Speaking with netbooks users in other schools, the first challenging step is changing your mindset - adapting your approach to day to day teaching to take advantage of this technology. You have to commit yourself, every lesson asking - How can the netbooks be used here, and effectively? Leaving old (safe) habits behind is difficult. New routines need to be established.
Allowing the children time to build up basic core computer skills have come to light this week. The children without these skills struggle to meet learning targets - some barely get beyond a title and date! Eek! The following skills (highlighted this week) have been the most important:
- Basic text editing: cursor keys, backspace, delete, enter, underline, allign left and right, center, undo
- Internet: search box, go back/forward one page,
- Keyboard & Mouse: left right hand buttons, copy, paste, shift, caps lock
With these embedded - work output has started to be more on target and less "you've done nothing here - ahhh!"
Tip of the week: number/label each netbook. Makes it easier to track technical problems, gives greater ownership to the children, responsibility for plugging it in correctly to charge and if connection to the server is dodgy they can save their work on the hardrive of that machine.
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