The Technology Program at Little Tor is in its developmental stage. By the end of October, we had up (and mostly running) our first major complement of new computers. We have 27 Pentium computers in the lab and two black-and-white laser printers. In the library section of the media center, there are three computers, a color ink-jet printer, and a scanner. In the publication section of the center, there are two computers, two color ink-jet printers, and a scanner. In every classroom, there are two computers and a black and white laser printer. In the main office, there is a color printer. The computers are networked by Windows NT 4.1.

Software:

The software in the server, and thus accessible from every computer is:

• Microsoft Word
• Excel
• Access
• PowerPoint
• The Golden Books Encyclopedia
• Encarta Encyclopedia '97
• The Encyclopedia of Nature
• My First Incredible Amazing Dictionary
• Mario Teaches Typing 2
• Storybook Weaver Deluxe
• Kid Pix Studio
• Kids Work Deluxe
• Creative Writer 2
• The Ultimate Human Body
• The Way Things Work

For computing families software evaluation is also important. It's not like a book that you can simply open and see what's there. Here are a couple of sources that review software and might be worth a look before you buy that $39.95 box:

http://www.techlearning.com/swsearch.htm - This is my absolute favorite for educational software. It has a large database, and the reviews are good. http://www.scholastic.com/el/software/index.htm. - This does not have a lot of stuff, but what's there is well reviewed plus it's an attractive site! http://edsoftware.miningco.com/ - This is a site developed by one man, Lee Vick, so you get primarily his views (and I warn you, he can be a bit overwhelming!) but he has a whole lot of information here about not only software but computers, internet sites, etc. and he directs his page toward families. You might want to check this out.

For hard copy reviews: the magazine Family PC has monthly reviews of software as well as a lot of other information.

What's New:

Little Tor is in the process of updating our Internet Access forms. All children, in order to use the Internet, must have this form filled out by their parents/guardians. If you have not received one of these forms or would like further information, please call the main office. If you want to know more about the Internet in general, this site will give you a tour: http://www.whatis.com/tour.htm This site discusses the use of the Internet with young children.