Sweetwater success

NEA Today, Apr 1995 by Elmore, Cara

In California's Sweetwater Union High School District, kids of all backgrounds, talents, and skills share the same computers.

Some of the kids are into lofty thinking, engaging in independent study that would boggle the minds a most adults. Other kids are into more concrete projects, plumbing their computers for help with homework assignments.

Regardless, for an hour or two each day, hundreds of students gather at one of eight alternative learning centers to log on to NovaNET, a communication network that serves up a pot-pourri of information that students--with help from their teachers--can tailor to their own needs.

"NovaNET is an open-ended, flexible, and customizable system," say Sweetwater district administrator Tom Williams. "The system matches up nicely with our concept of educational alternatives--allowing all students to learn."

NovaNET, created by educators at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, is maintained and linked to a central telecommunications system at University Communications, Inc. (UCI), in Tucson, Arizona.

The course work, instructional materials, and data bases fit with California curriculum guidelines, but teachers and students fashion them to fit individual needs.

Students are assessed and assigned to the learning centers as they would be assigned to a regular class in their six-hour day, notes Williams. The difference: Students can access remediation or advanced courses from NovaNET, which can range from the competency to pre-med level.

While the beauty of NovaNET is its ability to meet different students' needs, there are some special features NovaNET offers that appeal to all students.

One of these is called Sweelit and is a special communications forum set aside for kids who want to critique one another's writing or share a literary gem. "I've seen one particularly hostile kid, barely able to write a sentence, start responding on Sweelit," says NEA member Dennis Renfro, who codirects NovaNET with Monica Santana. "Now that kid has mellowed out somewhat and is online writing his own stuff and responding in full paragraphs and organized thoughts."

Four student editors work with Renfro and Santana on the communications forums--besides Sweelit, there's Sweeforum, for discussion of current events and Sweetalk, the network's bulletin board service. These honor students' responsibilities range from preparing base notes--current events talking points--to online editing of student work for content and style.

Ninth grader John Kleint and tenth grader Rebekah McGirk research and write talking points to stimulate bulletin board communications.

"We can present online information to students in a fair, objective way," says Kleint. "I enjoy the dialogue, debate, and personalized responses we get. This has been an unbelievable learning opportunity for me."

Says Sweelit's student editor Jessica Thompson: "I've seen a lot of gifted people brought out. It's neat to see what other people think about and have feelings for."

To get more information about NovaNET, contact Steve Gardner at University Communications, Inc., 800/YES-NOVA. You can e-mail Tom Williams Tom Williams/SWEADM/Nova.NET.OR G or Tom_Williams SWEADM(at)Nova.NovaNET.ORG.

Endnotes:

NEA Online users now have easy access to the Internet. Just click the Internet icon on America Online's opening screen....

Correction: To reach the folks at South Carolina's Brushy Creek Elementary who were featured in last month's Innovation column, type Lynn.Nolan(at)BBS.SERVE.ORG.