From: Steve.Larson@p0.f10.n3402.z1.fidonet.org (Steve Larson)
Newsgroups: k12.ed.comp.literacy
Subject: What's this for?
Date: Thu, 05 Nov 92 22:35:43 PDT
Organization: FidoNet node 1:3402/10.0 - Westwood High Schoo, Ft McMurray AB

In a message <02 Nov 92  18:56:06> to <All> about <What's this for?>,
Terry Bowden wrote:

<regarding the purpose of the echo>
 TB> Is it to exchange ideas on how best to ensure "computer literacy"
 TB> in the general population through educational programs? Or in
 TB> schools specifically?

Given the scope of K12net and the nature of most of its users, it is
probably safe to say that the curricular element of computer literacy
SHOULD be addressed.  This is not to say that other concerns/issues that
you raised should be ignored.  They definitely have a place here too!

Speaking for myself, one of the things that bothers me most occurs when I
survey students on the first day of classes.  Invariably, there are always
a few students who say, "Oh yeah, I took computers last year.  It was okay.
We just played games all the time."
What happened?  Was there no software available?
Did the teacher have NO familiarity with computers at all?
Did the teacher find the whole subject so intimidating that it was easier
and less stressful to allow students to do whatever they wanted?
Was there NO guidance or curriculum for the teachers to follow?


 TB> Is it to be a channel for providing solutions to problems, where
 TB> the computer literate contributors help to provide solutions to
 TB> problems posed by newcomers?

Sure!  It MAY be that some of the problems may be more related to
curriculum than to technical know-how.  I remember when I was first given a
computer class to teach.  The administration saw me taking an Apple IIe
home on the week-ends so that I could teach myself how to use Appleworks
and a Teacher Gradebook program.  At the end of the school year, they
suggested that I was probably an "expert" now and could handle a grade nine
options course in Computing.  I didn't even have so much as a course
outline to follow.  I simply started from scratch, and, in order to stay
ahead of the kids, spent many an hour after midnight learning how to use
the software and then preparing lessons based on what I had just learned.
I know that many other teachers have shared a similar experience.  Some
teachers do the best they can, some rise to the occasion to do outstanding
work, and others are simply overwhelmed.

If K12net had existed then, I would have taught myself how to use a modem
much earlier and I would have been in here begging for suggestions, course
outlines, exercises, the names of various resources in use and so on.

The saddest thing of all was that the school district had a rough draft of
a scope and sequence worked out for computer literacy from K-12 but hardly
anyone knew about it!  If I had even had that, it would have given me a
good idea about WHAT to try teaching.

 TB> Is it a sand-pit, where people can come and play, in order to
 TB> simply achieve computer literacy by electronic messaging?

This last need would be better served in the Chat areas, wouldn't it?

Regards,
Steve

... The subliminal message for today is  .

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