computers to revitalize teaching and learning in the classroom. Written in an informative and entertaining manner, these remarkable stories reveal how the introduction of computer technology has transformed the educational experience of the students, the teachers, and their communities.Each portrait shows how computers created for students opportunities that would only be possible using this technology.St. Benedict's Preparatory School, Newark, New Jersey engaged high school students in a cultural, historical, and scientific exploration of their community using computer technology. The Newark Studies program and the student magazine Newark Indepth have put the spotlight on a community struggling to revive itself, bolstered by the hope and determination of its youth.Abita Springs Elementary School, Abita Springs, Louisiana initiated a Hypertext Folklore Project. The school built a curriculum around the local culture, then entered that information into computers. The students and their community have provided a potent source of folk history and information on diverse cultures.South Philadelphia High School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania created an innovative project called the Computer Greenhouse Effect. The students cultivated plants and used computers to record growth data, conduct plant growth simulations, and write detailed reports on everything from photosynthesis to acid rain.Dos Palos High School, Dos Palos, California is located in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley. In the school's innovative program Teaching for Transition to the Next Century, students learn computer skills that helped them transition into the work world. Since the program was instituted the school has quadrupled the number of college-bound students.P.S. 125 Ralph Bunche School, New York, New York set up Earth Lab in this Harlem-based school. Students were given the same kind of communications