[comp.edu] Elementary Education

lvgst2@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Lawrence V Galati) (07/27/90)

	I have been asked to help design a course that would

be taught in an elementary school. The school has 215 students

from K - 8. Their computer equipment consists of 8 Appl IIc and

2 printers. 

	We have dicussed different possibilities on what to teach

the children. What we feel would be most helpful, is a course

that covers typing and practicle uses of the computer. At this time

teaching programing is not a major concern. 

	Any advise or scources of information would be apreciated.

Thanks in advance.  Reply on this net or write to:

			Lawrence V. Galati
			245 Linhart Lane
			Pittsburgh, Pa. 15236
			(412) 655-3554

notkemp@cs.toronto.edu (Kempton Lam) (07/28/90)

In article <26274@unix.cis.pitt.edu> you write:
>
>       I have been asked to help design a course that would
>
>be taught in an elementary school. The school has 215 students
>
>from K - 8. Their computer equipment consists of 8 Appl IIc and
>
>2 printers. 
>
>       We have dicussed different possibilities on what to teach
>
>the children. What we feel would be most helpful, is a course
>
>that covers typing and practicle uses of the computer. At this time
>
>teaching programing is not a major concern. 
>
>       Any advise or scources of information would be apreciated.
>
>Thanks in advance.  Reply on this net or write to:
>
>                       Lawrence V. Galati
>                       245 Linhart Lane
>                       Pittsburgh, Pa. 15236
>                       (412) 655-3554
>
>
>
>
>
>
HyperCard [HC] by Apple is a GREAT GREAT medium for little kids to learn to use 
compuer. I've seen a vedio (probably by Apple) describing elementary school
students doing lots of interesting things using HC like creating different 
kind of adventure games. The students will enjoy playing with HC very much.



On the more serious side of HC, it is an excellent tool to do proto-typing.
We (in a 3 year graphics and user interface course) used HC to construct
proto-type of a VCR control panel, a turorial to teach user to use a graphics
package, and a replacement system for our library searching facility.




So the conclusion is that learning HC will be both enjoyable for the kids
and useful for them in the future.


Hope this may be useful for you.



yours sincerely,
K.L.

9007271450

===============================================================================
Kempton Lam                     It is our responsibility as scientists,knowing
				the great progress which comes from a 
				satisfactory philosophy of ignorance, the great
notkemp@cs.toronto.edu          progress which is the fruit of freedom of 
				thought, to proclaim the value of this freedom;
				** to teach how doubt is not to be feared but
				welcomed and discussed ** ; and to demand this 
				freedom as our duty to all coming generations.

				Richard Feynman 

sadlerl@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu (LoriLee M Sadler) (07/28/90)

In article <90Jul27.151355edt.6940@neat.cs.toronto.edu> notkemp@cs.toronto.edu (Kempton Lam) writes:
>
>In article <26274@unix.cis.pitt.edu> you write:
>>
>>       I have been asked to help design a course that would
>>
>>be taught in an elementary school. The school has 215 students
>>
>>from K - 8. Their computer equipment consists of 8 Appl IIc and
>>
>>2 printers. 
>>
>>
>HyperCard [HC] by Apple is a GREAT GREAT medium for little kids to learn to use 
>compuer. I've seen a vedio (probably by Apple) describing elementary school
>students doing lots of interesting things using HC like creating different 
>kind of adventure games. The students will enjoy playing with HC very much.


Sorry to burst your bubble, but Hypercard does not run on Apple IIc's or
any of the "apple" family of computers.  Hypercard requires a Macintosh
to run.  Vast quantities of educational software have been developed
for the Apple II<x> family of computers for children of the age you 
speak of and much of it is distributed at no charge or at a very
nominal charge.  Dilithium Press used to publish a catalog called
"Free and Almost Free Software for the Apple Computer".  I know they have
one out now for the Mac, so don't know if that means they've stopped
publishing the Apple version or not.  There is probably an Apple 
bulletin board in Pittsburgh from which you could pull a lot of this stuff
down. 

Good luck.

-LoriLee Sadler