Teaching Kids Desktop Publishing

Dina Cukier-Schlesinger, a computer teacher in New York, wrote and produced this short program which shows a group of inner-city kids, aged 7-12 creating a school newsletter from scratch using an Apple computer and Springboard, a desktop publishing software package. While the production qualities are a bit rough, what is captured on the video are the kids in the act of creation. We see the six kids creating amusing computer drawings, writing stories on a word processor, selecting font size for a masthead, and designing an overall layout. The finished product, Summer Times, is an impressive piece of work indeed. The real question, however, is who is the video intended for? General patrons are not likely to appreciate the real accomplishment being shown here since the sound occasionally has that underwater ring to it, and the video work is basically handheld camcorder. Elementary school teachers would benefit from this program; for others not a necessary purchase. (Available from: Schlesinger Associates, 210 5th Ave., Suite #601, New York, NY 10010.)