By MELISSA PEACOCK

LAPLACE – Blair Fleming, a sixth-grader at LaPlace Elementary School, spends about two hours a night on the Internet.

That figure seems pretty modest to most users, including Fleming. She would like to use the computer more but is restricted from long hours on the Internet because she ties up the family’s phone.

On her home computer Fleming might catch up on the latest Lil Bow Wow tour information on the Lil Bow Wow homepage or send an e-mail to her friends. But at school, it is all business. She sat behind a computer Monday during language arts class and pounded out answers to grammar questions on the keyboard.

The Internet is quickly becoming one of the most widely used educational tools in school systems throughout Louisiana and around the nation. More and more teachers are asking students to log-on to Web sites and online encyclopedias as part of daily learning lessons.

Local educators said there are advantages and disadvantages to this technological take on education. Online computer learning can give students fun, hands-on lessons in language, math, science, history and grammar. However, sites can provide misleading and false information and online works can be the source of modern day plagiarism.

Should parents be concerned about the increasing dependence on technology? Several local teachers and technology coordinators said “no.”

While almost all schools are using the Internet to educate, teachers are not leaving students defenseless against pornography, hate sites and other materials deemed inappropriate for school-aged children. Most schools have fixed policies regarding students’ access to the internet and elaborate blocking software to prevent students from stumbling onto harmful sites.

In St. John Parish, parents must sign permission slips to allow students to use Internet services. Students must sign a slip agreeing to a user’s policy that stipulates what can and cannot be accessed on school computers. Students who attempt to go to Web sites that are in any way questionable get a visit from the Superintendent Michael Coburn – at least on their computer screen.

A hand is raised in the LaPlace Elementary computer lab. Lab Facilitator and Technology Coordinator Laurie Francois assists a nervous sixth-grader.

“I didn’t even do anything,” the student said, staring at a picture of Coburn on his screen. Coburn’s hand is outstretched in a halting gesture. This time it was only an accident, a misspelling in the Web address. But the image, a part of the school’s “surf-blocking” software, would appear anytime an unauthorized site is hit. It is meant to prevent the use of school computers for anything beyond education or research.

“Our surf control programs are very effective at blocking unauthorized materials,” Robert Brown, District Technology Coordinator for St. John Parish, said. “It does occasionally block some legitimate sites. We are probably on the more restrictive side of blocking.”

The blocking software is required for all schools providing internet services to students. Without the software, the school could be ineligible for some government funding.

So, if that many sites are blocked, why do we need the internet in schools? Sixth-grade teacher Charlotte Shelley said the answer is simple: some internet programs help students, as well as teachers.

Shelley brings students in her classes to the library about every other week. Subscriptions to online education sites give students a chance to apply what they learn in the classroom. At LaPlace Elementary, students take quizzes and play games at www.funbrain.com and www.gamequarium.com.

“It gives them some extra practice,” Shelley said. “It tells them how many were missed and why. It is immediate feedback, which is what they want. Even when they take a test, they come back the next day wanting to know if they passed or failed.”

But the sites do more than assist students. The programs help teachers target lessons to students.

“(Funbrain) it checks the quizzes and sends them to the teacher,” Shelley said. “When it is e-mailed to me that five students missed question 20 than I know what I need to reteach. That is one way that teachers use tests and quizzes.”

Across town at East St. John High School, Computer Lab Facilitator Frances Jolley is going over lab rules and regulations with students. A 22-year veteran of the school system, Jolley said the key to preventing misuse of the internet is supervision.

“They make notes and they use worksheets,” Jolley said. “I usually do not let them copy whole articles in here. Basically, what we do, is when a research program is assigned in class, teachers assign guidelines and the students are supervised by myself or a lab supervisor.”

When guidelines to internet usage are given by teachers, Jolley said, lab instructors are better able to monitor students for cheating.

“We generally try to use web sites where everything is pretty well documented. One health class uses a government web site and pulls information from there.”

The safety precautions are similar in St. Charles Parish, Gayle Clement, administrator of instructional technology, said.

“Primarily, the internet is used for research,” Clement said. “Students can look up everything from elephants to involved research.”

But if they access an unauthorized site, screens go yellow.

“We have a fairly high level of restriction here but at the same time we want students to have access to good sites,” Clement said.

As for reliability, Clement said teachers and librarians teach students how to use the internet and how to determine the reliability of found sites.

Both parish school systems spend an enormous amount of money on Internet service and technology every year. In St. John Parish about 85 percent of those costs are paid for by government funding, leaving the parish only about $60,000 in costs. In St. Charles Parish more than $277,000 is spend on technology in schools.

“I tell faculty to take advantage of it,” Laurie Francois said. “It is here. It helps the students. It will help our test scores.”