TechKnowledge
Walter Minkel -- School Library Journal, 3/1/2001
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Few people think much about ergonomics in K-12 schools
One of the vexing problems of working with computers is training the human body to adapt to work it was never designed to do. Human bodies are made for large motor movements--standing, reaching, carrying, and squatting--as well as activities that require our eyes to change focus from things close to our eyes to things far in the distance. Our bodies aren't intended to sit, fixed in one position for hours, typing and clicking, with eyes focused on a screen. Those who cannot find comfort as they work with computers risk repetitive stress injuries, as well as chronic eyestrain and headaches.
Anyone who works regularly with a computer has undoubtedly seen articles about ergonomics--about how people who spend their days in front of a computer should make certain that their chairs, monitors, mice, and keyboards are positioned for comfort and correctly adjusted. But almost everything that's been published on ergonomics has been published for the benefit of adult workers, not K-12 students who spend increasing amounts of time staring at a screen.
Donna Lewis, the technology coordinator at Harding Township School in New Jersey, is researching student ergonomics for her master's degree at Columbia Teachers College. Lewis worries when she sees students slumped over and craning their necks in the computer lab. But, she says, "I don't have the [statistical] numbers to justify my fears about the physical effects of technology on young children. It's essential that someone do the research. When the kids come in, I teach them good working habits so they develop them all through school."
Alan Hedge, director of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory at Cornell University, says that there's been almost no formal research done in designing computer workstations appropriate for children. Hedge has encouraged his students at Cornell to examine child computer use--and ergonomic abuse. His laboratory's Web site offers one such analysis ( ergo.human.cornell.edu/MBergo/intro.html).
Hedge is also working with Adam Deutsch, a New York State high school student who is conducting a survey project for the Intel Science Research Program. He plans to title his project "The Potentially Detrimental Effects Long-Term Computer Usage Can Have on the Adolescent Figure," a title he slyly admits should get his peers' attention. So far, after surveying more than 500 students, Deutsch has found that 50 percent of male and 56 percent of female computer users report neck pain.
Although the study of ergonomics with young people is in its infancy, Donna Lewis thinks it's important for teachers and librarians to encourage good work habits now. Here are her suggestions:
1) Students' feet should be on the floor. "If students are small," says Lewis, "put their feet on a phone book."
2) Students should be looking down, not up, at the screen. "When they look up, they look into the glare of the overhead lights," Lewis says. "When you look at a book, are you holding it up or down? Make sure tables are low, and never put a monitor on a shelf."
3) Students should hold their arms at a 90-degree angle as they use keyboards. Keyboards should rest on keyboard shelves below the level of the standard desk or table top.
4) Although Lewis doesn't believe that students under age five should be using computers, she finds that the six- to eight-year-olds with whom she works spend 90 to 120 minutes a week at a computer. "The time to focus on developing good habits is the minute kids sit down," she says. "Kids are resilient, but who's to say how many hours they'll spend at a computer in their lives?"
Not Your Grandmother's Web Site
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Founder Rina K. Spence, a former hospital administrator, created the Cambridge, MA-based site. (Emily is one of the most popular girls' names; hence, the site's name.) "I felt strongly that the earlier you educate girls on health issues and wellness, the more likely you'll have a healthier adult women population," says Spence. She's put together a roster of board-certified physicians, psychologists, and educators who write the content. It's peer reviewed by a group of about 100 girls, known as Iemily ambassadors, who ensure that the site is giving girls what they need.
"Being a teenage girl is hard," notes Jaclyn Weisman, 13, an ambassador. "Iemily is a place that we can go to understand our feelings and know we're getting the right information." The site's surveys and chats provide an eye-opening snapshot of teens for adults. One survey found that 23 percent of respondents had tried the club drug Ecstasy. Negative feedback from parents has been minimal. "Actually," says Spence, "a lot of parents have told us, 'Thanks for helping us.'"--Meg McCaffrey
GeekSpeak Words You Need to Know
Portable Document Format (PDF) : Files created using the Adobe Acrobat application. Acrobat lets people who produce documents with a lot of formatting, from technical reports with many figures and tables to conference brochures, to preserve the design and typography of the documents on different computer systems and set-ups. Users can download PDF documents from the Web with the help of Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free browser plug-in that lets users read PDF documents, but not alter or create their own (Acrobat, available for about $250, is necessary to do that).
SiteoftheMonth
The Well-Connected Library
Lawrence (KS) High School Library:
library.lhs.usd497.org
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Points of Interest: The home page links to book reviews written by students and a "bibliography guide" with sites that help students write papers. "Teacher Picks" lets faculty share their favorite books with students, and the "Helplines/Hotlines" page lists the kinds of community resources that other high schools might shun, such as the contact numbers for Alateen and for Passages, a gay/lesbian/bisexual youth group in Kansas City.
School News: The Web site often acts like a newspaper for students. "Our public-relations program includes posters, trivia contests and bookmark contests, puzzles, and honors to our students. We carry our digital camera everywhere," says Oldham. "We want our students to think the library is a 'cool' place to be, [and] our circulation statistics have improved 158 percent in the last three years." Jones and Oldham emphasize that parents are also familiar with their site. "We publish Web information in all of the newsletters that go home," Jones says.
Newbery News: The library took the spotlight recently when Arla Jones served as a member of the 2001 Newbery Medal Committee. When the awards were announced, a story about Jones appeared in the local newspaper. The site also featured a slide show of Jones giving a presentation to a sixth-grade class about the Newberys, one of many she gave last year. Oldham says: "We feel that it is important for everyone (students included) to see who decides what books get awards, instead of some anonymous 'academy' like the Oscars."
Test Books That Can't Be Stolen
Public librarians, besieged for decades by users wanting SAT, GED, ASVAB, and civil service test books, often despair when the books of practice tests continually vanish. Or if they come back, they're marked up or have pages ripped out. "They're high theft, high damage, and high demand," says Michell Hackwelder, information services coordinator for Ferguson Library in Stamford, CT.
Now, Learning Express, a six-year-old publisher of test preparation materials, is stepping in to fill the gap on the shelves left by lost test books. It's created a Net database of tests at learnatest.com. Library users can log on, select one or more practice tests to take and, if they run out of time, they can save an incomplete test and come back to it later.
TheLibrarian'sInternet
by gail junion-metz
The Kids Are Okay: Sites that help parents
This month i'm focusing on parents and kids, and the often insurmountable task of child-rearing. The following sites deal with everything from kids' health to having a sex-related dialogue with a prickly teen to how an infant's brain develops during the first three years of life. I've also included two sites that offer reviews of movies, music, and videos:
Kids Health
This is a good site for kid and teen health-related issues. Visit the "Newsroom" for the latest toy and children's product recalls, as well as government information, such as reports on school violence. The "Kids" section offers ideas on parent-child dialogue about food and fitness. Created by: Nemours Foundation Center for Children's Health Media, Wilmington, DE. Detour: Parents of teens should visit www.teenshealth.org (part of the same site) for tips on talking to their teens about feelings, peer pressure, and sex.
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www.zerotothree.org/index.html
A helpful source of information on child development during the first three years of life. Don't Miss: "BrainWonders," a link to information on infant brain development and how parents can encourage it. The "Developmental Milestones" link offers information on how kids up to age three relate to their parents and their environment. Created by: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families, Washington, DC.
Idea Box-Early Childhood Education & Activity Resources
One of the best places to locate "rainy day" activities, craft projects, and recipes for toddlers and preschoolers. A craft recipe list is included for making items such as finger paint, play dough, and clean mud. Don't miss: "Music and Songs," a page that provides the words to popular kids' songs. Share this site with parents and day care workers, and use it to spice up your own story hour. Created by: Group 23 Solutions, Wylie, TX.
TotCity.Com--Project Finder
www.totcity.com/Parents/preschool/Preschool_project_finder/preschool_project_finder.html
Search for a toddler activity, or a preschool craft project by keyword or ingredient. Alternatively, search the 13 categories for something that kids can do at home or in the library. A wonderful compliment to Idea Box (above). Created by: BowWow House, San Jose, CA.
Screen It
Lengthy reviews of current movies, recent videos, DVDs, and music CDs. Each review breaks the content down into 14-plus different categories. Each review makes it clear why a film or CD got the rating it did. Don't miss: "Our Take," in which the reviewers discuss a film's plot and critique its artistic merit. Created by: Screen-It Entertainment, Reviews for Parents, Greenbelt, MD.
Kids in Mind
This is where parents can locate past or current movie and video reviews, which are listed according to three numerical "grades": sex and nudity, violence, and profanity. The grading system is helpful for parents trying to decide whether their kids should view a particular movie. Created by: Critics Inc. Publishing, Cincinnati, OH.
Gail Junion-Metz ( gail@iage.com) is a librarian and president of Information Age Consultants.
Working with a Net
Since 1997, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), located at www.fafsa.ed.gov, has enabled prospective college students to apply for federal financial aid online. Now the U.S. Department of Education has made a major improvement to its site that officials expect will double the number of online aid applications. Students are now able to save their applications on the site for up to 45 days. That's because the department has allocated space on its server to store the lengthy financial- aid applications. Before the upgrade, once students got into the spreadsheet, they had to complete and send it in a single sitting.
TestDrive
HyperStudio4
Multimedia Authoring Software
Knowledge
Adventure, 4100 West 190th Street, Torrance, CA 90504.
1-800-545-7677.
www.knowledgeadventure.com $199 teacher edition, $20 upgrade.
PowerMac/Windows 95 or newer.
HyperStudio has been used in classrooms for more than a decade to create multimedia reports and presentations. In HyperStudio, students and teachers create a stack of "cards" containing text, sounds, graphics, animations, movies, and actions that are controlled by buttons.
Version 4 of HyperStudio comes on a CD that runs on PowerMacs or Windows machines, convenient for schools that manage both platforms. A completed multimedia project can now be saved as a stand-alone application for viewing on computers that don't have HyperStudio installed. New browser plug-ins enhanceInternet integration. A new HyperLogo click-programming feature in the main menu bar will be of interest to advanced users.
Here is a welcome improvement to an already strong program. I like the flexibility that HyperStudio provides and the creativity it engenders. I like Knowledge Adventure's school-to-home license, allowing students and teachers to legally install HyperStudio on home computers. However, some students and teachers, especially in the upper grades, may prefer popular presentation software like PowerPoint.
Reviewed by David L. McQuin
Mankato East High School
Mankato, MN
dmcqui1@isd77.k12.mn.us
Marco Polo Helps Navigate Searches
Telecommunications giant Worldcom is sponsoring a new education portal, MarcoPolo ( marcopolo.worldcom.com). What makes it stand out from the more than two dozen educational portals on the Web? Worldcom points to MarcoPolo's partnership with several big educational organizations, from National Geographic Society to the National Endowment for the Humanities, which provide MarcoPolo with lesson plans for teachers and online lessons for students. "We've found there is a tremendous amount of information on the Internet, but so much of it is unreliable," says Gail Bailey, branch chief of school library media services for the state of Maryland, which is using the site. But sites like these, she says, "make a teacher's and media specialist's jobs that much easier."
Other MarcoPolo partners include the Kennedy Center, the National Council on Economic Education, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. MarcoPolo is free.
The 21st Century, Sort of
As if librarians didn't have enough on their carts, an opinion piece in the January 17, 2001, International Herald Tribune has charged every public library with maintaining and updating detailed Web sites on one or more particular subjects. Why the additional work? Yahoo! and other information sites have taken over many of the functions of public libraries, editorializes corporate attorney T. K. Chang. "A great deal of information is not accessible, because it is scattered in thousands of books, magazines, journals, government offices and elite libraries," Chang writes. If libraries want to remain relevant, he thinks they need to make that paper-bound information accessible to online users. Chang calls for the U.S. to form a national task force to divide the labor for this new kind of library.
Of course, an experienced person will be needed to rally the troops of the nation's 16,000 public libraries, 77,000 public school libraries, and 2,000 government libraries. Who would be perfect for the job, Chang asks? Why, First Lady Laura Bush, of course. After all, reasons Chang, she's a former librarian. (And she also has something any government trailblazer would find vital for success: the ear of the President.)--M. M.
