MANY SCHOOLS IN DESPERATE NEED OF NEW COMPUTERS.Byline: Diane Loupe loupe (lldbomacp) [Fr.] a magnifying lens. loupe n. A small magnifying lens. loupe a magnifying lens. Cox News Service Marilyn Steele remembers fondly the computer course she took in 1980. Afterward af·ter·ward also af·ter·wards adv. At a later time; subsequently. Adv. 1. afterward - happening at a time subsequent to a reference time; "he apologized subsequently"; "he's going to the store but he'll be back here , she went back to Dunwoody Elementary, where there was one Apple computer, and taught the rest of the school. Now Steele is principal of Hawthorne Elementary and the mother of two teen-agers who were playing with computers at about the same time they were cutting teeth. And some of those original computers are still being used by DeKalb County's 90,000-plus students. DeKalb estimates there are 25,000 computers in its schools, or roughly one computer for every five students. But the state considers almost 22,000 of those computers to be outdated out·dat·ed adj. Out-of-date; old-fashioned. outdated Adjective old-fashioned or obsolete Adj. 1. . The Georgia Department of Education's November 1996 survey of computer equipment in all 180 public school systems counted only equipment capable of accessing the Internet. That's in keeping with President Clinton's goal to connect every classroom and library in the nation to the Internet by 2000. By the state's measure, DeKalb has only 3,113 computers - or one modern computer for every 29 students. DeKalb's dilemma illustrates the problems facing many urban school systems that purchased computer equipment early. Ed Bouie Jr., executive director of the system's information systems, says DeKalb still has lots of effective software for the old machines. Elementary students can use an Apple IIe The Apple IIe was the third model in the Apple II series of personal computers, produced by Apple Computer. The "e" in the name stood for "enhanced", referring to the fact that several popular features were now built-in that were only available as upgrades and , an early machine that was very popular in schools, to practice keyboarding, reading and math skills. But Bouie concedes that DeKalb is ``at a disadvantage'' when it comes to the new software packages designed for modern equipment. That's why the system plans to spend $80 million out of a 1-cent sales tax sales tax, levy on the sale of goods or services, generally calculated as a percentage of the selling price, and sometimes called a purchase tax. It is usually collected in the form of an extra charge by the retailer, who remits the tax to the government. approved by voters this year to upgrade technology. Bouie would like to lease some computers, but state law discourages leases. By law, school boards may not spend more than 7.5 percent of their local revenue on leases, with a few exceptions, said Bailey Mitchell, director of instructional technology There are two types of instructional technology: those with a systems approach, and those focusing on sensory technologies. The definition of instructional technology prepared by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Definitions and Terminology for the Georgia Department of Education The Georgia Department of Education is an American agency that governs public education in the state of Georgia. They manage funding and testing for local educational agencies accountable for student achievement. . Oscar Perry, associate state superintendent of technology, said the lack of consistent funding sources for technology has led to dated equipment in schools. School systems should be prepared to view technology as an ongoing expense, not a one-time purchase, Perry said. Students with outdated equipment will find it difficult or impossible to access GALILEO, the Georgia Library Learning Online Georgia Library Learning Online, more commonly known as GALILEO, is a virtual library operated by the University System of Georgia. There are numerous databases available, including abstracts and full-text. , a state project that will link all the state's public schools, colleges, universities, tech schools and libraries to databases that can access thousands of periodicals, scholarly journals and business directories. |
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