[kictanet] Day 2 Laptops project: What Educational Content would support the Knowledge Objectives above(examples of educ. content/software used)

Thu Jun 13 08:15:31 EAT 2013

Hi,

I went though the Montessori system when I was in a City Council Kindergarten in the early 70's (yes I am that young) in preparation for the opposite ear touching entry exam for class 1 as I had been taught very little arithmetic's and trigonometry.  

In the so called "africanisation of eduation" before a click of so called indigenous educationists replaced it with what is today called the Kenya Headmistress Association (KHA) system where entry to class 1 includes a 3 hour written exam.

Maybe the "no child without a laptop" program will give us a chance to remedy the situation.

Program Objectives
Program Goals and Objectives
The primary goal of a Montessori program is to help each child reach  full potential in all areas of life.  Montessori materials promote the  development of social skills, emotional growth, and physical  
coordination as well as cognitive preparation.  Each classroom is a  
carefully planned and stimulating environment, in which children can  
play and learn.  Some specific goals and objectives are:
	1. To develop a positive attitude toward school and learning.
	2. To develop high self-esteem.
	3. To build concentration for lifelong study skills.
	4. To develop and foster an abiding curiosity.
	5. To develop initiative and persistence.
	6. To foster inner discipline and a sense of order.
	7. To develop sensory-motor skills in order to sharpen ability to discriminate and judge.
	8. To develop socially acceptable behavior.
School Objectives
	1. To facilitate the growth of a strong sense of discipline and complex reasoning.
	2. To develop in the child a sense of order, concentration skills, good coordination, self-confidence and independence.
	3. To create a warm and inviting classroom environment.
	4. To be responsible for the social, emotional, physical, spiritual and intellectual growth and progress of the child.
	5. To be responsible for the safety and physical well-being of the child at all times.
	6. To encourage parent participation in all school activities.

Let us remember that the project is to equip class 1 (primary) and not year 1 (university) students with laptops so we need to tone down on the need for Java and Perl programming as a requirement.

Regards

Robert Yawe
KAY System Technologies Ltd
Phoenix House, 6th Floor
P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
Kenya

Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

________________________________
 From: steve mutuvi <stevemutuvi at gmail.com>
To: robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk 
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> 
Sent: Wednesday, 12 June 2013, 21:13
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Day 2 Laptops project: What Educational Content would support the Knowledge Objectives above(examples of educ. content/software used)

@Barrack

Children present an interesting and unique user group who has in the
past received minimal attention from UI/UX experts.

The conventional Interaction design guidelines (for adult users) may not be applicable when designing for children.

Some important guidelines to follow while designing for children
include:-
*  Development of age-appropriate content -  A good example of age-appropriate content is BBC's
Bitesize.
	* http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/bitesize/

	* http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/maths/division/play/
*  Understanding children's mental models - Children and Adults don't have same mental models when it comes to understanding the world around them. For instance, in understanding  of mathematical concepts, children might not visualize subtraction in terms of 2-1=1but may best understand pictorial representation as follows.

* Use of appropriate language that children can understand.
*Consider ergonomic constraints that children will face while interacting with educational content. e.g font size and color contrast.
The above guidelines are by no means exhaustive but its a clear pointer that designing for children require careful planning.
Mutuvi.

On Mon, Jun 10, 2013 at 9:46 PM, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com> wrote:

Listers,
>
>Many thanks to all that have contributed to day ones discussion, feel free to continue posting your comments as we proceed. Day 2 will focus on education content:
>Question
>What Educational Content would support the Knowledge Objectives above(examples of educ. content/software used)?
>
>The floor is open.
>
>
>
>
>-- 
>Barrack O. Otieno
>+254721325277
>+254-20-2498789
>Skype: barrack.otieno
>http://www.otienobarrack.me.ke/ 
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-- 

There is always a way where there is a will.>>

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