February 24, 1999
Contact: Dan Grider
Assistant Superintendent
Administrative Services
(760) 944-4300 Ext. 180

Ocean Knoll students become a "Human Computer"

ENCINITAS - On Wednesday, March 18, Students in Ocean Knoll Elementary School's Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Program will discover how computers work by a kind of "Magic School Bus" ride inside a computer chip. The kids really get into the act by "becoming" the inner workings of a computer-they will operate a real logic gate and then will connect themselves together to form a real working computer logic circuit they will operate themselves.

Helping the kids learn all the steps and become a "human computer" is new interactive instruction aid called the EduGates (TM) system, developed by the GATE consultant, Bob Kuczewski. There will be a two-hour lesson the day before in which the class will learn all about computer logic gates and switches, logic functions, encoding and decoding decimal numbers into binary, to prepare them for the next day. That is when the class will form two teams. These two teams, or "binary adder circuits" will compete in the "Human Computer Olympics" to apply what they've learned and become a student powered digital computer circuit! Just as important, all participants will get a lesson in teamwork and cooperation.

They will be cheered on by Leslie O'Keefe's a sixth grade class. Mrs. O'Keefe is Ocean Knoll's School Site Council GATE committee member and EUSD's 1998 Teacher of the Year.

Ocean Knoll School's GATE students meet every other Wednesday for one to two hour classes, ranging from science to art history. Topics covered this school year have included The Scientific Method, Global Climate Change, Traditions That Shape Art, and Story Telling, The class is comprised of 32 fourth through sixth grade students who are identified as gifted through guidelines established by the Encinitas Union School District, including students' standardized test scores. The program is supported by the school's site council with funds earmarked for these special needs students as mandated by the state.

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