By SHARON KILPATRICK

By SHARON KILPATRICK

Rappahannock News Staff Writer

As tiie school year is drawing to a close, so is the first year of the RJR/Nabisco project. Fourth-grade teachers say their students are very enthusiastic about learning on computers, but converting the curriculum to computer use is taking longer than they expected.

Lynn Gaines reports that even her most reluctant students are excited about lessons on the computer. “We’ve seen a lot of enthusiasm,” she said. “They are highly motivated to do anything on the computer.”

Cynthia Brandt reports that many of her students are starting to write stories on the computer. With a limited number of computers “they’re taking turns” using them, she said.

She added that some of her students “are sorry they’re moving on to fifth grade next year. They would like to see more” of the computer lessons. The students feel they have been part of the process this year, she added. The RJR team has tried out newT lessons with the students and taken their advice as well as that of the teachers on what works and w'hat doesn’t. “They have been helpful,” she added. “They know they have made changes.”

Next year her classroom will have a full complement of computers, enough for each student, and that classroom will be used for all the math classes. The other two fourth grade classes will split the 14 computers already in another classroom.

A significant part of the project is having the computers built into student desks so that the desktops will be free w'hen the computers are not being used. After building two prototype desks to hold computers, the school system learned that the concept of computers built into desks is copyrighted, and they must order the desks from one company. RJR team members are eagerly awaiting a sample.

This first year, the project team