The article “Using Technology with Kindergarten Students” by Chris Gathers, explains how Ms. Gathers as a Kindergarten teacher incorporated technology into her classroom. Gathers had been a teacher for many years, and throughout her article she explains the step by step process she takes to ensure that her Kindergarteners learn how to use the computer. What really caught my attention about the article, was that she wasn’t just showing them how to use different parents of the computer, and different types of software, she was using the computer and the software, to not only teach her students how the software and computer worked, but also used it as a means of teaching. For example, she used the stamps in KidPix as a way to teach counting, which I found to be a great idea and was simply to use for Kindergarteners. Gathers also explained how she used the computer for recess and reinforcement of what she taught in the computer lab, and throughout that day, by using other forms of software, some of which I had used when I was in Elementary School. Incorporating technology into the classroom just as Ms. Gathers explains is very important in educating children of today. Her use of incorporation shows that students can be taught at even as young as Kindergarten and will help these students be prepared for other technology based information that they will learn in the future, because they already have the basic steps down.
Gathers’ article is a great read for teachers and future teachers who have pondered about how they should use technology in the classroom, or just want to get an idea of how other teachers use technology in the classroom. If all teachers shared how they use technology in their classroom, it would make adapting to adding technology into all classrooms easier. For the link to the article click here: http://www.4teachers.org/testimony/gathers/index.shtml
I am often amazed at the differences in computer skills between kids of equal ages. Some children in Kindergarten are very skilled in technology and computer applications, to my astonishment, while others do not even know how to turn the computer on! Teachers like Ms. Gaithers are needed to help even the playing field for young children entering school. Despite what we may want to believe, not all children have access to a computer in their home and that leaves computer education in the hands of the classroom teacher solely in many cases. Thanks for sharing her ideas with us!
ReplyDeleteI think it is great that there are articles like this for us to read and to learn from. She is brave for putting her ideas out there for us because I know I would not want to have any downfalls displayed for the world to see. I am amazed when I see little kids know almost as much as I do on the computer, but then once I become more familiar with them knowing, I make an assumption they all know a lot, when some do not know anything.
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