Created: 2/27/2008 12:18:16 PM 
WFMY News 2's Erica Taylor shows us how chat rooms and podcasting are school solutions.
"For the Civil Rights chat room, Ethan, you're the host in that chat room," Jeanna McIntyre says to one of her students.
When you envision an Internet chat room, 8-year-olds may not come to mind.
But in McIntyre's 2nd grade class at Union Cross Elementary School in Kernersville, chatting online is part of the assignment.
"It exposes them to another form of technology using the computer. The world that they're growing up in is so different than what we grew up in," she said.
The 2nd grade of today features laptops, chat rooms and podcasting. Students spent a month researching black history and influential African Americans.
Their reports will be transformed into podcasts, which are audio recordings uploaded to the internet.
"So you're going to click to record," McIntyre tells 8-year-old Alexandria Washington.
"I'm glad my children will never know what it feels like to feel the pain I did," Washington said, as she read her report into a small microphone. "I am Harriet Tubman."
"I like writing stories like that, so I thought it was ok," Washington said, when asked about her project.
Washington's classmate Lydia Newnum studied segregation.
"I am a black American. Before the Civil Rights movement, we had to sit in the back of buses and trains," she said, recording her report.
The technology in McIntyre's classroom goes beyond podcasting and chat rooms.
Students can also participate in a class blog, answer questions by going to a polling place, and post photos in an online classroom photo album.
Each hi-tech tool translates to improved learning when it comes to using old fashioned tools, like paper and pencil, as well.
"It's really increased a lot, believe it or not, an interest in writing, which is one of the most challenging things to get children to actually enjoy in the classroom," said McIntyre.
The lessons also last.
"First you get to learn about people, then you get to tell people what you learned," said 8-year-old Layton Stevens.
it also helps teachers see what isn't clicking.
"We can go back and ask another question to see how far they are in their research and where we need to concentrate on helping them to get the answers," said Tracy Roberson, an assistant teacher in McIntyre's classroom.
When finding those answers involves a microphone or keyboard, the process isn't nearly as painful.
"I think that it's something new for me, and I like trying new things," said Washington.
"I'm enjoying it, and they're just having a ball, so it works out nicely," said McIntyre.
When using online chat rooms, teachers make sure their students stay on track and stay safe.
They monitor the chat rooms students use, and if the discussion is inappropriate, teachers are notified.
The site only works in the classroom, so no one else can chat with the students.
If you're interested in the student projects, you can listen to their podcasts online by clicking here.
WFMY News 2
