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Blending Computers into Classroom

By BARBARA MARTINEZ

At P.S. 100 in the Bronx, fourth-graders look

intently at their laptop computers, watching a

cartoon character wearing big sneakers

explain prime factors. Wearing headphones,

the students listen to and see the multiple-

choice questions on their screens and tap in

their answers.

Suddenly, an instant message from their

teacher pops up: "5 more minutes and then

we'll review."

David Turnley for The Wall Street Journal

Diana Link, above, teaches students at P.S.

100 in the Bronx.

David Turnley for The Wall Street Journal

At P.S. 100, laptop computers are used for

instruction about two hours a day.

These children get two hours a day ofinstruction with the aid of laptopspart of

one of the largest experiments in the country

to fundamentally change the way students

learn in school. In the case of P.S. 100, the

"blended learning" approach uses a

combination of traditional teaching and a

computer-based curriculum.

P.S. 100 is one of more than 80 schools in

New York City that is radically redesigning

classrooms or integrating technology to

change the way students learn. This year,

the Department of Education is spending

nearly $7.2 million on technology-based

learning programs involving 13,000 students,

up from $300,000 last year. While that's

hardly a huge outlay in light of the DOE's

$20-billion-plus budget, the agency plans to

spend $30 million over the next three years

and expand the effort to 400 schools. About

$20 million of that budget is expected to

come from the federal Race to the Top grant

money that New York state won, while

another $10 million will be raised privately.

"We are shifting from a whole-group

mentality to an individual-child mentality,"

said John White, the DOE deputy chancellor

in charge of labor and innovation in schools.

Because some of these programs allow

children to learn at their own pace, the

teacher "can spend more time with each

individual child over the course of the day.

Research has shown that individual attention

is an enormous tool," he said.

The concept of blending an online learning

environment with traditional teaching is

growing in public schools. Across the

country, an estimated 1 million elementary

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and high school students were engaged in

online courses in 2007-08, up 47% from the

year before, according to Anthony G.

Picciano, a professor and executive officer of

the Ph.D. program in urban education at the

City University of New York.

Yet there is little hard evidence that the

movement will have any lasting effect.

"There's been a lot of experimentation in the

past with technology that hasn't produced a

lot of learning gains," said Robin Lake,

associate director of the Center on

Reinventing Public Education at the

University of Washington, who has been

studying the DOE's efforts. That said, she

noted that in the case of New York City, "this

is a different approach. It's not a random use

of technology. It's really coherent and

integrated."

The curriculum used at P.S. 100 comes from

an Israeli-based vendor, Time to Know Inc.,

which has only recently begun to offer its

products in the U.S. The company employs

teachers who spend time at the schools to

help traditional teachers adapt to the new

system. According to the company, a study

of its program in Texas showed that of a

cohort of fourth-graders using its math

program in one year, 93% met or exceeded

standards; of those who didn't use the

program, 66% met or exceeded standards.

Teachers at P.S. 100 said they see signs

that this combination teaching approach may

be unlocking some potential that was

previously hard to reach. They say the

animation and sounds of the computer

characters capture the students' attention in

ways that are much more difficult for

teachers to do on their own.

"The more motivated and interested they

are, the better able they are to want to do

their work," said Sarah Kougemitros, a

fourth-grade teacher at the school. She

notes that the programs are full-fledged

curriculums that come with great ideas for

captivating student interest. For instance, her

students are now enjoying the topic of

chocolate, which includes fiction and

nonfiction reading and writing online, as well

as geography about the origins and

manufacturing of cocoa beans.

In a recent English class, students read "The

Fairy and the Chupacabra and Those Marfa

Lights" on their laptops. Some students were

reading the story on their own, and those

who chose could have the story read to

them. The teacher adjusted the vocabulary

for students who were more advanced. So

some children read that the horse ran, while

others read that it galloped.

For struggling students, in particular, the

method is helpful, said Jazmin Rivera, a

special-education teacher at the school.

Having the computer read to a student with

auditory disabilities is key to capturing their

interest in the material. These are kids who

"would zone out and not be engaged"

otherwise, Ms. Rivera said.