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About Sandy post. (Sandy, Oregon) 1938-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 16, 1982)
Thur» S*pt 16 1992 (S*c I) SANDY (O r* ) f*OST—9 Grant aids SUHS computer program by SCOTT NEWTON Don't be surprised if one of these days computer literacy is a required course at Sandy Union High School Presently the school does not have the money to provide the resources that such a requirement would make necessary But. the Math Curriculum Develop^ ment Committee at SUHS has already recommended that a semester of computer literacy be required. “ It's something that s coming.' said Roger Ford, who is teaching four courses dealing with the use of computers this fa ll " I really enjoy those classes.'* said Gary Curtis, who’s taught computer classes for six years “ The kids are there because they want to be They 'll learn in spite of you ” Mike Stevenson, head of the com puter department at Mt. Hood Com m u n ity College, said com puter literacy is already a graduation re quirement for some programs at MHCC He said an “ absolute m inim um “ of 50 percent of all jobs by 1990 w ill in volve the use of computers in some way That estimate, he said, is “ very, very conservative ” SUHS used to have three teletypes set up. which were comprised of keyboards and printers The “ brains“ of the computers were housed by the North Clackamas School D istrict The students hooked up with the "b ra in s " through a telephone connection The disadvantages of this system included the cost of renting the telephone lines and teletypes, and the d isruption of classes when the “ brains" were tied up or broken down. The district owns a Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 1 computer It was pur chased several years ago and. accor ding to Ford, only basic maintenance has been required “ Considering the use it has had. it's held up great." Ford said Teaching a computer class with four stations could be compared to teaching typing to 20 students with on ly four typewriters There is some downtime An $8.000 federal grant has helped solve the problem Curtis said they plan to buy five Radio Shack color com puters, w ith in d iv id u a l disk drives and color monitors, and one printer, with the grant money The equipment has been ordered and should be available for use by the computer classes this fa ll Curtis is hoping they can renew the grant for a year or two He pointed out several times that the money is from a federal grant, and is not coming out of the d is tric t’s budget Students are first taught to w rite in a c o m p u te r la n g u a g e c a lle d “ BASIC,'* which stands for beginners all purpose instructors code, Getting students involved is a step in the right direction, although it's not as hard to get them involved as it is the adults. Said Curtis, who has a home com puter that hooks up to the fa m ily ’s col or television, “ If I have any questions I go get my son." Paul, 9, w ill sometimes get exasperated with his father, but reportedly tries to be pa tie n t. “ T h a t’ s h a rd to ta k e , sometimes,” Curtis joked Students who have been exposed to computers at home do go into classes sometimes “ knowing computers bet ter than the teachers," agreed Ford, whose sun Aaron enjoys using the fa m ily’s computer Adults are less enthusiastic. “ The students don't mind making mistakes and learning," Ford said “ Adults don't like to feel they re starting all over again ” Ford and Curtis agree that they have an advantage over some other teachers in that most students are motivated going in. T hey'll experi ment and pursue outside reading on their own Having motivated students “ makes it enjoyable to teach,” Ford said Experimentation is an important part of learning, according to Curtis. He “ only " allows game playing once a week, and that is if it has been a pro ductive week Some students have devised "fa irly sophisticated" video games. Curtis reports Devising a game requires skills not unlike those Curtis and Ford hope to instill Curtis said their goal is to get the students to develop proficiency in one language, while providing them with a general knowledge of other languages. The reasoning being that after one learns a computer language, i t ’s easier to learn a second or a third Students have, in fact, developed their own programs One practical pro gram set up by students helps the school district keep inventory Options abound in the computer education field One popular choice is the Apple brand Ford and Curtis, on the other hand, “ lean" toward Radio Shack models Apple is the “ Cadillac" of com puters, according to Curtis Radio Shack is preferred because of cost, past history of service and repair and available software support A Radio Shack outlet is located in Sandy. Computer literacy is one thing Us ing the computer in math, science or other areas would provide a resource heretofore untapped Teachers have been slow to pick up on this, Ford said. It goes back to the idea that adults are less enthusiastic about having to learn a new system. Ford and Curtis feel an obligation to pass on what they know about com puters to their fellow teachers. The affect of computers on educa tion is expected to be discernible. Classes to begin Sept. 21 Classes in fiber crafts at the Damascus P ioneer Craft School begin Sept. 27 The fa ll schedule in cludes classes in conven tional and Navajo loom weaving, beginning and ad vanced spinning and all levels of knitting Tuition for the 10-week sessions is $65 New this year is an eight- week class in the basics of machine knitting It w ill be ta u g h t by A m a li Dissanayake, a graduate of the London Fashion School. Students w ill learn to use their own machines, k n it ting a garment of their own design Special workshops in clude color in weaving, basketry with reeds and n a tiv e m a te r ia ls , backstrap weaving, yarn design and naturl dyes, and ethnic sewing For more inform ation call 658-2704. produce, grocery, non-food! 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