MEADOW HEIGHTS ELEMENTARY STUDENTS BUILD COMPUTERS

PATTON -- Motherboards, jumpers, video cards, cases, drivers, hard drives and zip drives were all computer terms that had little meaning to Excel students.

Using the Internet as a textbook, the students visited sites containing information about how to build your own PC (personal computer).

The eight students, grades third through sixth, had an assignment -- team up with a partner and build a computer. Students identified the components needed to make a computer function and created a shopping list. Working with the Computer Resource Group from jackson, the students ordered all the parts needed to build four Pentium II computers.

Funding for this project, "The Inside Story," was supplied through an Incentive for School Excellence Grant. The $5,000 purchased supplies, tools and materials needed to complete the students' assignment. The students also purchased a Sony digital camera to record each stage of their work.

Although the students had information on building their computers, they lacked experience. Chris Bellers of the Computer Resource Group spent three mornings with the students and served as a guide and facilitator as they began to build. They readied the cases, mounted the drives, installed the motherboards, connected the components, installed Ethernet cards and Windows '98. After eight hours of work, the computers were on-line searching for information for the students' next project.

The students involved in the project were sixth graders Heidi Wissore and Megan Warner; fifth graders Elizabeth Waggoner and Anthony Bollinger; fourth grade students Denise Schnurbusch, Tara Messmer and Brian Miinch; and third grade student Derek Bess.

The students are now working on a multimedia presentation using their digital pictures to illustrate how they built their computers. Bollinger is also developing a web page entry for the ThinkQuest Competition. The computers will remain in the classroom for the students to use throughout the year.

The project was successful and the program's adviser, Sharran Seabaugh, plans for the students to build the 16 new computers being added to the junior and senior high. These computer components will be purchased with the second year funding from the Technology Literacy Grant in the amount of $27,500.