The flurry of activities and excitement was evident throughout Nancy Edwards' class, as students worked on group projects. One group debated the best place to get information on the solar system. Other students used the kid-friendly Google search engine. That's the kind of thing that makes the Internet work for teaching, said Gigi Moffett, computer technician at Saffell Street. Teachers can lecture all day about how the heart works, she said.
Every school has a full-time computer technician and a technology coordinator.
Other districts have one districtwide coordinator, but little help for teachers in the schools, said Charlotte Wright, Anderson County's technology coordinator. Anderson started putting in computers 11 years ago and has gone through the turmoil over money and curriculum that many districts are just now experiencing. As any tech knows, that's not enough and it won't last long. Statewide, on average, schools report that students spend three hours a week using computers, and schools have one computer for every six or seven students. The state goal is six.