Survey: Most Oklahoma schools have Internet access

<br>OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ All but five of Oklahoma's 544 school districts have access to the Internet, a new report shows. <br><br>The survey, released Monday during School Technology Day at the state

Tuesday, April 10th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ All but five of Oklahoma's 544 school districts have access to the Internet, a new report shows.

The survey, released Monday during School Technology Day at the state Capitol, indicated Chandler, Edmond, Harrah, Laverne, Muskogee, Oklahoma City's Western Heights and Putnam City have 100 percent of their classrooms ready for the Internet. The average around the state is 81 percent.

The school districts without access are Denison, Forest Grove, Liberty, Optima and Wainwright, state Superintendent Sandy Garrett said.

The state average for libraries with Internet-ready computers is 87 percent and nearly all _ 95 percent _ have computer labs. Most of the schools are at least ready to be hooked up to the Internet, if not fully operational, the survey showed.

Observers got an idea of how state and federal money is used to equip schools with electronic learning tools.

Washington Elementary in Norman showed off its Web site and its hundreds of links to learning programs for students, including a live ``nest cam'' of a mother blue bird and her three eggs.

Weatherford High School students used a computer and graphing calculator to calculate the concentration of red dye in mouthwash.

When one student was asked where someone could find such a high-tech gadget, he quickly turned and said, ``You get them at Wal-Mart.''

The students said they are more than willing to teach adults what they know _ even if it gets a little frustrating.

``I am teaching my grandparents how to use a computer and it's challenging,'' said Jenna Root, 17, a junior at Frontier High School. ``The first time I showed my grandma something, I said, 'Click on this.' She said, 'Click? How do you click?'''