THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 29, 1995 TAG: 9509270239
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: THUMBS UP
SOURCE: BY JENNIFER C. O'DONNELL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Three weeks before Microsoft Corp. unveiled its highly touted Windows 95 software, Roger Geyer, a computer resource teacher at Oscar F. Smith High School, got a phone call from Redmond, Wash.
Much to his surprise, Microsoft invited him to speak at the product's official unveiling Aug. 24.
The call, though unexpected, wasn't completely from out of the blue. Last year, Geyer and a few thousand others from across the country, were chosen to preview the Windows 95 operating system in order to find potential problems and bugs.
During the testing period, Geyer said, he encountered several problems with the initial product.
``I crashed my hard drive more than once while testing the program,'' he admitted.
But that wasn't why Microsoft invited him to the unveiling party. The invitation came after the software company got wind that Geyer was just months away from completing a book on Windows 95.
The book, which Guyer is writing with Old Dominion University professor Bob Lucking, is tentatively titled, ``Windows 95: A Guide for Teachers and Students.'' It is expected to be on the bookshelves by September 1996.
The two educators believe the book will help teachers incorporate the program into their teaching curriculum.
``Windows is really a wonderful teaching tool,'' Geyer said. ``It's easy to use and, although it has received some negative publicity, I believe it will help move the computer industry to the next level - a level that's very interactive and multimedia based.''
It's that sort of thinking that caught the attention of the folks at Microsoft. In a line-up that included comedian Jay Leno, Geyer shared his opinions on technology in schools.
And that's a subject on which he can talk forever.
``Technology just isn't being used enough in education. We're really just at the beginning when it comes to embracing technology,'' he said.
As much as Geyer is for implementing technology, he doesn't believe it can ever replace the efforts of a good teacher.
``Technology and computers should be used as tools,'' he said, adding that if used right, technology can inspire students that normally might fall through the cracks.
``I've seen it over and over again where a student is acting up and just isn't getting anywhere. But when you get him involved and interacting with the computer, that all changes. It makes a tremendous difference.''
It's ironic that a man who got to meet the legendary Bill Gates, president and founder of Microsoft, once had an aversion to computers.
``I just pushed them off,'' said Geyer. It wasn't until 1989, when Geyer was working as a mathematics teacher, that all that changed.
``My handwriting was terrible, and I didn't like writing on the chalkboard. So I hitched a computer up with an overhead display screen and typed my work on the screen.'' And the rest is history.
Guyer is still excited at the thought of his part in the grand ceremony last month.
``It was quite an exciting time. It was just about the coolest thing I've ever been a part of.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Roger Geyer, a computer resource teacher at Oscar F. Smith High
School, previewed the Windows 95 operating system to find potential
bugs.
by CNB