Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 27, 1995 TAG: 9510270065
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: LISA APPLEGATE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Forget the beakers and balancing scales: Montgomery County science classes are going virtual.
The National Science Foundation awarded Virginia Tech, in conjunction with the school system, a $1.1 million grant to develop virtual classes for middle and high school students in the county.
At a news conference Thursday, Tech Computer Science Department head John Carroll explained that his staff will adapt the networking capabilities of the Blacksburg Electronic Village so various schools can work together.
Classes from Auburn and Blacksburg middle and high schools will be the project's test subjects. Carroll said those schools were chosen because they already were connected to the BEV with advanced T1 computer lines.
Computer networks can teach students how to work in groups and prepare them for the future, he said.
"This is especially important for rural areas in which computer networks can bring the whole world to our children and our community," he said.
Apple Computer Inc. is donating four computers for Tech's research, and some of the grant money will go toward upgrading middle and high school equipment.
Cliff Shaffer, a computer science professor who helped launch the program, said much of the equipment and software already are available.
"It's just a matter of putting it all together so that it's easy for students to use," he said.
Currently, students can look at information or communicate with others, but they can't do both at the same time.
For example, students from different schools could work together on a solar system project, examining the background information, then developing and testing a hypothesis by communicating with each other through the computer.
The three-year project depends heavily upon input from students and teachers.
"Teachers are training us," Shaffer said. "They'll show us how and when technology can improve learning."
Superintendent Herman Bartlett said he was thrilled to have such a large grant, particularly since it is tied to the university.
"This is an unusual collaboration where the project includes people from graduate departments down to physical science classes at the middle school level," he said.
The school system has been committed to developing technology in the schools. Next year's budget includes almost $500,000 in technology funding and a full-time grant writer to find more money for technology.
Shaffer said there is potential for more grant money to extend the project to other schools and even homes. Once cable companies start laying computer connections along with their cable wiring, purchasing computer equipment will be relatively inexpensive.
"Imagine five years from now. Computers will be as common as televisions," he said. "Students could work on these projects from home."
by CNB