2006-08-26 09:10:25 · 17 answers · asked by Bride2Be 8/30/08 5 in Education & Reference ➔ Teaching
It is essential. Kids must learn how to use a computer in order to be competitive. The younger they start the more comfortable they will be. Some families do not have computers at home. It is wonderful that the school can provide the oportunity that they may not otherwise have.
2006-08-26 12:00:32 · answer #1 · answered by Melanie L 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that using computers in elementary is a good idea... In moderation. I don't think that 7 year olds should be sat in front of the computer all day long. They need to socialize and be with friends while learning. If I had a classroom I would keep it for research and as a supplement tool with the children. I would be hesitant to use computers with littler ones. I took my old laptop in to my toddlers to play with and they learned how to pop the buttons off the keyboard that afternoon. It was a good experience in letting them explore and pretend but I would never want a computer in my toddler room.
2006-08-26 17:20:24 · answer #2 · answered by invisible_booberry 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As an elementary teacher, I think computers in the classroom come in quite handy at times. If we're having an in-depth discussion about the different types of communities in the world and I mention the Maori people of New Zealand, I can pop over to the computer and actually SHOW them who I'm talking about. I can find videos, pictures, and articles to show my students without having to sign up for a time in the computer lab (or call up a Kiwi and ask them to travel to the US in traditional garb). Students can also do quick searches to learn more about a topic that interests them personally. If little Daquan is really into volcanoes, he can research them on the Internet and learn more about them on his own.
Computers are also great for students who would otherwise not have access to the technology in their homes. They're given the chance to work with computers so their peers don't have as big of an edge over them as they otherwise could.
With any sort of independent endeavor, it's important for teachers to monitor their students' activities.
2006-08-26 09:36:12 · answer #3 · answered by elizabeth_ashley44 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I work in a K to 8 school and the kids all have one period per 6 day cycle. In my opinion, it is amazing how fast the children learn on computers. I love watching the kindergarteners get on there and play fun games and watching them independently log off is funny too. I think it is a great idea to have the kids on them but if a school board decides to let the kids have access then the school board must have a filter that will block all nasty stuff from their wee eyes because.... trust me they go looking. Especially the older kids. We've had kids trying to search for all sorts of things... even grade 1 and 2 kids typing in the word "sex" to see what happens. There are 30 computers in our lab and it is impossible to supervise them all at once.
The filter is the only way to go. Net nanny.
:-)
2006-08-26 17:03:31 · answer #4 · answered by smilingmick 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
"introducing" computers - it's 2006 not 1996 - kids must, must have some computer literacy in elementary school. Preferably in kindergarten. By the time my daughter was in 3rd grade, she could navigate and design her own Power Point slide show, and by age 10 she could type 20-40 wpm.
Pressure your school district to invest in their classrooms - not on their football teams - make them enter the 21st century now!
2006-08-26 11:39:46 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it wasn't that long ago classrooms didn't have calculators, go back a bit further and they didn't have paper and pencils...
computers are here to stay and the working world is requiring experience with them in more and more fileds of work as time progresses.
The more exposure kids have to computers in the school setting the better off the kids will be..
so long as the kids have plenty of non-computer time and the computer does not replace all other kinds of writing, creating, reading etc. the traditional skills are still useful in the workplace..
it would make sense for there to be at least one computer in every classroom (in the western world at least as the west is becoming increasingly computer focussed in the workplace) and it is not too distant in the future when every desk will be a computer workstation as well.
go with the flow...
2006-08-26 10:08:33 · answer #6 · answered by wollemi_pine_writer 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
In today's society, it's essential - there is hardly any job out there that you don't use a computer. Children are motivated by using the computer and as long as the programs are interactive and age appropriate, it's a great resource for the classroom.
2006-08-26 12:57:51 · answer #7 · answered by lonely_girl3_98 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have three Internet-ready computers in my first grade classroom. We have filters and there are special programs so the kids can't get on sites they shouldn't be on. It's a wonderful teaching tool and we use the computers in all subject areas, for centers, for remedial help, for ESL support, we do science experiments with the computer, we do math problems in excel, word processing to publish their writing, paint to add pictures to their stories, and even power point in my first grade classroom. Part of education is to prepare for your future so computers should be included since they are such an integral part of our society.
2006-08-26 09:18:46 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's already been done--even as early as kindergarten. Of course, computers for lower ages have been modified to suit the students' abilities.
It's a very important component of education--these children are growing up in a world where it's absolutely necessary to be computer-knowledgeable.
2006-08-26 16:18:46 · answer #9 · answered by RG 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Computers are a part of our lives--especially in the work place. Children need to learn how to use them in order to be able to compete in the global market.
I teach in CA and our district provides laptop computers to all students from grades 4-12. Teachers are trained on how to use the technology to teach curriculum and for the children to use said technology in order to complete projects and do their work. They do some amazing stuff on the computers--particularly PowerPoint presentations--and they learn a lot.
For the little ones--we teach them how to type on the computer, turn it on and off, navigate the desktop and save documents. They also explore academic games as well.
It's a fact of life that computers are here to stay and are a daily part of our lives. Children need to learn how to use them--but NOT to use them exclusively so that they don' t learn how to write of course, but they are the present and they certainly are the future. To not teach children how to use them is denying them the ability to survive in that world as adults.
2006-08-27 07:58:50 · answer #10 · answered by sidnee_marie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋