Feb. 23, 2002  
E-school in Burley – Christian Academy provides computers for students
By Shari Chaney
Times-News writer

Burley - Every student has a computer. And lessons come to the student each day on that computer. Burley Christian Academy this year moved to a fully computerized curriculum, school founder Mike Johnson said.

Switched-On Schoolhouse provides curriculum and lessons for a variety of subjects for students in grades three through 12. Johnson said students come in each day and log on with their own passwords, bringing up their lessons for the day. A written curriculum is still in place for academy students below the third grade.

Student computers are networked through the main server. Johnson said it is there teachers give assignments, see what students are working on, and check how the students did on past assignments.

“At this point, it’s all in-house,” Johnson said.

Eventually, students might be able to connect to the system via the Internet and take classes from home.

The program is self-grading, Johnson said. Students know their scores as they progress through the assignment; grades are also given at the end of each lesson and each unit.

Students are tested with provided placement tests so they are placed at the correct learning levels. Students can be at different levels in each subject, Johnson said.

Students progress at their own pace, although there is a daily lesson plan each student receives with assignments and quizzes which need to be finished that day, Johnson said. If a student is absent, he starts where he left off, rather than missing things because the rest of the class went forward. 

Another benefit of the new system is it easily allows for an updated curriculum each year, Johnson said. History courses, for example, will include events from the last year. “This is going to be new all the time,” Johnson said.

He noted writing skills are still important and incorporated into the curriculum via reports. Students are required to write out some reports in longhand and then type the papers into the computers. That way the reports give them practice at both writing and typing, Johnson said.

The lessons also include videos and games to play to aid learning, Johnson said. If the school decides to connect to the Internet, there are hyperlinks students could click on taking them to specific Web sites for more information.

The school is also setting up a small science lab in conjunction with the computer curriculum. The lab will give students hands-on practice related to what they are studying.

The program emphasizes critical thinking, Johnson said; the answers aren’t always laid out in the text. Students have to think a little more and understand what they are reading in order to answer the questions. “It’s harder and at the same time, that’s good,” Johnson said.

Kari Latta, 17, agreed the problems are harder and make students think. “And math is not my subject,” Latta said as she dove into a math lesson. Students can move faster with the computer-oriented curriculum, Latta added.

Rosa Klink, 17, likes the computer format. “My fingers don’t get cramped,” she said.

The school provides the computers for each student. The computers are being purchased through a lease agreement. Johnson said the school switched to computer learning because enrollment was low this year, meaning fewer computers to buy initially. 

Some rewiring was required for the computer project, along with purchasing the server and beginning to buy the student computers. Johnson estimated he spent about $6,000 to get started.

The program also charges $4.50 for each unit students take, Johnson said. That costs is covered by the $30-per month curriculum fee the school charges. That amount is the same no matter how many units a student takes.


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