When I was in Grade 12, I took my first computer course – Information Processing. In this course, we as students were expected to learn how to use various Microsoft programs such as MS Word and Exel. Our assignments were quite remedial and consisted of tasks such as:
1. Type the following passage into Word.
2. Underline the title.
3. Bold the first word in each sentence.
4. Use Word Art for your name.
Looking back on the objectives for this course I find it a bit shocking that this is how computers were being integrated into schools in 2003. As a student, I thought the course was great because it was effortless. I was able to go to class, finish the tasks in a few minutes and then spend the rest of the time socialising. Reflecting back on it as an adult, however, I know that it was not a meaningful course that taught me anything I used once I left grade school.
In the past fifteen years, it is fascinating how the teaching profession has evolved, and that many teachers all over the globe have changed how they view and teach with technology. It is no longer a set of skills that we teach; it is used to enhance and redefine student learning by integrating it in such a way that both teaches skills and allows students to personalize their learning.
I remember doing regimented lessons like that on a typewriter. Today, my students use Dance Mat Typing, which makes keyboarding gamified and it is engaging and fun for students. Yes, these skills may be obsolete, but it does not hurt to introduce proper keyboarding skills.
Hi Sarah
Many students and teachers still do not know how to use the copy and paste function. What is one technology expectation do you think students should have before they come into your classroom?
Christopher
(side-stepping in here, not trying to deflect the question for Sarah)
Christopher, how did you post an image in the comment? I’ve been trying to do that by linking to imgr through html with no luck. Did you host the pic somewhere first?
Thanks,
Scott
Hi Sarah, good to see you again!
I remember teaching a course like that – that’s how the curriculum and support texts were structured! I agree that integration is a much better way to teach and learn, but I have found that some of the basic skills are lacking… typing, copy/paste (as Christopher mentioned above), hyperlinking, working with tables and formatting for eg, and I end up having to teach them these as well as my science content or have poorly designed products. Part of me misses? the assumed skills. Thoughts?
Dave
I definitely think there is a time and place to teach tech skills. I have built in typing practice for instance into my literacy rotations, so students have an opportunity each week to practice typing. That being said, I don’t think a Grade 12 class where they are taught in isolation is something you would see at schools today.
I teach Grade 3 and in my school, this is the first time that students get laptops in our 1:1 program. For many of them coming in at the beginning of the year, they have little skills and knowledge on how to operate their Mac. There are some skills I teach the class such as where to write the website in the web browser, how to save a document and how to organize your desktop. As the year progresses, though, through collaborative projects and tasks students end up learning skills together and teaching each other and the skills-based mini-lessons dissolve. Also, students learn by mid-year how to search on their device and figure out some skills on their own. Reflecting back I haven’t explicitly taught a ‘tech’ skill since November of this year.