Field Trip On The New Frontier Lakes Middle School Students Tour Cnn From Their Desks In Coeur D’Alene

The students in Julie Brown’s sixth-grade class were fidgeting, their attention directed at the Cable News Network program on television.

In the corner sat eighth-grader Joe Szasz, elbow on the table, phone in ear, one hand shoved in the pocket of his oversized black jeans.

“OK, OK, yeah, yeah, OK,” he would occasionally say into the receiver, then lean back again and wait.

“Hurry up,” whispered sixth-grader Jim Anderson to no one in particular.

Lakes Middle School was one of more than 2,000 schools enrolled in the CNN free electronic field trip last week to Turner Network headquarters in Atlanta.

Producers, reporters, editors and others involved in keeping CNN churning out news 24 hours a day were taking time out to explain to students how it’s done.

During the field trip, students from participating schools around the country could ask questions.

But only a few students, like Joe, got to ask a question, live, on the air.

While Joe was waiting his turn on hold, Brown’s students were scribbling down more questions to ask CNN over an on-line computer service.

“Joe, I’m sure you’re hearing me, so stand by and we’ll have you on in a minute,” said Joel Hochmuth, a CNN writer, from the TV screen. The students giggled.

Shortly before Joe’s opportunity came, a cry came up from Brown’s class. A CNN anchor had just asked a reporter Joe’s question.

“Uh oh,” said sixth-grader J.D. Dalton, putting his hand over his mouth in shock.

“I guess I’m still going to ask it,” Joe said to Brown, after consulting with the person on the other end of the phone.

On cue, Joe rattled off his question to reporter Joan Thomas: “If a writer disagrees with how the story’s being edited, what can he do about it?”

Thomas explained that she discusses disagreements with her copy editor, but “no one is right all of the time.”

Once Joe was off the air, Jim, the previously impatient sixth-grader, slumped back at his desk, bored.

“Can we go to lunch? I’m hungry,” he said, while CNN producers continued the television tour.

Although this particular field trip was free, Turner Educational Services usually charges schools $400 to participate. Turner executives believe future field trips will turn a profit, they said.

“Bake sale!” hollered Alyssa Fakrieh, when her teacher explained the financial obstacle to participating in more field trips.

The CNN field trip is just one example of the growing use of interactive television for classroom instruction.

Other examples include a Lakes Middle School video production class, where students produce a news program twice a week that’s aired live on cable Channel 13.

“It expands our technological horizons,” said student Amber Tice, 14. “Video is more fun for the kids.”

The following fields overflowed: BYLINE = Susan Drumheller Staff writer Lakes Middle School student reporters Katie Roberge, Jeff Smith and Kelsey Hughes contributed to this story.