Sheila King On (18 Jun 96) was overheard to say to Bob Moylan
 SK> I have two reactions to this. The first is that is good to see you and
 SK> the others active in your school system.
 Griping without doing anything to try and change those things that
 need to be changed and, more importantly IMO, those things that a
 little activism CAN change is senseless.
 SK> The other reaction I have is: why are computers necessary at every
 SK> grade level including lower ones?
 I think it is not so much a question of necessity, in the sense that
 text books, paper, pencils are necessary, as it is a question of
 enhancing direct instruction.  One computer in a classroom offers
 or allows very little or no time for individual student use.  What it
 can (should?) be used for is an alternative or out and out
 replacement for those odious overheads.  I have seen creative
 elementary teachers using MECC software really grab the attention of
 the whole class in science lessons; in spelling, in teaching reading,
 even in that driest of subjects - math - :-/
 Elementary kids are products of the "video" age. I can't quote ANY
 research but I'd guess that kids easily get 50% or _more_ of their
 information from looking at and listening to TV (non junk TV); video
 tapes and, for what has to be an increasing number, cd-rom's.  My 9
 year old really likes "his" interactive encyclopedia on a cd; it
 isn't very comprehensive (designed for young children) but by
 learning how to use that he's also comfortable with The World Book
 and Encarta on cd.
 If he needs to look up something he knows how and doesn't have to
 wait around for someone to take him to the library.  If he can't find
 what he needs in what's available at home I can dial up the central
 library computer find out what is available at what branch and put a
 hold on it that's good for 24 hours.  I've seen LD resource teachers
 bring small groups into a lab sit the kids down at the machines, give
 them a general topic to write on and off they go...these have been
 kids who would sit and stare at a blank piece of paper forever.
 SK> What type of skills, etc. do you expect to see taught that cannot be
 SK> done (or done as effectively) without the computers?
 Unlike (the guy's name just went flying .. Bob something) who posted
 his draft for a 6th grade computer class I don't envision teaching
 typing at the elementary level; most if not all elementary schools
 are riddled with MAC's of one flavor or another with very good GUI's
 (elementary age kids hands won't make the stretch to all the keys
 anyway so why bother - it's not something they need to know YET)
 I don't see the regular classroom teacher relying on a machine to
 teach concepts.  What I can easily see is that same teacher using the
 machine to reinforce direct teaching, to provide her/him with an
 alternative to the "traditional" method of teaching x, y, or z.
 Access to the machine in the classroom is used as an incentive for
 this or that.  What most of the kids don't realize is that whatever
 they "get to do" has been pre-selected just for them by the teacher
 to, again, reinforce a possibly weak area.  I've seen two kids at a
 machine cooperate in ways they wouldn't have done at a table with
 paper/pencil...I've also seen them fuss at each other over control of
 the mouse...
 SK> Don't get me wrong.
 Never..
 SK> I'm pushing for more computers at our school as well.
 So I've read.
 SK> I'm just curious as to why you see them necessary at your
 SK> children's school.
 Even tho the district as a whole is computer technology "deprived"
 there is a move at the middle and high school levels to require
 certain things be accomplished by students using a computer.  It's
 not been IMNSHO well thought out.  Most of the kids don't have a
 clue, many of the teachers don't either.  Case in point - my daughter
 when in high school (she graduated in 93) was required to bring in a
 blank formatted 3.5 disk - okay..no problem.  I asked her to find out
 from the teacher of the course what the drive capability was of the
 machine the disk would be used in and what the OS was and I'd format
 a disk and give it to her.  The response was "just a blank formatted
 disk will be fine" NOT... I did a 360, 720, 1.0 and 1.44 and sent
 them all in with her; one of them must have done the trick or else
 she found someone at school to reformat one. I never saw any of them
 again.  Simple question with a not so simple answer.  Her teacher
 probably thought I was nuts .. they all take the same size don't
 they?
 While that ^^ may not have directly answered your question maybe it
 helps to illustrate where I am now.  My 9 year old has access to my
 machine at home (he's passworded out of MY STUFF), he has done some
 major projects on the machine.  He was in a classroom with 25 other
 kids...including him, only 6 had access to a computer at home.  All 6
 did their projects using their home computers.  There just wasn't
 enough expertise, time or equipment at school to allow the rest to do
 the same kind of work...don't get me wrong they all did the work and
 it was fine, its just that the 6 stood above...
... It said "Insert disk #3"  but only two will fit.
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