DEXTER STUDENTS WILL BENEFIT FROM TECHNOLOGY

DEXTER -- Students in Dexter schools will benefit this fall from a trio of new technology programs announced at Tuesday's board of education meeting.

Two new grants plus a new program from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will be placing more computers and computer software into Dexter classrooms.

Dexter Supt. Dr. Ray Dowdy announced to board members that a vocational enhancement grant from the state education department was approved.

"This is going to allow us to go in and replace essentially three rooms of computers," Dowdy said. The classrooms are in the business education department at the school. "Because we are replacing so many we saved enough money on the bid to also looks like we are going to be able to update the vocational lab in the Industrial Arts building."

Dowdy said the competitive nature of the grant allowed the district to purchase more computers and computer software than originally thought.

A second grant to update the old computer lab at T.S. Hill Middle School was also approved by the state education agency. A new computer lab at the middle school was equipped with completion of the addition to the facility last year.

The new grant will place new computers and computer software in the old lab next to the school's library. Dowdy said the new lab will be used in language arts classes, and will allow students to do advanced research and writing through the new lab.

"They're going to use that for language arts projects," Dowdy said.

Dowdy reported that work is progressing on the installation of the computers for both projects, and that he anticipates completion before the beginning of the school year next month.

"If we can get the computers here, we'll be ready to go," he said.

Depite the success of the two grant applications, Dowdy reported two grant applications for technology at Central Elementary School failed to meet the muster of the state review process. The two grants at Central were also technology oriented. The old computers from the high school classrooms will be transferred to Southwest Elementary School.

Dowdy told the board that district technology chief Denny Jarrell will be outfitting a new computer lab at the younger elementary building. The older computers will run the type of computer software needed by the younger elementary students.

"This will give us a computer lab in every school," he said.

Dowdy announced that the Dexter schools have been selected to participate in a new technology program called MINTs -- Multimedia Interactive Networked Technologies.

"The MINTs project started in St. Louis," Dowdy said. "Its basis is to provide technology that integrates itself in the curriculum."

Dowdy reported that Dexter, Bernie, Bloomfield, Gideon and Sikeston were selected to participate in the project. The Bootheel schools are the first outside of the St. Louis metropolitan area to participate in the program.

The program will allow the district to have an LCD projector in the project classrooms. It will be an interactive program used in two classrooms at Central Elementary. Dowdy said plans call for the program to be included in one third grade and one fourth grade classroom during the upcoming school year.

Dowdy reported that the district hoped to have the program in place by the end of the first quarter so students can receive a maximum benefit from the project.