I beg to differ. A computer is probably the most modern innovation that a student can be learning from in a classroom. The topic of this thread shouldn't be 'Computers don't work in the classroom', it should be 'Teachers don't work with computers'. It's not their fault, though. I don't know too many people on this planet that would have the patience to work with a class of 30 6 year olds on the computer, especially with the conventional approach that a lot of teachers use. Maybe if kids were pulled aside, at various points in the day, and explained the use of a computer in seriousness, it wouldn't be percieved as just as a machine that can run games for them. I know that when I was 6, that's all my Zeos P90 was to me. Although I have a huge interest in computers, I can't really thank the classrooms for that. As far back as I can remember, teachers have been struggling in teaching students the simplest programs on the computer. We're talking Word Perfect/Reader Rabbit/etc. These programs are easy, even for kids, all it takes is patience and attention, and that's what I think teachers these days lack, especially one's that know less than the kids.
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I beg to differ. A computer is probably the most modern innovation that a student can be learning from in a classroom. The topic of this thread shouldn't be 'Computers don't work in the classroom', it should be 'Teachers don't work with computers'. It's not their fault, though. I don't know too many people on this planet that would have the patience to work with a class of 30 6 year olds on the computer, especially with the conventional approach that a lot of teachers use. Maybe if kids were pulled aside, at various points in the day, and explained the use of a computer in seriousness, it wouldn't be percieved as just as a machine that can run games for them. I know that when I was 6, that's all my Zeos P90 was to me. Although I have a huge interest in computers, I can't really thank the classrooms for that. As far back as I can remember, teachers have been struggling in teaching students the simplest programs on the computer. We're talking Word Perfect/Reader Rabbit/etc. These programs are easy, even for kids, all it takes is patience and attention, and that's what I think teachers these days lack, especially one's that know less than the kids.