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Using computers at Notre Dame
Twenty students from Notre Dame High School for Girls describe how the recent integration of computers into the curriculum has affected their education. By Alicia M. Bartol SCR*TEC |
 his month,
Kidspeak heard from high school students at
Notre Dame High School for Girls in Chicago, Illinois. Notre Dame is an
extremely diverse school that serves girls from many different educational,
ethnic, cultural, and economic backgrounds. We spoke with 20
of these students: Agnieszka, Alexandra, Angela, Anna, Araceli, Candice, Carmen,
Daisy, Elisa, Griselda, Han-Bit, Ivonne, Leilani, Liliana, Lorena, Marina, Marisol,
Mary, Veronica, and Wendy. The girls love NDHS, and they weren't afraid to tell
us. To Mary, Notre Dame "is like a family," and to Marisol, it "feels like home
when you walk in." Their school acquired computers grant monies from AT&T,
Ameritech, and Big Shoulders in 1997, along with many private donations.
Ever since then, the girls have been learning with technology.
Notre Dame students use technology every day in some way, so we asked them to tell us what they thought of technology at NDHS. Some of the common computer activities they reported were:
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 Veronica, Liliana, and Mary work on the computers at Notre Dame High School for Girls in Chicago. |
echnology
is new enough at Notre Dame for most of the girls to have seen the difference
between the pre-computer days and today. Carmen said, "I remember the first
year I arrived at Notre Dame. I don't remember there being any computers;
heck, I didn't even know the first thing about computers. Now, three years
later, I'm cutting and pasting, I'm 'surfing the Net,' and doing a whole
bunch of things I never knew how to do. That's the most exciting thing in
the process: exploring a whole new world of knowledge." |
 very
girl has a similar story. Griselda was very impressed when Notre Dame got
connected: "It was really cool to know that the school had Internet." She
likes learning with computers because, "technology is really important,
and we should learn a little bit more about the new century." Many of the
students agreed that learning with computers would help them both now and
in the future. Liliana knows her computer knowledge will come in handy. She said, "Since my sister is in college, she tells me that using the computer is a major part [of] college. She uses it for everything. I know that if I learn now, I will be prepared in the future. I won't be lost." Some girls even thought that technology might rule the world in the coming century, or that computers would be the only way to communicate! If so, these girls will be ready. |
 Ivonne works hard to improve her technology skills. |
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recognizes the fact that her teachers are a key factor in helping students
find useful ways to use computers in their studies. "The people in the school
. . . work very hard so we can learn a lot from the technology the school
provides us." The teachers make a point of planning activities that integrate
technology, a task made easier by having two computer labs, and a computer
in almost every classroom! Some Notre Dame teachers even go to other schools
to train their colleagues in classroom computer use. Han-Bit said, "During the past two years, almost every classroom in the school has been equipped with computers and other facilities, including printers and scanners. Everybody in the school, including students and teachers, has their own e-mail address and access to the Internet." These resources are a big benefit to everyone at Notre Dame. Han-Bit is especially pleased with them, since they allow her to stay close to friends and family in Korea through e-mail correspondence. |
 owever,
writing to friends and family is not the only use of e-mail. Daisy thought
e-mail was the most exciting advance at Notre Dame because, "students can
mail their homework to their teachers." This capability really assists students in ways we might never imagine. Elisa said, "It is very useful, especially if I miss a day of school, because all I have to do is check my e-mail and see if I missed anything. I can also check my teacher's home page on the Web. Using e-mail is a simple process; our passwords provide security also. This is beneficial for me personally because I am able to send homework, projects, [and] reports straight to my teacher with complete confidence that she/he will receive it. It takes away the worry of losing homework or not handing it in on time." |
 Angela, who prefers to use both old and new technologies, focuses on the task at hand. |
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explained how she researched and sent an entire report to her teacher over
e-mail: "While looking for information on the Internet, I found a lot of
science Web sites which were full of interesting facts. Once I typed up
the report, I learned how to copy a picture off a Web site, minimize it,
and paste it into Microsoft Word. Once that was done, I was able to copy
that on to GroupWise, our e-mail [server]. Finally, I was able to mail it
to our teacher." However, Anna explained that although she has the skills,
she'd much rather do things the old fashioned way. Angela agreed, "I personally still like going to the old encyclopedia for information I need." Luckily, since students have different preferences, the students have the opportunity to use both the library and the Internet as research resources. Agnieszka enjoys using computers for her research. "The most exciting part of the technology process during the past two years was connecting the school to the Internet. That gave us the opportunity to [use] the Internet to find resources for the reports." |
 sing
the Internet broadens the girls' access to resources, giving them an online
"library" of immense size. Veronica said the technology, "helps students
find a variety of information for many types of work." Accessing the Internet
allows students to learn from a myriad of resources, such as original text,
video, audio, graphics, and animations on the topics in which they are interested.
Veronica added, "One of the coolest ways I've used the computer was to do
a liver report . . . I found many great sources, pictures, and information.
One of the things I learned was that nine tenths of a healthy liver can
be cut out and the remaining tenth will regenerate!" Using the Internet is a sure way to serve the needs of students with diverse interests. Araceli said, "We can find many interesting topics to write about for class projects and research papers. Once we log in our passwords in the computer, we are all set for a very interesting adventure!" Wendy agreed. She recognizes that not all schools have the Internet, and that they are lucky to have such a magnificent resource. She said, "When you use the computer, you feel you are connected with people all around the world." |
 Han-Bit and Elisa work together to find some answers to their questions. |
 eilani
talked about the many different uses of computers at her school. "I use
the Internet to find information on scientists, and for the Internet worksheets
I get for homework." But using the Internet is only one aspect of computer
technology at Notre Dame. Leilani added, "Trying to scan [is also] interesting.
Computers [also] make graphing easier." Students at Notre Dame can use computers
in almost every subject, from math to literature to art. Lorena enjoyed using the computer for both work and pleasure. She liked "searching for facts and poems" by her favorite poet. She said, "I learned things about the poet I never knew!" Many of the students expressed similar satisfaction with their topics of interest, whether they looked for information on their favorite historic figure or their favorite teen star. |
 anipulating
and creating graphics also seems to be a popular new skill for many of the
girls. Alexandra remembered back to the time when computers were not a part
of everyday school life: "Before, I didn't know how to get images from the
Internet and place them in your report. But now I do, which is cool, because
that way one doesn't have to cut out pictures and paste them onto their
report." Candice agreed, "One of the coolest things I've done on the computers this year is: I've been able to create different cover pages on word art." Being able to individualize their work and express their creativity in this way has made projects more enjoyable to the students. Candice also learned how to make graphs as visual aids. |
 Candice balances her schoolwork with her extra-curricular activities. |
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girls also learned how to read and create their own graphs for Chemistry.
Liliana thought this was the most interesting thing they did. She said,
"I find it extremely fascinating, because I didn't think it was possible.
Some things we graph are volume vs. pressure, resistance vs. current, etc.
I don't have a computer [at home] so every little thing I learn fascinates
me." Many of the students we spoke to at Notre Dame had similar feelings. They really appreciate the skills they are gaining in their computer-friendly school. Marina said, "I love to learn more things on the computers. Actually, I wish I knew more. Especially because [of] the way society is moving so fast with technology, we have to learn how to use computers." Technology at Notre Dame is allowing the students to learn computer skills in various subjects and contexts. The girls like using these skills to enhance their current education, but most of all, they enjoy the feeling of security they get from knowing that they are preparing themselves daily for the future. |
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