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!
EXTRA VALUE
TOP RAM EN, ASSORTED
3 O U N C E PACKAGE, FIRST 6
ENTAL NOODLES
NEW CROP, RED OR
GOLDEN DELICIOUS
WESTERN FAMILY, 2 LB
COLBY CHEESE
CALIFORNIA
DARK, TIGHT
BUDDED
: GREEN
BROCCOLI
midget
LONGHORN
FIRST ONE
EXTRA VALUE
MEDIUM SIZE
MILD AND
SWEET
YELLOW
ONIONS
N A B IS C O SALTINES
1 LB. BOX, FIRST TW O
RADISHES OR GOLDEN CRISP
GREEN ONIONS
CARROTS
LOCALLY
FRESH &
Ä
OO GROWN
OO
CRISP, MIX
W
OR MATCH
BLUE BO NNET, 1 LB
. . BUN
CALIFORNIA
THICK, SWEET
GOLDEN MEAT . . LB
CLIP TOP
LOCALLY GROWN
FRESH, CRISP
HEADS, EACH . . .
Minute Maid
* V»N N » i*A
A P P t f JUICE
MINUTE MAID
TWELVE OUNCE
TIN, EACH ___
FIRST TW O
FISH
STICKS
MEXICAN
DINNERS
W IS T M N
FAMILY
2 LB
PACKAGE
POSARITA
• MEXICAN
• COMBO
12 1SO2
39180 Pioneer Blvd. in Sandy. 668-7418
Open 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. seven days a w eek!