The mousepads picture gumballs. The earphones stretch just wide enough to hug the head of a 5-year-old. And the programs feature such narrators as a motherly alligator named Trudy and a blue science-savvy creature named Sammy.
The computers in JoAnn Young's kindergarten class at Pleasant Hill Elementary in College Hill have become as integral a teaching tool as chalk and textbooks.
As schools struggle to keep up with the costs of wiring their buildings for technology, many districts are giving their youngest students the first crack at computers.
While some young users may not be able to read yet, experts say computers keep the wandering minds of a multimedia generation focused on learning -- as long as software serves as a teacher rather than baby sitter.
"Technology really is a very strong motivator in terms of getting kids interested in learning. And the younger you can offer it, the better, because children really are sponges," said Barbara Stein, senior policy analyst at the National Education Association's Center for Education Technology.
"My biggest caution is that software really must maximize the instructional purpose. Computers can be as mind-numbing as Saturday-morning cartoons if they don't have worthwhile software." Future Forecasting of Menlo Park, Calif., predicts that nearly every job in America will require some use of technology by the year 2010.
That's why educators, parents and lawmakers alike have been scurrying to wire classrooms for computers, experts say.
"In order to function after the year 2000, students must be computer-literate," said Henri Frazier, Pleasant Hill principal. "The earlier they are exposed to technology, the better-equipped they will be to compete in the job market."
Three years ago, Ohio lawmakers approved a plan to wire buildings in the state's 611 public school districts for computer, voice, data and video transmissions. The Ohio School Net project reimburses districts $500 for every classroom wired.
A parallel program provides money to schools to buy computers and related equipment. Under School Net Plus, the state supplies every classroom with up to five computers. The first phase -- kindergarten through fourth grade -- is under way now; middle- and high-schoolers will get funds later.
Such state support has helped educators significantly boost the amount of technology in schools, experts say.
"Most of my students have no computer experience when they start, but they really do catch on quickly," said Mrs. Young, adding that her classroom's computers are used daily.
"It's not hard," agreed Cory Cantor, 5, a Pleasant Hill kindergartner who wants to "play with computers" for a living.
Teresa Pendleton, 33, of College Hill recently bought a home computer to help her son, Cody, 5, and daughter, Candice, 4, become more familiar with technology.
"They know they can't get on the computer without an adult present, but they're so good with it that they tell me how to start the programs," Mrs. Pendleton said. "And it really does teach them. My daughter is spelling words now -- it blows my mind."
But even the most enthusiastic of computer crusaders caution that technology does have some drawbacks.
The biggest is cost. While many states help schools wire classrooms and buy computers, the support often ends there.
Many schools have to hire technology trouble-shooters to ensure systems run smoothly. And many administrators anticipate big expenses in replacing aging computers with newer models.
"The technology world changes so rapidly that the lifetime of a computer has decreased from the 18 years of the Apple IIs schools used in the early '80s to just two or three years for today's computers," said Glenn Eichel, technology director of Talawanda City Schools in Oxford, which was among the first schools wired under School Net.
Others warn about letting education devolve into "edu-tainment." "Computers can leave kids always wanting to be entertained in the classroom," said Peggy McCluskey, director of curriculum and instruction at Lebanon City Schools. "But education isn't always fast-paced and entertaining."
Most schools keep games off their software -- unless the games have educational value. And most schools have software to police curious users; Cincinnati Public Schools installs a CyberPatrol program to direct users to more appropriate material.
