Imagine you are an observer in an elementary-school classroom. Two shiny new computers are hooked up to the school's network and the Internet. The teacher steps to the front of her room, smiles at 35 young faces and poses a challenge: "OK, class, we have downloaded a wonderful picture of penguins from the Web. Who can tell me how to insert this picture into a report written in Microsoft Word?"

She is not conducting a test. The 10-year-olds are teaching her how to use the software. This is how many public-school teachers are learning computer technology or improving their software knowledge: their students are passing along skills and shortcuts learned on their own, from their parents or other kids. For many teachers, formal computer training often is not readily available or affordable in their school districts. And many low-paid teachers cannot afford good home computers and Internet accounts that would let them gain experience and confidence from daily use.

Some veteran teachers also still resist having hardware, software, e-mail and the Internet imposed on their teaching methods. A recent survey by Market Data Retrieval, quoted in the New York Times, found that 61 percent of teachers in elementary and secondary schools still consider themselves only "somewhat prepared," or worse, "not at all prepared" to incorporate technology into their lessons. Many teachers also admitted feeling intimidated because their students know more about computers than they do.

Peggy Butler, a Texas school teacher, confirms she often relies on her young students for computer guidance. She also got some PowerPoint training recently after a student teacher, fresh from a college computer course, was assigned to her classroom.

"We just got a big grant for the computer lab at our school," Butler says. "And little by little, we're also getting training. As an older teacher, however, I have to make myself use the computer. I can't say, 'Oh, I'll just use it next week.' I have to do it now, make mistakes and learn. I am getting a better home computer soon, so I can keep learning," she adds.

Actually, all teachers should have home computers, says Dr. Scott Mandel, who teaches English, history, and social studies at a middle school in Pacoima, Calif. He directs a Web site that helps teachers, and has written two books that deal with using computers in the classroom to find information fast: "Virtual Field Trips" and "Social Studies in the Cyberage."

"If I could influence any new technology programs, I would encourage providing home computers with Internet access for every teacher," Dr. Mandel says. "That would be the greatest tool you could provide teachers as a resource." The information they could find on the Web and bring to school "would raise the level of teaching in the classroom," he contends. "It is the ultimate teacher resource. Virtually everything is available."

In his view, the Internet also is "the great equalizer. Even the poorest of schools with small library budgets can get the same information as rich schools." Teachers in all schools also can use the Net to fill in the information gaps in their textbooks or find good examples, he adds. He agrees that "many kids may be able to use the computer better than their teacher, but they can't always give the information the same meaning in the classroom that the teacher can. Teachers are trained to use materials. They know how to integrate curricular materials."

Most schools cannot afford enough computers for all students, so the growing time demands on the few available machines are making them almost useless, Dr. Mandel contends. "It's impractical for our kids to become digitally literate with four computers in a class," he argues. He also notes that scheduling problems now plague many school computer labs.

"At my school, we have a computer lab. We get to use it two days a semester," he says. He cites another school where "all of the kids get to use the lab for one-half hour per week. This is useless. They barely can get into the classroom and start something in that time period. It would be better to have two hours' access once a month. But parents want their kids to have access more often. So these pressures cause unrealistic demands. And the pressures don't match up with the goals of education."

Dr. Mandel would like to see at least one Internet-wired computer and a screen projector in each classroom, "so the whole class can follow the curriculum" as the teacher integrates Internet material with textbook material and other sources.

Principals need training, too

Teachers are not the only ones needing computer training. Greater job demands are causing many school principals to miss out, too. "The principal, like most of his or her teachers, may feel threatened by technology," says Dr. David Erlandson, director of the Texas A&M University Principals' Center and a professor of educational administration.

"In a hierarchical system like a school, it is very difficult for a person in a status position to admit that he or she doesn't know what the subordinates know and that he or she could learn from them. For example, a lot of fifth- and sixth-graders can construct Web sites for their schools, which could be a very valuable strength for professionals and teachers alike.

"Many teachers and some principals have taken advantage of this resource," he adds. "But for many teachers and principals, it is hard to imagine or admit that a fifth- or sixth-grader has important knowledge or skills that they don't have."

Some studies warn of principal shortages if job pressures and community pressures continue to rise. But Dr. Erlandson sees hope in the faces of many principals who push "to explore and implement the full range of computer capabilities in their classrooms." They may be busier than ever and under more stress, he says, but "they are so excited about the possibilities of extending learning through technology, they are feeling renewed."

The urgent calls for more training are being heard, from the White House to the state houses, and in the private sector. Federal, state, local, and corporate funds alike now are being invested in computer training for teachers. Intel Corp., for example, is creating a group of "master teachers" who will train other teachers across the country.

However, education also is a political football, and it especially gets kicked around during presidential elections. There are many different views on how to fix what ails the nation's public schools. For example, do you bring new computers and the Internet to a poor school that was built during Teddy Roosevelt's administration? Do you instead spend the money to repair its crumbling ceilings and leaky bathrooms? Or do you just bulldoze the relic and build a new school?

Gore vs. Bush

How computer training for teachers is approached over the next four to eight years likely will depend on the outcome of November's presidential election. Republicans generally favor reducing the national government's role in education and letting the states and local districts decide how to spend federal grants.

The Clinton-Gore Administration has long championed an activist government approach, with high-profile, hands-on efforts to get computers and the Internet into schools.

In June, President Clinton announced $128 million in federal grants to be distributed to 122 teachers, colleges, and other organizations to be used, he said, to help teachers learn how to use computers and other technology. He also called for hiring and training two million new teachers over the next 10 years.

Dr. Linda Roberts, director of the Office of Educational Technology in Washington, D.C., is special advisor to Education Secretary Richard W. Riley. "The biggest challenge for teachers," Roberts says, "is having the time and support they need--the time to learn about and implement the technology in the classroom, and the support, both technical and instructional, available to troubleshoot and give assistance when needed." The informal computer training provided by students should be encouraged, she recommends.

"Students can be a tremendous asset within a school district, particularly at the middle-school and high-school levels, in maintaining hardware and networks and sometimes even in training," Roberts says. "Not only do these students mentor their teachers but they mentor other students, as well."

The Department of Education recently funded a National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) report issued by the International Society for Technology in Education, a nonprofit teacher group. The NETS report recommends that by second grade, students should be using a mouse and digital cameras. Fifth-graders should be able to handle online discussions and create multimedia reports. And high-school students should be able to collaborate online with experts and peers on creative projects.

What works best for teacher training, according to Roberts, is for school districts to build more learning time into their ongoing schedules. "Some districts have done this by lengthening their school year," she says, while allowing teachers time for professional development during the students' summer break.

Where teachers can get help

Teachers who can get on the Internet can find a wide range of help for computer and classroom dilemmas. Dr. Scott Mandel's "Teachers Helping Teachers" Web site http://www.pacificnet.net/~mandel lets instructors network with each other and exchange lesson plans and other information. And Tech Corps, based in Maynard, Mass., offers a nationwide network of volunteers who help teachers and schools make better use of computer technology. The nonprofit organization's Web site http://www.techcorps.org also has a link to WebTeacher, an Internet training program presented in English and Spanish.

Karen Smith, Tech Corps' executive director, explains that "WebTeacher is a comprehensive, online tutorial that represents about 80 hours of training on how to use the Internet. While WebTeacher is suitable for group instruction, it was specifically designed for individual use." Teachers can go through the materials at their own pace and choose what to study. The site now gets some 80,000 hits per day, she says.

"Because it is available free of charge, 24 hours a day, teachers can use it when it fits their schedule-for 30 minutes or three hours," Smith explains. "And if they get stuck, there is a Comment button where they can ask questions and solicit the advice of WebTeacher's authors."

Smith sees "both an education and an economic imperative" to keep bringing technology into the classrooms. "Where will students learn the computer and Internet skills that they will need to survive and succeed in tomorrow's workforce? They will learn them--or fail to learn them--in the classroom. That is why it is so urgent that we incorporate these new technologies into our classrooms now, not five years from now."

But she knows that "technology by itself won't improve education--it's just a tool. Ultimately, what matters is how well teachers are able to use technology to improve their own teaching and their students' learning."

Contributing Editors Si Dunn and Connie Dunn write From Denton, Texas.