State’s teachers last in use of Internet

Thursday, May 9, 2002 | 10:54 a.m.

Nevada teachers are the least likely in the nation to use the World Wide Web as part of their classroom instruction, even though they are most likely to describe themselves as Internet-savvy, a new report shows.

"Technology Counts 2002: E-Defining Education," will be released today by the Washington-based journal Education Week. The report includes data on student access to technology, classroom usage and teacher training requirements.

Just 6 percent of Nevada's teachers described themselves as beginners when it came to technology, compared with 24 percent nationally, the report showed. But only 52 percent of the Silver State's teachers said they used the Internet as part of their classroom instruction, 17 percentage points fewer than the national average.

The number of Nevada teachers who said they knew how to use technology but were not using it for instruction did not surprise Christy Falba, director of literacy and elementary instructional technology for the Clark County School District.

"We're moving into new territory, and we still need some solid research demonstrating the best ways of incorporating the Internet into daily learning," Falba said. "There are also tremendous possibilities for using online programs for staff development."

For now, classroom computer use in Clark County schools is limited to research or software programs that drill students in vocabulary, reading or mathematics. Some of the benefits of classroom technology are already apparent in terms of motivating students to learn, Falba said. A student who is familiar and comfortable with computers will be more prepared for the "real world," Falba said.

"They're getting hands-on lessons in the skills of the 21st century," Falba said. "That's something we do not want our kids to be without."

The report's findings for Nevada are not broken down by county and include rural communities where the goal of getting schools on line has been hampered by a lack of adequate telephone lines, researchers said.

The responses from Nevada's teachers mirror findings in many other states, said Kathryn Doherty, project director for the report. While more teachers than ever have some technology experience, the actual use of it in the classroom is still lagging, Doherty said.

"When you look at the level of sophistication in terms of use, we still have a long way to go," Doherty said Wednesday.

One factor is the lack of quality online curriculum, said Kevin Bushweller, the project editor. While dozens of private companies are jumping into the field, the majority of programs are simply traditional textbook material copied onto the Web, Bushweller said. As the offerings improve, so should the percentage of teachers taking advantage of the technology, Bushweller said.

The report also found that while 98 percent of public schools and 77 percent of public school classrooms have access to the Internet, only New York, North Carolina and Virginia test their students' knowledge of technology.

Nevada has one one Internet-connected computer for every 8.8 students. The rate for Clark County schools is about 6 to 1, school officials said. The national average is 6.8 to 1.

All 266 of the district's schools are connected to the Internet and nearly every classroom has online access as well, said Philip Brody, assistant superintendent for the district's technology and information services. The district's online course offerings, which have grown significantly since the program began four years ago, have more than 1,100 students enrolled.

Improving classroom technology is, and will continue to be, a priority for Clark County schools, Brody said.

"What we're doing with technology is like dipping your toe in the ocean," Brody said. "We're just getting an initial feel for what it's like. Over the next five to 10 years, as the kinks get hammered out, we'll see classroom technology that will boggle our minds."

Some of the district's middle school students will get to dip their toes into the ocean when the new school year begins in August, said Several middle school English classes will use an online textbook as part of a pilot study, Falba said.