Saturday, February 19, 2011
COMPUTERS IN THE EARY CHILDHOOD CLASSROOM- TEACHER AND PARENT OPINIONS REQUESTED
I would be interested to know from other teachers ways in which they have used computers/internet in their classrooms to benefit their students. Are there reservations or limitations you recommend? From parents- what are your feelings about technology in early childhood classrooms? Do you feel children receive adequate technology exposure at home? In what ways ( if any) do you see computer/internet at school benfitting your 5-7 year old child?
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Speaking as a parent, my kids seem to get plenty of technology exposure at home--too much, I'm sure. In general, I feel that preschoolers do not really need computers in their classroom. However, having volunteered in the 5-7 classroom a few times, I can see how it would add to the learning experience there. That age group is so full of questions and a genuine desire to learn; having the ability to immediately look up answers to their questions, or to show them clips relevant to their discussion (an exploding star, a spider spinning a web, etc) could really help to reinforce that they're learning.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I would definitely want to see limitations on computer/internet usage. We just spent an afternoon at the Science Center, and it was incredible to see how many parents/caregivers were focused more on their phones than their children (I won't throw stones, because I know I've been guilty of the same thing at times). The introduction of technology is a slippery slope, though, so setting out restrictions ahead of time seems prudent, as well as thinking about how the usefulness of the technology could be evaluated--to make sure that it actually does provide added value.
I often wish we could look up answers to children's spontaneus questions just as you have suggested. This would not only give them information, but encourage the habit of looking for answers. the older ones could be taught how to do it themselves (with supervision). It would also be wonderful to hook the internet to the TV to see video clips. Short ones I've looked at at home include the buring of the sun in 3D, microscopic life, and the beating heart.
ReplyDeleteIt would also be useful to show visuals of other countries, languages, festivals, music, etc.
I totally agree technology use should be purposeful and limited!
I think it could really enhance the learning experience as you described. We were looking at amazing pictures online of the moon, space station and other pictures taken by astronauts.
ReplyDeleteI also think there are some great educational games out there that could enhance the classroom experience and teach basic computer keyboarding skills, how to navigate the computer, etc. I can't even imagine how school will change in the coming years with all the new technology. I know that Adel has laptops for all high schoolers and most of the assigned reading is on the internet, rather than from text books. It will be exciting to see.