Thanks to the Internet, some schools have adopted a system where parents can monitor their students at school at any given time. These on-line gradebooks allow teachers to privately show parents their students' academic and social progression, while also allowing students to receive the assignments. "I think that the new system is a good idea," junior Aric Stone said. "I think it'll straighten kids up and improve attendance. Also, I think that it will get parents off our backs a little because they will know the kind of difficult assignments we have to do in class." Internet student monitoring systems intend to help schools communicate with their parents and students. Parents will be able to view their students' report cards with a few keystrokes. Not only will the grades be listed, but individual assignment records will also be available to the parent. Parents who are concerned with their student's status can have a parent-teacher conference on-line using e-mail. The electrical monitoring system is also designed to simplify teachers' tasks. Teachers will be able to create calendars for their students with all of the assignments and activities. Thus, absent students can still receive part of the daily lesson through the Internet. Also, students can easily contact their teachers on-line for help. ThinkWave.com, an Internet website which provides software for the electronic gradebook, claims their product to be efficient and secure in its way of reporting. "With one click, data is uploaded to ThinkWave.com, a secure Internet server," website ThinkWave.com said. "Students and parents use a standard web browser to access personal, password protected accounts to see assignments and results, and to send feedback to teachers." Although Bear Creek does not use the Internet gradebook system, it took its first step in that direction on March 27 when the $4,000 autodialer system debuted. Designed to cut down on truancy, the autodialer informs parents of their students' absences. Four phone lines are connected to the autodialer which automatically calls between the hours of 5 and 9 p.m. daily. The message from the autodialer is recorded and informs the parent about students absences and refers them to Bear Creek administrators. Recorded messages are in English, Cambodian, Hmong, Spanish, and Vietnamese. "The autodialer has been very successful in other schools," secretary Margaret Leutholtz said. "I think that it will improve our attendance mainly because the parents will be notified [of their student's absences]." Student Attendance Advisor Gwen Jones says that the autodialer will strengthen the relationship between parents and the school. "It will build the parent and school community communication," Jones said. "It'll bridge the gap that exists between the parents and the school." Junior Harvey Duan does not agree with the autodialer optimism and said the system lacks efficiency and enforcement. "I was gone at a Key Club convention and my absences were prearranged when the autodialer called my parents," Duan said. "They were angry at first, but after I explained the situation, they were relieved. I was out gaining leadership skills at the convention, but the system made me feel like a truant. The system is messed up and I think that truancy will continue as usual." But Duan's mother, Shu Duan, supports the new autodialer. "I think the new system is good," Duan said. "I like how the system lets parents know whether their children are at school." Leutholtz said that a future option may be added onto the current autodialer which would allow the parents to leave their messages after the pre-recorded announcement regarding student absence. While some at Bear Creek are impressed with the autodialer, other schools are far more advanced in their technological applications. The USA Today recently reported, in an article by Karen Thomas entitled "One School's Quantum Leap," a Florida based high school has developed a "virtual classroom." Students will still attend school; however, the courses will be taught on-line and students will have to follow a planned schedule. In fact, students will manage their own schedules and finish the academic years at their own pace.