El Dorado Elementary School

By Karen Maeshiro, Staff Writer

LANCASTER -- In a sign of the classroom of the future, El Dorado School fourth-graders are using handheld computers to do writing assignments, take tests and even read books.

The computers, which are shared between two classes, were purchased using a grant through the Los Angeles County Office of Education and palmOne, the maker of the computers.

"They are really cool because you get to do a lot of activities on it that I normally wouldn't be able to do at home," said Jazzmine Lasslett, 9. "It's better than a GameBoy. It's like a mini computer."

El Dorado received the Tungsten E handheld computers, which retail for about $200, last October, one of 15 schools in the county to get the grant.

Teacher Jesus Gomez applied for the grant, whose purpose is to implement technology in the classroom.

"I've always enjoyed technology. It's the wave of the future and we should be using it in the classroom as much as possible," Gomez said. "I always had a vision of having a computer lab in my classroom. This is probably the easiest and closest avenue to do that."

The school got 37 handhelds and accompanying software programs and accessories. Thirty-four of them are shared by students in Gomez's class and students in teacher Nesha Rowe's class.

There also was one each for two teachers and one for the principal.

Included in the grant were three days of teacher training on how to use the handhelds in the classroom.

"I think it's a great motivational tool. The kids are very excited about using it. They seem to want to do their work. They prefer to do math on the handheld rather than doing it out of a book," Rowe said. "They like using things that are technological and digital."

The students get to take their handhelds home and not one has been lost.

"If they can keep track of a GameBoy they can keep track of a handheld," Gomez said.

Principal Howard Horn said the computers are getting a positive response from the children.

"The kids really seem to enjoy it and we are getting an enthusiastic response from them in terms of them doing their homework," Horn said.

As for Lasslett, she said she likes to use her handheld to make sketches on the Note Pad, read e-books, and play games.

Karen Maeshiro, (661) 267-5744 karen.maeshiro@dailynews.com