This
month, the Education World Tech Team members answered the question Do
you think K-3 students should use computers in school? with a resounding
yes! Our experts also shared a plethora of activities and programs they
use with primary students. Included: Web sites and software programs to use with your young students!
This month, we asked Education World
Tech Team
members to tell us whether they thought students in the primary grades
should use computers. We expected a vigorous debate. What we got was a
unanimous yes! What the team lacked in controversy, however, they more
than made up for with recommendations on which computer programs to use
with primary students -- and suggestions on how to use it!
Be sure to check out the previous Tech Team article, Should Kids in Primary Grades Use Computers?
"At our school, students in grades one through three have formal
computer classes once a week; kindergarten children use the computer lab
for less formal projects," said Pamela Livingston, director of
information technology at
Chestnut Hill Academy, in Philadelphia. "All our projects, however, relate to what's happening in the classroom.
"First-grade students study the Iditarod, for example, so during
computer class, they find information about Alaska and the race,"
Livingston said. "The first graders also study Hawaii, and they use the
Internet to look at photos and videos of Hawaii.
"Our second graders learn about the water cycle and the Vikings. Both of
those units are rich in opportunities to research online information
students would not be able to find otherwise," Livingston continued. "We
also start exposing students to keyboarding in second grade. Teaching
them where the keys are makes writing with the computer less
frustrating.
"The third grade studies geography, Asia, and Africa -- all topics that
provide opportunities for computer-savvy teachers to use software,
Internet projects, and Internet research. We also participated in a
great author chat with Mary Pope Osborne about her
Magic Tree House series," Livingston concluded.
"It is our school policy that K-2 students use the computer lab for
skill reinforcement only," said Jennifer Wagner, technology coordinator
at
Crossroads Christian School, in Corona, California. "At that level, we use the
Reader Rabbit series,
Math Blaster,
Teacher Created Materials, and various templates I create myself. We also do a bit of word processing, but that is minimal.
"Our third graders jump into computers with both feet," Wagner told Education World. "We begin the year with
Kid Pix.
By November, the kids have pretty much mastered the tools, and we do a
ten-week salute to different artists and create our versions of their
artwork. Favorites are
Starry Night, by Van Gogh, and pictures
by Mondrian, Seurat, and O'Keeffe. Kids remember this project and talk
about it each year. Our third graders also use
Math Blaster and
Reading Blaster, and they begin word processing with Creative Writer 2.
"If you're teaching K-3 computer skills, you need a good program, such as
Kid Pix,
Wagner noted. "The program gives every student an understanding of
mouse skills, graphic design, presentation design, graphic manipulation,
and more, but it is so much fun they don't even know they're working
with graphics. They think they're just coloring.
Creative Writer 2, by Microsoft, can't be beat for a word processing
program for kids," Wagner continued. "Almost everything is done
graphically. When they click
File, for example, the icon
looks like
a file. Creative Writer 2 is also fun and very easy to use. We use it
for keyboarding nine weeks a year, and no one ever complains. The
program also includes a paint program that allows students to make
posters, cards, banners, certificates, and more. It's a bit advanced for
K-1, but kids in grades two or three can pick it up with a bit of
guidance.
"The
Reader Rabbit series can't be beat for teaching cognitive skills, such as math and phonics, and
Math Blaster 4-6 is also a favorite," Wagner said. "If you are going to get only one program, however, make it
Kid Pix. You can't go wrong."
