Search

Although limited finances and a student body of 3,200 have made it necessary to be selective in acquiring educational technology, the Plainfield (Illinois) Community Consolidated School District No. 202 has been very active in the regional partnership for excellence. Curricular programs at the Plainfield High School include use of computer-assisted manufacturing (CAM) and computer-assisted design (CAD) systems for projects in vocational education, a computer literacy course in microcomputer applications, a computer programming course, a computer-assisted writing laboratory, and computer-assisted instruction in physics, chemistry, and band. Divisional chairpersons also use microcomputer programs for curricular work, budget preparation and monitoring, and daily operations. The high school library media center uses video programs to provide curricular support and to provide access to "The Electronic Encyclopedia" and the "Video Encyclopedia of the Twentieth Century." In addition, the media center participated in the "News Access" pilot project with Turner Broadcasting, which provided cable network news programming for classroom use. Educational technology is also being used by the school district's support services and administrative offices, as well as by extracurricular groups such as The Computer Club, the athletic teams, the band, and the school newspaper and yearbook. Finally, the Southfield School District cooperates with the Tri-County Education Service Center, a regional center serving 48 districts, in computerized test scoring, test question generation, software previews, and pilot projects. Six school and service center officials who can provide additional information are listed. (EW)