Friday I attended a kindergarten class where technology was being used. I was invited by the teacher to observe the class to see how those young students interact with technology. I was informed they would be using technology to make a Skype call to someone in Canada. When I walked in they were setting up the projector for something else. They were on a little break and the classroom teacher was bringing up a little video for the students to dance too. One students was selected to use the smart board to select a song. They danced and had a lot of fun following the dancers on the projectors.
The next step was setting up for the Skype call. The students, I joke not; the kindergarteners setup the laptop, the microphone and plugged all the wires in so the laptop was connected to the projector and smart board. They took turns helping connecting the different devices together. Once everything was set up the teacher led the students through the process of testing the camera, to speakers and microphone. The students were very knowledgeable about the testing process, they go through it every time them make a Skype call. Once they were ready the teacher asked the students what message they send to the person they are calling. They knew the answer and helped one student was selected to type the message. They began the call.
The wonderful thing about this experience was seeing the students assemble the technology with little to no instruction from the teacher. It was just incredible. Another important thing for me to note is the teachers instilling a sense of digital citizenship in the students. They had tested their equipment and sent appropriate messages. They all had a wonderful time doing all that work, and were very excited. They didn’t get a chance to use Google World to find the location of their Skype caller, I’m hoping I get a chance to see that in future observations.
No comments:
Post a Comment