Re: What Do Teachers need to teach?

[Trevor & Ellen Witt <tewitt@es.co.nz>]

I have folllowed this dicusssion with keen interest.
This is the most sensible thing I have seen on the subject.

I am a Principal at a small rural school in New Zealand. I have a basic
knowledge of computers. Much of my wn development is self taught. It
involves maintaining my own and school computers, of which we install a
suite of 5 using Win 98 workgroups tomorrow.  I have been struggling with
LINUX for about a month . . but it is still a mystery to me, but I like the
things you people claim it gives us. But Windows works now!!!!!!   I can set
it all up and get it working and my stafff can do things with it right
now!!!!  This is the standard people expoect.  . . . for my staff computers
are a tool . . We are a year 1 to 6 school (Ages 5 to 11 years).
Any thing else and the computers would sit and collect dust.

Computers are to serve a number of purposes
        as a communication tool:  e-mail, multimedia presentations, web pages, 
                                word-processing, graphics.
        as an information gathering tool: The net, CD-ROM's 
        as an information analysis tool: Data base, spreadsheet, graphing etc.
        as a tool to deliver specific computer assisted learning.


I am not knocking what you are trying to do!!!!  but I have to make things
work now!
My hope is that I can establish a network of interested teachers in
Southalnd NZ, then greater NZ and that we can help each other to get to
grips with LINUX.


At 12:39 09/23/1999 -0700, you wrote:
>I want to shift the focus a bit.
>
>There are as many different kinds of teachers as there are people.  Each
>person approaches the task differently, and I think we need to focus a
>bit on those things a teacher need to do the job.
>
>1>    A teacher needs different information for grades K-6 than for say
>grades 6-12 (intentional overlap)  and a college professor's needs are
>different yet.
>
>2>    A teacher needs different information to teach computer basics
>than to teach a specific application which differs again from
>programming.
>
>3>    A teacher needs to have a CLEAR understanding of the information,
>and outside of the seminar/classroom model, narritve materials are just
>as useful as HOW-TO's.  It is often easier to work from "printed on
>paper information" if one is not accoustomed to sittin in front of a
>monitor for hours on end.
>
>4>    Plan materials with the concept of time in mind.  Most teachers
>teach more than one subject or subdivision of a subject, and need time
>to prepare for the next lesson. With less than an hour between classes,
>it is important that the material be divided into small segments of
>information (chapters)
>
>5>    Consider that these teachers have never used a computer beyond the
>basics of word processing, spreadheet and browser.   The material should
>be availible in three levels, each covering the same information in a
>different manner.  There is a great deal of importance in providing
>information in terms many laypersons can understand.  There are only a
>few teachers that have achieved the highest levels of computer
>knowledge, most are actually closser to the novice level.
>
>Regards
>Bill
>
>