SCHOOLS USE WEB PAGES

Central High School librarian Julia Jorgensen sees the Internet as the next best promotional and instructional tool of ... well, the new millennium.

The district maintains a Web site with links for each school building, and a special site for Central High School alumni was made available this week for alumni seeking school news, reunion information and addresses of high school chums.

Now Jorgensen leads the push to establish classroom links for every Central High School faculty member. Her goal is similar to a state-sponsored initiative to ingrain using technology in all aspects of the teaching and learning process

"This is something I've taken on as a goal for the first year of the 21st century," said Jorgensen. "The state is really pushing the technology component because they want the curriculum to be technology-infused."

Jorgensen sees the addition of district and classroom Web pages as a boon to schools.

In some cases, such access can provide parents easy access to homework assignments and the reasoning behind why particular assignments were made. In others, the sites may provide links to educational sites OK'd by the teacher as being safe and accurate.

"This is never going to replace good teachers who know their subject matter, but it's obviously something students have an interest in and will need after graduation," Jorgensen said. "And it's good to know that teachers have checked out the sites and are willing to say that it's research that is creditable."

Cape Girardeau is not the only area school district with a Web page. The Jackson, Scott City and Oran districts have Internet sites, as does Notre Dame Regional High School and St. Mary Cathedral School.

The schools use their Web pages for everything from promoting school plays and football games to posting homework assignments and minutes from school board meetings.

"It's a good way to let parents, grandparents and anybody else know what's happening in our schools," Jorgensen said. "I like to promote our district, and this is a different way to bring everybody in on what we're doing."

State instructional technology supervisor Claranne Vogel said Missouri has established itself as a leader in school Internet use. With the financial support the General Assembly has provided for entitlement funding and competitive grants, more than 85 percent of the state's 524 school districts have been wired for computer technology and Internet use.

"They think of technology on the coasts," Vogel said. "They don't realize we have our own little Silicon Prairie developing out here where research and development could happen right here in Missouri."

Many Missouri school districts have hired technology coordinators to help maintain the computers, and network systems have been purchased. Ideally, these professionals train teachers to teach and monitor students as they work on the Internet and set up pages to share information with parents and others visiting the site.

"Society is going tech and our schools have to be ready for it," said Vogel.

"Being able to think and use technology instead of just having it be a plaything is very important. Otherwise we're not going to be able to think with it and we're going to have just a few people in charge while the rest of us run around taking orders.".

WEB PAGE ADDRESSES FOR AREA SCHOOL DISTRICTS

Cape Girardeau schools

www.cape.k12.mo.us

Chaffee schools

www.schoolweb.missouri.edu/chaffee.k12.mo.us

Jackson schools

www.jackson.k12.mo.us

Leopold schools

www.schoolweb.missouri.edu/leopold.k12.mo.us

Notre Dame Regional High School

www.notredamehighschool.org

Oak Ridge High School

www.showme.net/or.k12.mo.us

Scott City schools

www.schoolweb.missouri.edu/scottcity.k12.mo.us

St. Mary Cathedral School

www.showme.net/StMary

Woodland schools

www.schoolweb.missouri.edu/woodland.k12.mo.us