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This paper discusses the development of effective staff development programs to support use of computer technology in the elementary school classroom. Elements discussed include strategies to reach reluctant technology users, and suggestions for getting started with such a program. The paper also presents the findings of a survey study exploring fourth-grade teachers' knowledge in using computer technology in general as well as using computers in the classroom to support the English Language Arts standards. Participating in the study were 11 fourth-grade teachers in a public school in Orange County, New York. Teachers completed a 10-item survey assessing their use of technology, the availability of technology, and knowledge of the English Language Arts standards. Responses suggested that teachers with the most experience teaching were the least likely to use computers regularly and were more likely to feel unprepared to use computers. Relatively new teachers had more confidence in their ability to use technology to support the curriculum as well as to support the English Language Arts standards. Both experienced and less experienced teachers agreed that their district provided inadequate technology training. All teachers were familiar with the English Language Arts standards, and their examples illustrated the use of computers to support these standards. Most teachers recommended ongoing support in the use of computers in the classroom and thought that they were expected to donate too much of their own free time to learning the new tools. (Contains 13 references.) (KB)

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