This is Internet On The Air. I'm Todd Mundt. Using the Internet to expand an elementary school community. Details in a moment.

Funding Credit: Internet On The Air is a production of the University of Michigan School of Information and Michigan radio, made possible by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Longview Elementary in Phoenix, Arizona, is a school facing difficult challenges. Most of the students are low-income, and parents often lack the time or knowledge to help with schoolwork. In the early 1990's, faculty at nearby Phoenix College began a program that brings together senior citizens and community leaders with students. The adults serve as mentors and role models.

A more recent addition to the project is a computer program called Pueblo. Students use the program to build their own Internet community that includes creating their dream home or operating a zoo...or putting out a newspaper. The students at Longview Elementary also use Pueblo to expand on material they learn in class. For example, students studying fitness and health were able to build a model of the human digestive system.

Danny Bobrow is a researcher from Xerox, which helped develop Pueblo. The program uses mostly text...and he says it has helped students improve their scores on standardized reading tests. But he says students have benefited as much from combining Pueblo with Longview's emphasis on mentoring and outreach. In the online community, students try our new roles and interact with experts. Boblow says those experiences are reinforced by the relationships they build with community leaders in the classroom and on field trips. He says children are able to see new possibilities for their future...and find mentors to help them get there.

To learn more about Pueblo and to listen to an interview with Danny Bobrow of Xerox, visit our Web site at www.iota.org. For Internet On The Air, I'm Todd Mundt.