THE EVENT
Classes: Entire school
Number of students: 660
Subjects: Math, science
From race cars that zoom up a ramp to a slot machine that rewards winners with a happy face drawn on a computer screen, Newman Elementary School students have given technology in the schools a different twist.With $200,000 appropriated through the state's Education Technology Initiative, the Rose Park elementary school has turned its classrooms into dynamic laboratories where students plan projects, build and test their ideas and modify their plans to meet their requirements. The program, for kindergarten through sixth grade, uses Legos, computers, a programming language logo and a computer interface.
The technology is integrated into the curriculum so that math, science and reading have a purpose, said principal Mary Hancey.
The projects vary by grade. Kindergarteners, for example, use larger Duplo blocks to build cities and farms. In constructing their structures, the youngsters learn about patterning, the beginning of math basics. The study unit culminated in a field trip to Wheeler Farm.
Sixth-graders, on the other hand, build motorized dragsters and program computers to track the timing and movement of the cars.
THE SCHOOL
Location: 1269 N. Colorado St.
Students: 660, kindergarten through sixth grade
Number of teachers: 26
Principal: Mary Hancey
School district: Salt Lake
THE LESSON
The teachers' objective: To give students a hands-on experience with math and science.
"This is real learning," said sixth-grade teacher Debbie Koji.
By programming the computer and using Legos, her students created a "candy" factory complete with conveyor belts and a robotic arm that lifted candy packages. Her students were assigned factory jobs such as laborers and computer programmers. They also developed a "payroll" and figured out candy packaging and distribution for "orders."
Koji found the experience invaluable for her students, who soon learned the real-life lesson that programming was more interesting and profitable than work as a laborer.
The children say:
"It's better than doing work. It's fun, and that comes very few times at school," fifth-grader Jared Johnstun said about working with Legos.
Sixth-grader Lindsay Doi said she "gained a lot of respect for the computer" because it was difficult programming the timing and tracking for the dragsters and their lights.
What happens next:
Next fall, Newman will expand its technology program, adding more computers and word processing.
--By Angelyn N. Hutchinson