Downloads & Free Reading Options - Results

This paper reports on a needs assessment, conducted in two elementary schools in Quebec, that examined the use that teachers are making of the computer facilities, as well as their skill and confidence levels in this area. The first section provides a general description of the project, details the sources of information, and discusses the reasons for performing the assessment. Results of the analysis are presented in the second section, including summaries of: interviews with the school board director, the regional technology coordinator, principals, computer resource teachers, and the technology integration specialist at the Quebec Ministry of Education; teacher focus groups; and teacher surveys. The third section presents recommendations, including: description of the performance gap (i.e., the gap between teachers' current use of technology and the ideal vision described by various members of the school community); general recommendations in the areas of professional development, pedagogical support, and technical support; and a format for a workshop to enable teachers to incorporate technology into their teaching. An appendix contains the teacher survey, including results. (DLS)

1Boy Crusoe

By Allan Eric

Also published as" A Yankee Crusoe" . A 15 year old hard working and studious farm boy finds the lure of adventure on the seas as a merchant seaman more than he can resist. This is his story. " I was born in a little town in the State of Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of the average farmer's son in the remote country districts of New England--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard work on the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of my life full to over-flowing. " What he gets is enough excitement and adventure to overflow his wildest dreams. How he experiences disaster and uses his wits and knowledge to overcome every problem makes for a great read. - Summary by Phil Chenevert