Published Sunday, September 27, 1998, in the Miami Herald
http://www.herald.com/broward/bwcent/digdocs/013621.htm

CAROLYN SALAZAR
Herald Staff Writer

St. Gregory Catholic School in Plantation found itself on the cutting edge of technology. But faculty members weren't sure exactly what to do with it.

Each classroom is equipped with at least four computers, many with Internet access, a color printer and a 36-inch screen in front of the room so teachers can demonstrate ideas to the class.

"We had all the computers and the software, then we didn't know which way we wanted to go with it,'' said Patricia Usyk, the school's development director.

That's when FUTUREKIDS came to the rescue.

The company, with offices in Sunrise and Weston, provides teacher training and technology curricula so students can learn in an interactive, creative environment.

Rather than teaching students how to type and click the mouse to get results, FUTUREKIDS' curriculum follows theme-based projects, forcing students to use analytical thinking skills and learn everything about the computer's capability.

"Schools spend millions of dollars in computer systems and software, but the teachers have not been taught the technology. Students learn how to use the computer, but not the operating system. They just punch in things and learn how to format a disk,'' said Edson Chen, a director of FUTUREKIDS in South Florida. "With this technology, students come back home and blow their parents away.''

Even some students are blown away.

"In the three weeks of classes, I can't even tell you how much I've learned,'' said sixth-grader Brittany Manzie, 11. " I've learned about computers before, but I never used the technology they are showing us.''

Futurekids' curriculum uses a different theme every year that can be weaved into the school's curriculum.

St. Gregory students are learning about inventions and are required to write about the invention process. This tied in perfectly with FUTUREKIDS' "frontier'' theme, which focuses on discoveries of the past and technologies of the present and future.

Students will be able to write about the invention process using the 10 technology areas FUTUREKIDS teaches, including desktop publishing to produce brochures and fliers, databases to gather and manipulate information, spreadsheets to monitor trends and the word processor to document all the data.

The company's services have not immediately been embraced in South Florida schools. Only four schools are using the program, including one in Broward -- St. Gregory.

The company started in 1983 as a learning center. It broadened its scope five years later, but not just to schools. FUTUREKIDS also offers training to such places as corporations or rehabilitation centers.

Charlie Seraydar, the Broward and Dade director for FUTUREKIDS, said schools are hesitant to spend money on things like technology. He said he has higher expectations for Broward schools, which he said have more foresight.

"In Broward it's better because there is less bureaucracy, and they are geared more toward development rather than the budget,'' Seraydar said. "Broward is a leader as far as technology goes and getting students productive and technology-oriented.