So far most of us have been focusing on e-learning for teenagers and adults. However, once again I would lie to shift the focus onto e-learning for children. In one of my previous posts entitled ‘You Can Read’ I wrote about the e-learning opportunities available for children under the age of six. In this post I would like to focus on websites which help children learn and study better.
As the post entitled ‘Are We Digital Immigrants’ (posted by one of our colleagues) suggests, today’s adults (teachers included) were not always immersed in technology. While most of us have known to use technology from a young age, we still had to adapt to it at one time or another. Speaking from a personal perspective I was only encouraged to use the internet for my studies at around the age of 10. It was only at this age that my teachers began pushing me to search for information online, and at the time they seemed to only focus on sites such as Encarta and Britannia. Nevertheless, things have changed today. More and more children are encouraged to browse the net in order for them to search for information on different websites. The government is also contributing to e-learning by donating a number of computers for each classroom, leading to every child, from the age of 4/5 to be computer literate.
Nevertheless, despite all this it seems as though educators are stopping short of teaching children how to study using online sources. With the current shift in examination laws being the way it is (i.e. the removal of Junior Lyceum exams and the change of exams to tests with younger children) our youth are finding it harder and harder to adopt a good studying strategy. Hence this might deter them when they come to study for exams in secondary school. Most of the students already find studying boring, in a few years time it would get even worse since other sources of entertainment are readily available in their own homes.
Yet the solution might be just a click of a button away! Teachers educating our youth should give their students online studying tips. If they help the students search for websites which will help them study in a fun way kids may alter their perspective on learning (resulting in more children enjoying school and hopefully continuing school at a tertiary level). Online studying resources are readily available. Taking a look at some of these websites I too stopped to learn from them, let alone our kids! Take a look at this website and evaluate it for yourselves: http://www.e-learningforkids.org/
Why aren’t teachers using these sites? Do they fear that by encouraging children to use these sites they might get complaints from the parents? Is it because most parents (especially of older children) form part of the ‘digital immigrant’ era (http://mcast-elearn.blogspot.com/2010/06/are-we-digital-immigrants.html) hence they do not understand the truly educative opportunities that are accessible online?
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I agree with you Leanne. We should start encouraging teachers to reinforce such a tool in their classrooms especially for children of the age of 6 years and over. The website you have suggested is very good. I went through the site and tried out some of the courses myself. It was such great fun for me as an adult so imagine for kids.
ReplyDeleteI completely recommend it as it provides short online courses for students in math, science, english as a second language, health, computer skills, etc. Using such sites student will enjoy learning especially when it comes to science subjects. One of the themes on the website is exploring planets. This course is very well animated, in such a way that children will immediately remember certain new concepts introduced to them.
I concur with both Nadia and Leanne. Times change and we have to adapt to them. IT helps children to form study patterns, and assists them in research and creativity too. Many areas of study which in my day were confined to boring encyclopedias are now more interactive and colourful. But my concern is that are we preparing too much for the student and leaving none to his imagination? Just by glancing at the students we get at MCAST, many leave a lot to be desired. Will IT recover their interest? Just as the blog suggests, children have to start young with technology in the classroom. I think that children have to be stimulated to learn.
ReplyDeleteI have visited the website and some of the e-learning programmes are simply great. I completely agree with Nadia and 3M. Such e-learning programmes do not only make learning easier for children but they are changing the landscape of teaching. The fact that children are now being exposed to such a creative approach to learning, can only make them more creative. How can we teach our children to be creative without being creative ourselves? This is why the e-learning approach to teaching makes sense. It allows us to be creative in what we do.
ReplyDeleteHowever, it is crucial that the educational landscape changes from the very first years of teaching in school. Once students get used to the e-learning teaching environment, it would then be easier for the pattern to be used throughout all educational levels without fear of being unsuccessful. IT won't create interest at late stages if there is no familiarisation at previous levels of education. The interest comes solely from the individual student. I don't really think that students will progress further in their studies if they are taught in an e-learning environment. With this argument, we should not have progressed to where we are today because many of the teaching we experienced could have been boring or 'old fashioned'.
The interest has to come from within the person. The teacher can only make things interesting and much better presentable, however, it can't make children or students show the interest. Interest is like a magnet, the stronger teachers are to create the pull factor, the more students will be attracted and interested in the subjects. We should ensure that we have the necessary resources to invest in e-learning programmes throughout all the educational years of a student. The basis of everything is having a strategy for long term educational planning that can really improve the quality of our students. We need to be consistent at all levels.
Mariella
I agree with the above statements that e-learning has to start from a young age in order for them to be prepared when they enter MCAST. After all some of the problems encountered with MCAST students are a result of their educational background. Nevertheless this does not mean that we should ignore e-learning at our level. E-learning is important at all stages. We should not wait ten years to pass by to put this into practice. We need to start now.
ReplyDeleteMoreover if schools do not use these sites, parents can always introduce them to their kids. Education starts at home! If the parents show their approval for such learning facilities then the educational system may catch on!
Starting e-learning at a young age, more than anything will help the students' confidence to use the tool, such that it is just as easy and basic as sending an sms. At the end of the day, e-learning is an optional teaching tool which should be used when appropriate to the advantage of the student.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that it is a tool which is good for everyone and for all subjects but we should train our students to use e-learning and there is no better way than to indroduce it from a young age.
I can't understand why all of you (bloggers above) are talking like the internet was something which is alien to you. The internet, like mobile telephony and such media, is here to stay - deal with it.
ReplyDeleteStop stating the obvious - ALL children born from the early nineties onwards are children of the internet. Their perception of life can never be like ours granted but that doesn't make them any better or worse students then we were (still are) - they are just a different breed of learners.
In my view children should be introduced to computers at an early age. Having said this, we must keep in mind that it is not healthy for kids to spend 3 to 5 hours daily on a computer.
ReplyDeleteParents must guide their children how to properly use the PC but at the same time they must ensure that time spent is limited to a few hours. Kids should be encouraged and exposed to interactive games and sports away from the monitor. So many more senses are brought into play in games / sports than just clicking a mouse!
I agree with what Mr.Gilbert said as I think that children born in this age are computer oriented from their first years, and they are much more capable in this area than we realise. From their first year at school they are taught this subject, which they will already be familiar with. For example, nowadays a five or six year old can instruct you how to surf the internet, how to find certain sites and how to send e-mails.
ReplyDelete