Archive for the 'Literacy' Category
This is a great article on how to use your computer for educational purposes. Sshh don’t tell the kids.
By Nicole Munoz
Computers have become a common and needed part of life in today’s society, making computer education imperative for children. Young children will typically begin to show an interest in the home PC by their toddler years. While it is may be a good idea to begin introducing your toddler to the computer in very short sessions, most children can began to learn and understand a computer’s functionality by preschool age.
Preschool age children can learn to turn the computer on by themselves and will quickly learn to operate the mouse. Simple games that teach and reinforce basic school readiness skills are great for this age. Computer education for preschool age children should be limited to short sessions of about 30 minutes a few times a week.
Kindergartners are normally still exploring the basics of computer use and will probably do best with activities that reinforce simple skills. As children become more comfortable with the computer, more complex games and activities can be introduced. Computer education for kindergartners typically consists of short sessions of no more than an hour, playing games that correlate with their classroom learning material.
By first grade, children have usually gained a good understanding of how to use a mouse and they are learning to use keyboard letters to type. Games that focus on keyboard skills can help young children become fast and efficient computer users. Early elementary age children are ready to move beyond simple reinforcement and skill drill activities to the many different functions of a computer.
First through third graders should use the computer as a supplement for their classroom work. A student studying about stars and planets can use the internet to search for pictures and information about constellations. An assignment about Africa can include a search for videos of African animals. Allow your child to work on their own, but stay close by to prevent access to inappropriate content and to answer any questions.
Software programs that allow children to create, like an art or publishing suite designed specifically for kids, can boost creativity along with providing exposure to technology. Grade level skills can also be practiced and enhanced with math, reading, and spelling computer games.
Computer education for children should also include writing and creative writing activities. First graders are beginning to familiarize themselves with the keyboard and can write short letters or emails. By second and third grade, children can use word processor programs or writing software designed for children to write and publish their own short stories and poems, as well as use email to write to relatives.
Math is an essential skill that often doesn’t receive as much attention as it should in our schools. There are millions of teenagers in the United States who can’t even do math on the most basic levels, and this is because of poor education in school. Though theoretical and high level math tends to have little practical application for the real world (except in science), it’s important that all people know basic math. It’s essential for all adults to have knowledge of basic math, algebra, and trigonometry, and these skills are not as well emphasized in school as they should be.
Introducing children to math at an early age is a great way to get them involved. Math becomes boring or tedious when you can’t find the solution to a given problem, and often when children develop a dislike of math it is because they don’t understand the problems. Math games, math flashcards, and more math in general can foster a better understanding of numbers, and an appreciation for the only universal language.
How often is it that children seem to know more about computers than their parents? If you’re like me, it’s all the time. Computer literacy no longer begins in high school, it begins in pre-school. Computers have become a central part of modern society, and it’s important to introduce children to computers at a young age. More and more you will find educational software as one of the primary tools for teaching children. By learning through software, children not only learn how the computer works, but the subjects that the software is used to teach.
You’ll often find adults that have no idea when to double click, when to single click, how to minimize windows, use tabs, and search for files, while a teenager could do this in their sleep. This is not because teenagers are more intelligent at figuring out how to use the computer, but rather because the entire interface of computer usage is embedded into their brains. It’s important that children too understand this basic computer interface when they’re younger. In the long run, children who are familiar with computers become more successful adults!