SPRINGFIELD Students use computers in school and at home for everything from homework and research to games and long-distance chat.
By:Vanessa S. Holt
Springfield and New Hanover elementary school students are taking it a step further, learning not only what makes a computer "tick," but how to put one together, in a series of workshops teaching fifth- and sixth-graders how to assemble a fully functional computer.
Last week, sixth-grade students at Springfield Township Elementary School built three computers under the instruction of Bob Pikovsky, a technical consultant from EIRC, (Educational Information Resource Center), an educational consulting firm in Sewell. The instruction sessions were made possible by a technology grant from the state Department of Education.
Springfield and New Hanover school districts have paired up to share resources for technology programs.
Other programs funded by the state grant include technology workshops for parents and adults in the community and a videoconferencing program that allows Springfield and New Hanover to conduct classes in subjects like Spanish in two places at once.
This week, Springfield fifth-graders are planning to build two more computers for the school. When all the sixth- and fifth-grade classes have completed the sessions, the Springfield Township Elementary School will have five new Pentium III computers with 30 gigabytes of storage space and 128 megabytes RAM.
Mr. Pikovsky showed students the various components they would be assembling, including network cards, a CD-ROM drive, memory, and floppy disk drive. These computer parts are the same in every brand of computer on the market today, he said.
"When you look in a computer store, they are all made out of the exact same stuff," he explained to Robert Sinclair’s sixth-grade class on March 8.
Beginning with an empty case, students learned that the holes in the side of the case were there to prevent overheating.
"The processor will go over 300 degrees if you don’t cool it," said Mr. Pikovsky to the gathered students.
The first component students helped to install was the system board, which usually costs between $125 and $150 on its own, said Mr. Pikovsky. Like most of the internal computer parts, they are stored in special static-free bags to prevent damage from static electricity.
Under Mr. Pikovsky’s instruction, the sixth-graders installed various computer components, cables and drives by punching out panels on the computer case and fitting the parts in their appropriate places, or by using screwdrivers to attach the hardware.
Most of the students who attended the session said they had computers at home, and use them for school work, writing reports, playing educational games, or chatting on the Internet.
"I want to learn how to fix it, if anything goes wrong at home," said Crystal Sparaco, 12. She normally uses computers to write reports and e-mail, but said she hopes someday she’ll be able to simply talk to computers to get her words on the screen, instead of typing, which "takes too long."
Once completed, the computers just need software loaded onto them to become fully functioning parts of the school’s computer lab.
Arielle Alford, 11, said she enjoys using computers for games and school work, especially since word processors can check spelling errors and offer corrections as she types.
Computer technical coordinator Nancy Holmes said the kids were eager to get a look at the inner workings of a computer.
Ms. Holmes and JeanneAnn Bruno, who coordinates technology programs in the New Hanover Township district, decided to direct some of the grant money that would have gone to teacher training towards the instructional sessions.
"We wanted to be able to offer something special," said Ms. Holmes.
