[seul-edu] Reflexions on a KDE-Edu program

[Anne-Marie MAHFOUF <a-m.mahfouf@lineone.net>]

Hi all,

Here are some reflexions about what we try to do at the KDE-Edu
project.
Please feel free to add your thoughts about how to learn with a
computer,
what do you use at school, for doing what,...

KLearnSpelling aims to help the child learn to spell words.
I coded it from a "real-life" fact: in the UK (where I live) in
primary
schools, children have a small notebook in which they write each
week 10, 15
or 20 words. They have to learn them and they are given a test the
next week.

This exists also in the Netherlands and in France where children
learn words
before doing a "dictée" (a whole text you have to spell right).

The child MUST learn to spell the words, there is no way, whatever
fun you
can add with some graphical animations, that the computer will learn
the
words for him. So this is a boring task but a necessary one.

>From the child point of view, doing it on a computer is more fun.

>From the teacher point of view:
- he can get a score for each child as well as a list of the
mispelled words
- he can benefit from a database and not have the trouble to type
them all
- he can print them, print the scores, ...

The child can use the program at home and/or it can be used at
school.

But whatever you do, there will be words to learn and the child must

concentrate while doing this.

If we have a database of words, these words can then be re-used in
some games
like KHangMan (classical hangman game).

Here is an example of what the KDE-Edu project aims to do. There is
no need
for big software in primary schools. Small applications with a
well-defined
objective are OK.

For KLearnSpelling, the need to create a database in several
languages is
essential. Hence the appeal to get teachers'help.......

Thanks for having read it all!!!

If you want, you could answer by telling us if your school uses
Linux  or
windows (desktop, not network) and what software do you use.
What access do you have at your school network for your class in
terms of
time?
What do you think of KLearnSpelling?

Anne-Marie