Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!mailrus!nrl-cmf!cmcl2!phri!dasys1!patth
From: patth@dasys1.UUCP (Patt Haring)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: Computers in Elementary School
Message-ID: <3814@dasys1.UUCP>
Date: 10 Apr 88 20:16:25 GMT
References: <11012@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
Organization: The Big Electric Cat
Lines: 86
Summary: teaching the teachers to use computers

In article <11012@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>, cc1@CS.UCLA.EDU writes:
> 
> 	o  Mostly, the kids use the computer to play Math Blaster
> 
> 	o  For the most part, the teachers are computer-illiterate
> 
> Okay, here's the dilemna:  what should I do?  Usually the teachers leave
> it up to me to decide what to do, since with most of them, their extent
> of computer knowledge is putting in a disk drive and turning on the
> machine.  So should I sit back and watch the kids play Math Blaster? 
> (Which is what the other "computer assistant" does basically  SCI major...>)  Should I try to teach them BASIC or LOGO?  (One class
> was trying LOGO but they had a hard time drawing intelligible pictures,
> so I wrote a short program to allow them to draw better looking pictures)
> Should I try to teach things to the whole class at once, or stick to the
> small (2-3 kids) groups method that seems to be common at this school?
> Should I teach them how to use application software and such?  (In one
> class we just finished writing a "newspaper" using News Room or whatever
> the name of it was...)  Plus any software reccommendations would be
> appreciated; also responses and suggestions should state the appropriate
> ages (i.e.  "First graders should learn how to program in Pascal, third
> graders in C, fifth in assembly, sixth in BASIC", or whatever...)
> 
> Any advice that you could offer would be appreciated!


    Good start with the NEWSROOM program, Ken!  Having the
students work on a project *together* and particularly if they
can get a hard copy (printout) of the finished product is
rewarding for them and will motivate them to pursue further
activities that will utilize the computer.

    You might want to call some of the software companies
(Sunburst in Pleasantville, NY comes to mind)  about software
review policies so that you could get the software to use/try
FREE for 30 days before you decide if it's  age/class appropriate.

   I'm sure the students would love Where in the World/USA/Europe
is Carmen San Diego? and States and Traits and Oregon Trail.
There's also the Voyage of the Mimi software together with
videos that will make the science/ecology classes more interesting
for them.
 
   One last tip:  try anything you can to get the teachers 
started using computers.  You could try AppleWorks - there's
a Teachers Ideas & Information Exchange group that send out
disks full of templates that will work with AppleWorks for
seating plans, letters home, attendance, gradebooks, test creating,
and in this way if the teachers saw how much time and paperwork
the computer could save them, perhaps they would be more
interested in learning more about furthering their own
education with respect to the use of higher technology as an
aid to learning.
 
    I don't envy you the position you're in and I encourage you
to encourage the teachers as well as the students to utilitze
the computers in the classroom; teacher attitudes are communicated
to students - what might the students be thinking of their
teachers who have this ho-hum attitude about the computers
in their classrooms?
 
   I'd also think about teaching the children word processing -
you could use FrEdwriter, which is a very easy program for 
children to use; there's also a KIDMAIL program available
that will simulate a Bulletin Board System that will allow
the kids to write messages to/from each other without the
use of a telephone or a modem.  These disks can then be
exchanged with other classes/schools or just utilitized
for the children/teachers at a certain grade level.
 
   There's also FrEDsender which will enable the students
to communicate via modem with children in other schools; they'll 
be able to send messages, stories, articles they write with
FrEdwriter.
 
   Please contact me by email and I'll give you more
information about these programs.
 
   Good luck!  Apple ][ forever!
 
 
-- 
Patt Haring                 {sun!hoptoad,cmcl2!phri}!dasys1!patth
Big Electric Cat Public Access Unix (212) 879-9031 - System Operator

Three aspects of wisdom:  intelligence, justice & kindness.