What cool new things are COMPUTER EXPLORERS kids doing in classes this year?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  What an opportunity you have given me for shameless self-promotion, and I am going to take advantage of it! But it’s not just kids we’re talking about ...

Preschool:   Our 3-4-5’s are using the iPad and educational apps to reinforce reading, math, science.  They love “iWrite Words,” an app that teaches letter and word formation.  Added fun is tilting the iPad so that the letters “go down the bathtub drain,” as one four-year old said.  Another favorite unit is writing music on the computer and dancing on a computerized six-foot floor piano – no worries about childhood obesity in our classes!

After school fun for school agers:  “Razzle Dazzle Robotics” is a combination of MIT’s Scratch and LEGO’s WeDo.  Students build and program robots that, in turn, control the computer!  The “Scrap Happy” course uses Web 2.0 tools for virtual scrapbooking that students can share with their friends online.

In school applications: Schoolagers are creating databases about volcanoes, posting blogs about the Civil War, and starting up their own home-based businesses.  Our kids do everything from walking dogs to designing Websites!

Community classes for adults:  My favorite this year is the Skype course; I use Skype every week to read to my preschool grandchildren, share their art work and sing silly songs.  We teach how to set up Skype, use the toolbars and have video-conferencing. It’s a great way to have a family reunion and it’s FREE!

Professional development for teachers:  The Skype course for teachers to reach out to schools around the world is very cool, but so is “Get Smart,” a four-hour course in using interactive whiteboards creatively in the classroom.  Teachers especially enjoy the virtual tours of museums or, at the other extreme, soaring through outer space. During the course, some teachers even stay through lunch so that they can “play” some more!

Watch for our new Website to go live in a couple of weeks!  You’ll see an overview of everything we do!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

I saw a blog post about not using computers in a preschool.  Why SHOULD we use computers?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  Obviously I am biased, but I think computer use by young children is great… when done appropriately! 

Whether the children are in a preschool or at home, we need to establish some good guidelines for preschooler use of computers.  Let’s look at five simple “rules” based on common sense:

1.     Computer time should be limited.  Conflicting research abounds about the “dangers” of using a computer.  I think the simplest rule is that the preschooler should use the computer for about 30 minutes, and then move to some other activity that is less sedentary.  Using a kitchen-timer to let the children know the time is up, releases you from the unpopular role as enforcer!

2.    The computer should be used as a shared learning tool, not as a baby-sitter.  A friend, a parent or a teacher should interact with the child as he/she is playing games to share the fun and enhance the learning.  Talking and giggling should be encouraged!

3.    The software or Website choices should be evaluated carefully.  Marketing people, not educators, write the blurbs on the software boxes.  Be sure that the activities are age/developmentally appropriate for the children in your class (or in your kitchen!)  If a child isn’t ready for the activity, he/she will want to move on.  Let him go!

4.    The computer can support what you are already teaching in class.  If the children are learning their capital letters, choose a computer activity that reinforces capital letters.  If they are doing puzzles at the math center, choose a computer puzzle activity.  The same skills are used when putting a virtual puzzle together as a 3-dimensional one.  The children still look for straight edges, color combinations and try to see the “whole picture” when working with the “parts.”

5.    Create a comfortable computer center – chairs should allow the children’s feet to reach the floor, the keyboard and mouse should be handy at the bent elbow position, and the monitor should be at the child’s eye-level.  A preschooler isn’t comfortable having to crane his neck to see the action on a screen that is tilted for an adult, just as you probably aren’t too comfortable crouching on those little red plastic chairs that are 18 inches off the ground!

My overall belief is Moderation in Everything … too much computer use probably isn’t good for a preschooler.  Neither is eating too much candy or staying up too late.  (Of course as an adult, YOU can stay up all night eating Peanut M&M’s while watching YouTube videos … or writing blogs about what preschoolers should and should not do!)

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

I need credibility in my first job teaching tech in a K-8 school. Can COMPUTER EXPLORERS help me?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  Like the Boy Scouts, BE PREPARED!  Know exactly what you’re doing before the first student enters the classroom.

Sometimes the planning gets overwhelming! When we train our COMPUTER EXPLORERS technology teachers, we use a checklist for preparation to help them start the year with confidence.  The process is simple, but effective. Below are our top-ten checkpoints.

1.    Use a calendar.  Block off holidays and school release days so that you know exactly how many consecutive teaching weeks you have during the school year.

2.    Decide which applications you are going to teach:  keyboarding, word-processing, Internet research and safety, graphics, multi-media presentations, spreadsheets and/or databases.  Plan class time for reviewing basic computer operations and implementing pre/post tests.  You may not have time to teach all applications each year, so prioritize them.

3.    Lay out your plan.  How many teaching weeks will you devote to each application?  Plan around school vacations; avoid having a two-week break, for example, in the middle of teaching databases.

Try to keep all grade levels working on the same application at the same time – not doing the same activity, of course, but if everyone is working on multimedia presentations in January, your preparation will be easier.

When are parent nights, community events, conferences?  Your plan should allow for completed student projects to be displayed, so that parents can see what their children are learning.

4.    Learn the rules of the road.  What is the school’s acceptable use policy (AUP)? What filters and safety features are on the school’s computers?  Will they impact your teaching plans?

5.    Meet with the classroom teachers or grade level heads to learn what core topics are being covered, and when.  Does that information impact your calendar? If the students have a research project due in March, plan to teach Internet research skills before they begin their projects.

6.    Decide which skills you are going to teach within each application.  At what age, for example, should the students learn about auto-outlining in word-processing?  When should formula-writing be introduced to spreadsheets?  Keep in mind the spiral curriculum process: plan to introduce skills in one year and master the skills the following year.

7.    Create sample projects for each application and each grade level.  Follow your own skill development plan (item 6). Make the content of the project age and developmentally appropriate.  Use your projects to introduce the application and to guide student expectations for their completed work.

8.    Foster team work and collaborative learning.  Research shows that students learn more when working together on projects. At least part of your teaching should allow for two children working together.

9.    Decide your behavior management strategies.  Cooperative work when using a single computer is interactive by its very nature.  Work with the students to decide together what the “rules” will be (but you are allowed to contribute to the list!)

We use Kagan’s “Win-Win Discipline” for our teachers.  Not only does it help the teacher decide on strategies, it also helps them to figure out WHY students might be disruptive.

10.  Keep the classroom teachers/administrators involved.  Get input on your projects and ideas. Confirm priorities.  Did the core curriculum plan change?  Is the school undergoing accreditation? Post sample work on the school Website, in the classroom or in school display cases.  Print sample projects for distribution to the staff. Toot your students’ horns … (and yours!)

If your school does not have a technology curriculum, you might ask the administrator to contact COMPUTER EXPLORERS.  We license our curriculum with its full scope and sequence, sample projects, etc. for use by the school’s technology integration specialists.  Then you can devote your time to having fun in the classroom!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

I need to attend a training virtually. Will video Skype work ? I had some past problems with it.

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  The short answer is “Yes! You will never buy another plane ticket!”

Well, perhaps I am exaggerating a little about the plane tickets, but we used video Skype for a similar training situation last March; one of the attendees had a sudden medical emergency so could not attend.  The video Skype worked perfectly!  We even projected her on the big screen (until she realized that sickly pallor wasn’t her best look, and asked to be “minimized”).

I would guess that the problem that you mentioned in your email about video lag when your daughter was in France had to do with the amount of broadband width that was available to her.  An Internet café or a hotel does not always have the best service. We video Skype weekly with our son and granddaughter in Minnesota with no glitches (except when she moves too quickly and the camera can’t keep up with her!)  My husband video Skyped from Kuwait a year ago, and the COMPUTER EXPLORERS team felt as though we were in the middle of the sandstorm gusting outside his hotel room!

The only difficulty that we had during the training was moving the laptop and camera around so that they were facing the speaker.  Ours was a very interactive and informal setting without a stationary presenter.  Physically moving the equipment wasn’t a problem, but the lighting changed and consequently the quality of the outgoing video wasn’t consistent.  At first we had the laptop and camera sitting on a rolling chair, but it worked best when we had it on a fixed podium with the camera at face level with those around the room.  Sometimes our virtual trainee didn’t see the speaker, but occasionally we walked over to the laptop and addressed her directly.  If you have a front-of-the-class presenter, the logistics will be very simple!

I think you will find that video Skype is an excellent way to attend and participate in the meeting; frankly, I wouldn’t bother asking them to make the video and DVD that you mentioned unless you have other reasons for recording the sessions. I think you’ll feel as if you are right in the middle of things.

Currently COMPUTER EXPLORERS is writing a video Skype curriculum to be used in its elementary school classrooms.  We plan to use Skype to communicate around the world to discuss the twenty global issues in last week’s blog post!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

You said that COMPUTER EXPLORERS curriculum can affect the world.  Would you explain that, please?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  ISTE Keynote speaker Jean Francois Rischard made an impact when he discussed 20 Global Issues, 20 Years to solve them.

The light bulb that flashed in my brain during the Keynote presentation was so vivid that I felt like a cartoon character!  When Rischard asked, “Why are students studying the League of Nations today instead of the impact of the Gulf oil spill?”, I realized that I could be part of the solution!

COMPUTER EXPLORERS teaches applications through project-based learning to thousands of students each week.  They learn the tools of PowerPoint, for example by creating a sample project facilitated by the technology teacher; when they finish the sample project, they use their new skills to create an independent presentation about what they are studying in their classrooms.   Simple. Straight-forward. Accomplishes technology and educational goals at the same time. Reinforces core curriculum so students perform better on tests. Kids love it. Teachers are delighted. Parents are pleased. Administrators are happy. All good…

The light bulb: I made up the rules, and I can change them!!

We are missing an incredible opportunity! The curriculum developers or I choose the content of the sample project.  That topic might be simple machines, the solar system, ancient Greece, math probabilities … all good topics, to be sure!  But we can instead introduce the students to global issues and inspire some critical thinking!  (And lest you think I’m going overboard, students will continue to use their classroom content during their independent project.) 

CE curriculum writers, beware! This power is going to my head! As we begin writing our new sample projects for Office 2010, Google Docs, wikis and blogs, I expect you to be well-informed on fisheries depletion, deforestation, natural disaster prevention, and intellectual property rights.  I will miss the Greeks gods and the Mayans, but we will leave them to the classroom teachers.

COMPUTER EXPLORERS CAN affect the world … and we WILL make a difference!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

I saw your Tweet. What does COMPUTER EXPLORERS think about paying kids to do better on tests?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  I think if I were paid for my passion, I would have a lot of money in the bank!

Anne Kleinsasser, my high school English Literature teacher, bellowed Hrothgar and Hrunting in a voice that convinced us she was a direct descendent of Grendel!  The walls literally vibrated as she read the battle scenes aloud!  Her passion for literature motivated me to want to become an English teacher too.

Those of us who are leading the learning need to be passionate about our subjects! 

According to the article from Education Week that sparked your question, we need to consider what motivates students and, more importantly, what motivates them at different ages.  Little ones may be motivated by a sticker on a chart tracking the number of books read.  Middle school students are motivated by the latest tech in their hands or shoes on their feet. High school students apparently are motivated by money (probably to buy new tech for their hands or shoes for their feet). I am motivated by a love of learning; my brain overflows with trivia.

How do we get from stickers on a chart to love of learning  … which will translate into better test performance?  Not with money for test-takers. Not with bored and weary teachers, but by igniting the passion that will inspire the students to learn!

I think my husband (who is a businessman) would be a great physics teacher … because he loves space and math and the mystery of the Theory of Everything.  He goes to NASA at least every six weeks to see what’s new in the exhibits.  If he were in the classroom, he would inspire students to become engineers and scientists and lead the STEM initiatives.

My friend Beverly, an events planner, could be an amazing botany teacher because plants are her passion; she loves nurturing them and takes personal pleasure when they flourish. Her excitement is contagious - to the point that I bought three plumeria even though I have a notoriously black thumb!  (They are growing, but not blossoming, which is actually progress for me!)  Lorri is an operations manager with a quirky sense of humor and great stream of consciousness writing; if she were teaching creative writing, a whole new genre would be invented by her students!

Perhaps we should think not so much about what motivates students, but rather what motivates passion in educators!  Like Stella, maybe we need to get our groove back so that students don’t have to be paid to perform!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

How do COMPUTER EXPLORERS classes bridge the science gender gap between boys and girls?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  We have creative summer and after school courses that encourage girls to opt-in for STEM fun!

Rebecca Parrent is listening for squeals. The girls in Adams County, Colorado are doing what all kids do in camp – making arts and crafts and having fun.The unexpected twist is that they are learning about computer science and engineering.

The first time she heard them, the squeals of delight took Rebecca by surprise. Now she simply waits for them, and she doesn’t have to wait long!

“Oooooh, this is so COOL!”

Parrent, a COMPUTER EXPLORERS owner, has a daughter herself and is on a mission: engage elementary and middle school aged girls with technology that is fun, and keep them interested as they mature.

Squeals are great, but the stakes are high. Between 2000 and 2005, the number of incoming undergraduate women majoring in computer science fell 70 percent, according to the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines (STEM) have experience similar dramatic drops. The gender gap is real, and has its roots in elementary and middle school.

COMPUTER EXPLORERS doesn’t just want to bridge this gap; we want to blow it up! “We’re making technology come to life, making it fun. When it becomes fun, girls forget the stigma STEM subjects have,” Parrent says.

In one course the girls build a house with Lego’s but add sensors that switch on lights, open doors and operate fans. Younger girls create a robotics-based birthday cake with candles that light up, and that sings recorded songs upon command. More sophisticated robots and video game programming follow.

“Things start lighting up, making noises and literally make STEM subjects come to life,” Parrent reports. “We’re not lecturing girls or making them memorize the way they do in the traditional classroom; we’re making it fun.”

COMPUTER EXPLORERS around the US and in Europe, Asia and Africa offers technology education classes in schools, after school programs, summer camps and recreation centers.

And judging by the noise coming from Adams County camps in Colorado this summer, the squeals could be the beginning of STEM-based careers for a new generation of girls!

Courtesy of Thomas Scott, Brand Journalist

What I learned when Miss Thompson flipped her wig!

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

School is over for the summer, but lifelong lessons last … a lifetime…

Several articles I read recently started me thinking about my teachers and what they had taught me that had nothing to do with core curriculum.

Our seventh grade class had voted not to have a Valentine exchange because we were too old for such baby stuff; but as the day drew closer, we started rethinking the decision and I was “elected” to ask if we could vote again.  I approached Miss Johnson with some trepidation, and posed the question.  “Of course,” she said and paused. “You may vote as many times as you want, but you’ll have to live with your first decision.” Decades later I consider: If I make this choice, will it be another Valentine box?

No one from Lincoln Elementary School will forget the flamboyant art teacher! Mrs. Fitzgibbons wore lots of jewelry and flowing clothes, and had known Walt Disney; she talked endlessly about him and we rolled our eyes. Our fourth grade art class was creating a bucolic mural (in retrospect, it probably had something to do with sod busting because I recall a lot of green and brown paint); each of us had a section to add, but my cows looked like dogs and my dogs looked like goats.  In a fit of “who cares what the world thinks!” I drew a four-legged creature of unknown genus, painted it pink with purple spots, and stood back waiting for the reprimand.  I knew that I would have to cover it over with a red-sided barn, but Mrs. F’s unexpected response was “Walt would have LOVED that horse! He wanted art to show the joy in people’s hearts!” and the “horse” stayed in the mural. If life gets routine, I try to add a pink horse!

The stories could go on, of course, because each teacher contributed more than classroom content to my life. But I saved the best for last!

As Miss Thompson paced about the eighth grade classroom lecturing animatedly on the wintry trials of Valley Forge, a hanging plant snatched her wig askew; without a flinch she ignored our snickers and carried on with her hair at a rakish angle.  Her goal was to communicate how the soldiers persevered under adversity because they believed in what they were doing… and she did!

Forget the interactive whiteboards, the iPads, and Web 2.0 … How are we REALLY teaching everyone around us?

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

Why does COMPUTER EXPLORERS support Common Core Standards?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  Because we live in a mobile society and our children are being penalized by not having a consistent “building block” education!

My own experience as a teacher in five different states and in the Department of Defense schools provided a revelation in how education varied in the US!

The tenth grade English students in my classes in the public schools of the Chicago suburbs could not have competed successfully against the “same” students in my private school classes in Georgia …NOT because the Illinois children were not as smart nor because the Georgia teachers had more tools or experience.  The students simply didn’t study the same things at the same time, so trying to test the concepts nationally during 10^th grade necessarily penalized one group or the other…

Pity the poor child who moves from one state to another!  He might never be introduced to a concept at all!  Let’s oversimplify the issue and hypothesize that in second grade in New Jersey, the children learn about levers.  And in Virginia they learn about levers in third grade.  The child from Virginia who moves to New Jersey between second and third grade is never introduced to levers at all … and struggles through physics classes in seventh grade as a result!  He is unlikely to consider a career in science, because he already knows he “isn’t smart enough.”

Reading the Common Core Standards for Mathematics and for English Language Arts (and anticipating the standards for Science and History) is exciting for those of us who have taught students who move around the country, or even from suburb to suburb!  Just knowing that the students have been introduced to a common knowledge base makes our jobs so much easier!

The secret, of course, is NOT to accept the standards and keep on with our usual kind of instruction. What better teachers we can become by adding today’s technology to the mix!  If I am a fifth grade math teacher in California, I can connect on Twitter or Facebook with a fifth grade math teacher in Florida.  We can share lesson plans and project ideas, set up wikis for cooperative learning across the country, plan Skype calls for our students to collaborate—easy to do because we are studying the same topics! We can truly become a nation of learners, not restricted by state lines, city boundaries or political agendas!

Want to know more about Common Core standards from the writers?  Sign up for the Webinar on June 30!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Development

Your Kid Needs to Play More Video Games in Class!

Posted by Deb Evans

COMPUTER EXPLORERS wants to see your children play video games in the classroom

Actually, Deb Evans, CEO of COMPUTER EXPLORERS, wants your kids to experience what video games call an “epic win”: she wants them to solve problems they didn’t think they could solve using creative thinking and innovation so they have regular learning breakthroughs.

“When people think of video games, they think of lethargic kids staring at computer screens,” said Evans. “The reverse is true; video games teach kids that creative thinking and problem-solving can conquer most scenarios and solve most problems.  When kids learn to innovate, they have learning breakthroughs; innovation is the key to helping an entire generation of kids perform at higher levels.”

COMPUTER EXPLORERS uses specially designed video game curriculum, robots, 3-D worlds and other cutting edge technology as part of its TechStars program for grade school students.  We teach extra-curricular classes at schools all over the country and in five foreign countries, often incorporating technology education into after school programs and summer sessions.

These classes are making a difference in traditional schools that can’t always keep technology current or afford to staff specifically trained instructors.  Evans is not alone; educational experts including Jane McGonigal, a PHD researcher with The Institute of the Future in Palo Alto, CA, are making the case that video games belong in the classroom and that we have to innovate the way we teach our children if we want to catch up to other countries.

“We want to teach American children how to learn, and we are achieving a learning breakthrough one child at a time,” said Evans.  “If we do it using technology that makes kids hungry for learning, everybody wins!”

Who or what is ISTE? Why does COMPUTER EXPLORERS quote them all of the time?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  The acronym doesn’t stand for the Interesting Site for Toys and Electronics, but you might make that mistake if you attend the national conference in Denver this month!

The International Society for Technology in Education, (ISTE) is a large, amorphous organization composed of educators, techies, and futurists … all interested in how new technology can be adapted to/for better education.

If you want your children to compete in tomorrow’s marketplace, you need to be sure that they are well-trained in using technology – everything from basic computer applications to whatever is just coming over the horizon!

We reference the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) in a lot of our materials and on our Website. ISTE members from around the world collaborated to publish the standards which influence the teaching and use of technology in schools.  (See the sidebar of this blog.) We at COMPUTER EXPLORERS constantly evaluate our curriculum and our staff training to be sure that we meet and/or exceed those standards.  We also are part of the ISTE 100, a group of corporations who support the educational and technology goals of the organization.  So ISTE is very important to us at COMPUTER EXPLORERS!

But ISTE isn’t all pedagogy. Yes, CE attends the ISTE conference to be sure that the students in our classes are using cutting edge  technology in the present, and that they are prepared to use new technology in the future.  But we also want to play with the toys!

I think of the ISTE Conference in three main segments:

·         Keynote Speakers

·         Sessions and Workshops

·         Exhibits

The keynote speakers set the stage for inspirational “big-picture thinking”.  The opening speaker, Jean-Francois Rischard is a world-renowned economist and will discuss how 21st Century global education systems can join forces to shape the future.  (Now THAT’s a big picture!)

The sessions and workshops take the “big picture” into the real world of the classroom, covering everything from implementing 3-D online gaming and virtual worlds as instructional tools, to using Twitter to teach creative writing!  (The latter workshop is one that might coax me back into the classroom!)

But the exhibit hall is the place to get your hands on the newest and most innovative teaching toys …er…tools! Last year I saw an interactive table and software originally designed for architects to collaborate, but adapted to help autistic children learn to relate to each other by putting puzzles together.  Two children had to work together to move the puzzle pieces; the pieces were large enough so that the children did not have to come into physical contact with each other, but they had to talk to each other and cooperate to move the pieces. This year should provide an exciting forecast with iPad technology, interactive e-textbooks, and global workstations.

If you’re in Denver at the end of June, stop by the Convention Center!  You will have a great time!  If not, I’ll be blogging from the conference!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curricuum, and Program Development 

My daughter Zoe is almost 3, knows her letters and wants to sound words out.  Can software help?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  The key is to build on her interest in reading now, but for YOU not to be frustrated when next week she decides that chalk drawing on the sidewalk or playing with Thomas the Tank Engine is far more entertaining!

I do have some software suggestions. Keep in mind that Zoe will learn the most if a parent shares the computer activity, just as when you read together.  “Lap ware” means exactly that … the child has more fun with software when sitting on the parent’s lap!

The Giggles Baby software series is terrific, and don’t be misled by the word “Baby” in the title.  Many of the activities are appropriate for much older children…even up to ages 5-6.  One nice aspect of the software is that it blocks access to the other files and folders on your computer.  You can safely let your daughter learn with Giggles without worrying that she will hit the wrong key and delete your accounting software!

Another title that I recommend is KidPix Deluxe 4.  This software has a variety of activities – from creative art to word-processing. It doesn’t have text for Zoe to read or sound out, but you can have a good time creating words together.  She can select C-A-T and sound out the word cat … and then stamp a picture of a cat next to the word.  You can construct the words instead of taking them apart.

After Zoe gets the idea of using the computer for words and stories, she will love the new ItzaBitza and ItzaZoo software that combines art and reading.  It is absolutely magical, and children in our preschool classes love it!

Obviously you are already reading to her, and I’m sure that Dr. Seuss and Richard Scarry books are scattered throughout the house!  Another of my favorite series is the Bob Books.   They have good clear illustrations in primary colors and silly, simple plots.  (The dog saw the hat; the dog sat on the hat; the hat was flat.)  They are solidly constructed, so when Zoe gets bored, tosses it across the room and goes in search of her chalk, the book won’t be damaged.  They have a great blog about teaching kids to read which will give you some ideas too.

Get some hints about choosing software for preschoolers from our August 28 blog.  Thanks for writing!!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

We have funding for prof development for preschool staff. What can COMPUTER EXPLORERS do for us?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  Let’s take a look at last week’s blog … what is your goal for the professional development?  And based upon your goal, what do you need to do to accomplish it?  Maybe COMPUTER EXPLORERS can be the solution, or part of the solution, or ... maybe we aren’t what you need!

Do you want to improve teaching, build better communication skills between parents and teachers, create a technology learning center, use interactive whiteboards?  As a type-A personality, I’m all about the goal and the steps to meet it!

1.      Get input from your staff.  What you, the director of the preschool, think the teachers need may not be what they want to learn!  Once you respond to their immediate needs, the teachers are more likely to respond to what you want accomplish.

2.      Schedule the PD course at a convenient time. When will your teachers be happy to learn? Do you have regular in-service meetings which can be combined with professional development?  Can you hire substitute teachers for a Friday afternoon?

3.      Provide an incentive to attend.  Most directors pay for time that is mandated for meetings or professional development.  But in addition, what other incentive can you offer?  Will the teachers get CEU’s for the time in class?  Will they get special recognition at a parent meeting?  Will you submit an article to the local newspaper with their picture?

4.      Get dynamic presenters. Even if the presenter is saying the same thing that you always preach, people tend to pay more attention to an “expert” from the outside.  The information may be the same as what they have heard in the past, but the content will have more meaning because it doesn’t come from you!

Back to your question…what can COMPUTER EXPLORERS do for you?  We have a series of 4-hour courses that are great, PROVIDED they meet your goals.  Don’t spend money just because you have it … spend it on what you need and what your teachers want!

Below are three of our PD courses. (Of course we have lots more!) They can be given in four one-hour sessions, in two two-hour sessions or in one long class…whatever works for you!

·          Get Smart:  using the interactive whiteboard as a teaching tool.  Your teachers probably know how to plug it in, turn it on and calibrate it.  But then do they simply use the IWB as a projector?  And after you’ve spent all that money?

·          Not Just Fun and Games: using the computer as a learning tool in the preschool classroom. Research has shown that using the computer in the classroom enhances student learning and socialization.  Do you know how to set up an ergonomically correct learning center? How to select the best software … and how to integrate it into your lessons?  Or do your teachers use it as a baby-sitter?

·          Twitter is Not for the Birds: Professional Development…using 140 characters at a time! Social media allows access to insights from fellow educators.  What can people learn about you and from you? Use LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to connect with peers around the world.  Your teachers can design their own professional development and share their expertise at the next staff meeting!

If you 1) have input from your staff and you know your goals, then COMPUTER EXPLORERS can definitely 2) accommodate your schedule 3) award CEU’s and 4) provide dynamic presenters!  Thanks for writing!  Click here for a CE owner near you!

How would COMPUTER EXPLORERS spend federal money on education technology?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer: You have asked the million dollar question! Getting the funds is the “easy” part.  Using the funds wisely is the issue!  And part of the problem is the chicken/egg conundrum:  What comes first?

Let’s scale the problem down to a single family – mine.  If my goal were to earn a living as a digital photographer, for example, I would need to have an excellent camera, a computer with a lot of memory, good editing software, a super monitor, a quality printer…and training to use all the tools.  Do I know how to market my new business?  Who is my target client? If one of the ingredients is missing, my new career is doomed! The key is to look at what I have/know currently, and what I need to grow.  I would need help in the decision-making!

Using the same method, what goal am I (a school administrator) meeting by investing in education technology in our schools? We in the US need

A population with a solid base of core knowledge (math, science, history, language arts), with marketable skills now…AND marketable skills in the future.

When using education technology to meet that goal, administrators need help in the decision-making.

Questions to ask:

1.      What will change by using education technology?

a.      Better performance on standardized tests?

b.      Better prepared students for career choices?

c.       Better technology skills for teachers?

d.      What impacts the above changes?

2.      Hardware/software:  How up-to-date is my equipment?

a.      Do I have quality high-speed Internet access for research?

b.      Will my students be able to compete in the marketplace because they have application and/or programming skills?

c.       What peripherals will enhance learning and how do I know they will help? Should I invest in eReaders, interactive white boards, remote survey and testing tools?  What does research say about these tools?

3.      Teachers:  Will my teachers embrace the education technology?

a.      Are they excited about professional development in general?

b.      Do they know how to use the tools that we have?

c.       Are they willing to use new tools?

d.      Do they integrate technology into teaching core subjects?

4.      Outcomes:  How do I know that I have met my goal?

a.      How long will I take to evaluate better performance?  (1 year? 3 years? 5?)

b.      What tools will I use to evaluate?

c.       How will I use the results to make future decisions?

The answer to your question “How would COMPUTER EXPLORERS spend money on education technology” is as varied as each school system itself. Once the administrators answer the questions, THEN they are ready to apply for federal funds!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

What does COMPUTER EXPLORERS think will be the “ed tech of the future”?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  The “ed tech of the future” is in your hands right now!

The field of education adapts slowly to new technology … but with tech-savvy students (and parents!) standing in line for iPads, educators and administrators are going to have to leave the safety of the past and embrace the now!

All of us who have been using our personal smart phones and wireless cards and e-readers over the past few years are ready to embrace their use in the classroom! I was delighted when I first learned to text and could get immediate input while sitting in a meeting. When American Idol and Dancing with the Stars uses text messages for voting, and kids prefer to text rather than email, teachers need to consider seriously how their students can use smart phones for test-taking, Internet research and collaborating on Wikis.  (Our March Technology Education Trends newsletter touches on how text-messaging can be used to teach writing!)

My tech life changed for a second time when I got my wireless card a few years ago; I can be connected all the time, anywhere in the US … connecting with friends, doing research, catching up on email, even accessing my computer in the office.  What a boon for education … students can participate in international discussion groups, collaborate on term papers, be involved in global education without the constraints of geography or time zones!

When I got my Kindle 2 eighteen months ago, my life changed again… thousands of books at my finger-tips, even in the middle of the night!  When I travel, I can take 60-100 books with me and not have to pay for another suitcase on the airline! If education can embrace e-readers, students can do away with their rolling back-packs!!  And if educators can embrace interactive e-readers, students can read and edit their own text books!  Two years ago at ISTE (NECC), an engineer explained how he published his textbook online, and that within hours students were footnoting and making suggestions – his static book that would have taken nearly seven years to get into the hands of students was the home of lively interaction immediately!

Even more heartening about today’s technology becoming the ed tech of the future, is how e-readers can marginalize the effects of extremists.  I live in Texas, where the state is rewriting history … and because Texas buys so many text books, the publishers are worried that they may have to print those books to stay solvent.  But with e-readers, the rest of the world won’t have to teach around what Texas mandates, and can have their own interactive versions of the engineering textbook for history, science, math and language arts.

And in the last year, social technology has been building momentum and is likely to become a fundamental education tool – we already know how Twitter has impacted current events, and LinkedIn allows us to learn from professional peers.  Foursquare is a social network tracking/communication system; I think it (or its counterparts) can become part of the future world of education – allowing virtual communication to come full circle and back to impromptu in-person collaborations.

The future of educational technology is in your hands…literally!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Developmen

What is TIMSS? What is STEM? What is NETP? I am a parent and I am confused!

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:   And I am a teacher worried about our children’s future!

Today’s education isn’t rocket science … but it should be!

For the past two hundred years, the US prided itself on being at the forefront of education and opportunity … but no longer!  Unless we act, our children will not have the same opportunities that we have had, because they will not be educated enough to take advantage of them! People entering the work force today are the first generation to be MORE POORLY EDUCATED than the people who are leaving! (Washington Post, April 13, 2008)

TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study) measures the achievement scores of students in 4^th and 8^th grades around the world; the US is falling behind and fast losing its industrial and economic edge in a global economy.  In 1995 the US students ranked in 2^nd or 3^rd place in the world. In 2007, US fourth graders ranked 11^th in math achievement while US eight graders ranked 9^th; fourth graders ranked 6^th and eighth graders ranked 10^th in science … behind such diverse countries as Singapore, Japan, England and Russia.  How do we catch up? 

Supporting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) literacy in our schools will get us back on the right track to success!  Many students today think that such courses are “boring” or “too hard,” but they probably haven’t been exposed to the fields in an interactive and exciting environment.  From programming robots, creating video games, and building simulations to using smart phones for geo-caching, hands-on experience inspires students to think critically, learn deeply and appreciate fundamentals.

The NETP (National Education Technology Plan) was released March 5, 2010, by the US Department of Education.  It focuses not on how we educated in the past, but how we need to educate for the future. It embraces technology and its applications.   

Education is the key to America’s economic growth and prosperity and to our ability to compete in the global economy. It is the path to good jobs and higher earning power for Americans. It is necessary for our democracy to work. It fosters the cross-border, cross-cultural collaboration required to solve the most challenging problems of our time. 

Give your child a break! Volunteer in his/her school. Be interested in her homework. Foster his curiosity. Go to museums. Visit a planetarium. Don’t be dismayed by the acronyms, but find out what they mean … and what they mean to your child’s future!

Great question … and thanks for allowing me to get on my soapbox!

My fellow 6th grade teachers and I have been assigned a tech coach. What should we expect?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  It’s all about fishing!

A couple of months ago, one of the participants in a discussion on LinkedIn described teaching vs. training vs. coaching:

A teacher teaches you what a fish is (conceptual knowledge).
A trainer trains you how to fish (technical skills).
A coach motivates you to fish (empowerment).

What can you expect?  A great time!!  A technology coach is someone who shares his/her enthusiasm for technology and inspires you to use it creatively with your students.  He doesn’t teach you how to use a computer or do your lesson plans, but will help you revitalize your teaching ... and will revitalize you!

Let’s take a concrete example:  Perhaps you are teaching about the American Revolution.  In the past you might have had the students use the Internet to research Valley Forge and write a term paper, importing a map and a pen/ink drawing of the encampment…maybe create a PowerPoint presentation.

NOW with the encouragement and expertise of your tech coach, you could have the students write a daily blog about the soldiers’ activities in the camp, the hardships they are enduring and their commitment to freedom.  They could add Vlogs, interview each other on camera, and post their reports. The camp doctor could give daily updates. Other students might research fife and drum music, record marches, have the music play in the background during the interviews.  The students would still be doing the same research, but they would be reporting it in a new and more interactive way.  Posting the blog on the school’s Website will allow parents to learn what’s going on in the classroom, and share the fun with family and friends across the country. And you will have the satisfaction of knowing that “your kids” will remember the content as if they had lived through the Valley Forge experience themselves!

Of course, using technology creatively comes with a price … you have to get out of your box and be willing to try new things, take risks, give up some extra time to learn the new skills and develop new lesson plans.  But once you start using technology creatively, you will never go back to the old research-write-a-report mode!

Take advantage of your coach – don’t let this opportunity be the fish that got away!

What do Tsunami, Technology and Social Media have in common?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  Although this sounds like an old Johnny Carson joke, I lived the answer yesterday!

We were at NASA on Saturday with some visitors from the UK.  All of us were preoccupied with the earthquake in Chile and the impending tsunami in Hawaii. As we paused among exhibits and movies and hands-on experiments, either my husband or I would whip out our Droids and find out the latest news!  He went to Google and I went to Twitter, and between us we kept informed (as did other visitors who peered over our shoulders to catch a glimpse of what was going on).

Google sent us to Websites where we were able to find out the latest news from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and track information from the NOAA buoy system. http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/  We could watch “in living color” as the buoys reported the data of ocean water movement. Twitter set up groups where concerned family members could post messages and gather information, and my Hawaiian tweeps were posting regular updates about where gas and food were available for evacuees going to higher ground.

On the tram ride around NASA about six hours before the tsunami was scheduled to hit Hawaii, a family of three in front of us was talking on a cell phone. I was annoyed that someone was using a cell during a tour, and I confess that I eavesdropped on the conversation. My irritation vanished when I heard them talking to the father’s sister who lives in Hawaii. They were arranging for her to text them every six hours to conserve her cell phone battery, and they would relay the news to other family members around the states.  Their daughter, perhaps ten years old, said, “Are we worried about Aunt Rachel?”  And her mother replied, “Yes, we’re worried. But we’ll know where she is and that she’s safe because she has her cell phone.”

And last night, as the fear subsided, Twitter educators shared great Websites with lesson plans to help children understand more about earthquakes, tsunamis and emergency preparedness… making us all into better parents and teachers.

I attended a COMPUTER EXPLORERS workshop using Wikis as a teaching tool. I am eager to get started!

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

I agree that Wikis can be an incredible interactive teaching device – and a lot of fun for the students and teachers!

Using Wikis for interactive learning is one of the most positive ways we can use technology today.  They allow the shyest student in the class to contribute his knowledge without being embarrassed, offer a venue for the creative writer, and develop team-building and social interaction skills.

One of the most interactive ways that I have seen a classroom Wiki used is by an elementary school teacher who posted a series of twelve challenge topics to review Texas history.  Some of her assertions were true; other assertions were false.  She required each student to contribute to at least five topics during the course of a week.   One topic was “Sam Houston was the greatest US citizen ever to live in Texas.”  The responses from the class were as broad as you can imagine – everything from naming and validating other figures in Texas history who might deserve that title, to the documented reminder that Texas wasn’t part of the US at that time.  Because the challenges were well-chosen by the teacher, each one generated discussion and repeated participation by nearly everyone in the class.  The students read and reread the topics daily – at home, at school, even on their smart phones - checking to see what new information had been added and if they agreed with it.  NO one responded to only five topics – most contributed to all of them! *

Because the teacher was able to track who was contributing to the discussion and any changes made in the postings, she knew who might need a little extra help or in what areas she might need to do some additional re-teaching before the dreaded “TEST” was administered!  Yes, she still had to “teach to the test,” but she also taught critical thinking, rational discourse, and research skills. Using a Wiki was a lot more engaging and productive than filling in a worksheet!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

*An unexpected side benefit to using Wikis was that those students who were reluctant to voice opinions in the classroom seemed to gain self-confidence by using the Wiki forum.  After contributing to several Wikis, their classroom participation improved.

What are sandbox games for the computer? I am a clueless mom getting eyerolls from my jr high son!

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer: Sandbox games allow the player to design the action and the storyline of the game.  

Sandbox games for the computer are a great name.  Think about your child as a preschooler in a sandbox with a couple of toy trucks, shovels, buckets and some plastic horses and dinosaurs.  He had the tools to work with, but what he did with them was up to his imagination.

As a young child, he probably ploughed the trucks through the sand or used the shovel to bury the horses.  But as he grew older, he made up some games … the horses were out in the pasture and some dinosaurs came to eat them and the horses ran away and the trucks chased the dinosaurs.  He had the same tools, but he made up a story or a “game”.  And the next day when he was in the sandbox with the same tools, he made up a different story with other action.

Sandbox computer games operate similarly.  The software has a number of tools that the player can animate and control.  The action and the “plot” (if there is any) are designed by the person playing the game. 

Sometimes the games have action built in, but the players can change the action or make decisions about what is going to happen next…(remember the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books?)  Other games are totally open-ended, and the player builds the action and the story line.  The game has no proscribed beginning, middle or end; the player invents as he/she goes along.  Sandbox games demand a lot of creativity and higher order thinking.  If your son is playing sandbox games on the computer, I suggest you join the fun!  (Google “sandbox games” to learn more.)

COMPUTER EXPLORERS is offering its first sandbox course this summer, a 3-D video game design course.  Click here to find a location near you!

My 10-year old daughter wants to be on Facebook because all her friends are.  What do you think?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  I think the answer is more about parenting than Facebook®.

Consider that Facebook (and most other social media sites) restricts membership to those who are NOT under thirteen, which answers your question on the spot. Personally, I think that if you either give your child permission to use Facebook or set up an account for her, you are sending a message that breaking the rules is okay if “all her friends are” doing it.  We don’t need to extrapolate the long-term possible consequences of that message!

Let’s also consider the kind of messages that she may read or be subjected to.  Although her friends may all be very nice, their friends may NOT be. At the very least, the result could be posts that you would not want your child to read; at worst, she could become a victim of cyber-bullying or decide to meet a stranger.  Even if you monitor the conversations closely, the damage could be done before you can intervene.

 What your daughter has done, however, is open the door for you to discuss Internet safety in a rational and safe environment. Seize the opportunity!  Check out the link to the Internet safety book on the sidebar of this blog to get yourself started.  Although the activity book was designed for teachers to use with younger students, it will give you a place to start!

  http://www.facebook.com/terms.php

What five KEY points should administrators consider when evaluating their technology programs?  Why?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  I used LinkedIn and Twitter to help answer this question and received input from educators and technology gurus from around the world!

Following my own advice to use social media for professional development, I posed this discussion question to two groups.  The discussion centered not on key points for evaluating a CURRENT program, as I had hoped, but rather what to consider when improving it.

In other words, everyone tacitly agreed that their current programs needed improvement!  Throughout the exchange, five key considerations for administrators emerged repeatedly.

1.      How will new technology impact student learning?  If it won’t improve student learning, then what is the point in the investment?  Defining “student learning” is another whole issue.  Is it performance on standardized tests?  Or an ability to transfer skills from one technology to another?

2.      How will you measure student “success”?  Will it be as simple as proving they can do a PowerPoint presentation, or as far-ranging as having the skills to fit into the local job market?  Decide upon your goals and THEN create the measurement tools to see if your students have met them.

3.      How will the new technology help the teachers to teach?  And will they actually use any new technology? What are the teachers asking for?  What kind of professional development and teacher training will be part of a new program? Teachers are often overwhelmed by the need to “teach to the test” … and if they think that the new technology doesn’t support test-driven results, they are unlikely to spend the time to learn it.  One contributor said, I am “determined to have the technology enhance my lessons, not teach my lessons!”

4.      What do the students think they need now, and what do they think they will need in the future?  “The end-users, the students, often are our best coaches.  They fearlessly fly through links, exploring the unknown …It’s an amazing thing to step aside, and let the digital natives lead.”

And, of course, the REAL question that all of us have to face:

5.      What is my budget, and are my plans reasonable within my budget?  How will new technology investment mesh with local and state initiatives?  How will the hardware/software that I have now interface with what I may add?  And will my plans actually meet the first four objectives?

 For the full discussion of the question and great links to Website resources click here

My child is in COMPUTER EXPLORERS preschool classes and LOVES the teacher! Why is she so special?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  ALL of our teachers are special, but some definitely have a special flair!

Our COMPUTER EXPLORERS teachers love kids and love having fun!  In this picture, one of the CE teachers was using Pajama Sam software with her students … so she wore snowman pj’s to teach the class!  The children burst into giggles when Ms. Kaye walked into the room! This same teacher also wears coveralls and a hard-hat when using Bob the Builder software.  Never a dull moment in her class!

Your child’s COMPUTER EXPLORERS teacher has that same gift of making learning fun.  We start by having CT, the COMPUTER EXPLORERS turtle puppet, introduce the software and explain what the children are going to learn that day. We sing songs about the computer and use computer vocabulary.  (The mouse is NOT a ‘clicker’!)

We choose the “best of the best” software and Websites for our classes; sometimes the software might be available locally, while other pieces come from as far away as Canada, UK or Australia! Other times we use robots, digital microscopes and cameras in our classes, so the children learn by using a variety of technology tools.

Although an outsider might think the children are “playing” on the computer in our classes, the specially trained CE teacher is coaching them and enhancing their learning of core readiness areas: science, math, language arts and social studies.  Yes, our teachers have a good time in their classes, and so do the children!  We know how to make learning fun!

Check the sidbar to see COMPUTER EXPLORERS recommended list of software for holiday gifts. 

What did you learn at Dust or Magic 2009?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  Cell phone applications are not the “wave of the future,” they are the tsunami of today! If you don’t have an iPhone or a Droid, your access to technology is as dated as a mainframe computer in your office. 

Fifty people (software programmers, Website designers, toy manufacturers and educators) discussed what’s new in the world of technology and education.  Exciting products on the horizon include a new line of Scratch-based activities from MIT, educational Websites for possible inclusion in our COMPUTER EXPLORERS online preschool program (eTOTS), and ... educational apps - everything from tanagrams and word recognition games to songs to sing with your preschoolers!

At least half of the new products shown at Dust or Magic involved ‘apps.’  And don’t be misled that all apps are game-based!  Many quality educational activities for children as young as preschoolers are available on your phone! Companies as respected as PBS, Highlights Children’s Magazine, and Disney are developing quality applications.  (If you have an iPhone and a preschooler, go to an independent apster  www.duckduckmoosedesign.com  to download three favorite songs with interactive screens: Wheels on the Bus, Old MacDonald, and Itsy Bitsy Spider - hours of fun for 99 cents each!)

What concrete (as opposed to virtual) products did I see that I want to buy for holiday gifts?  I really like the LeapFrog® Tag and Tag, Jr.  books – they are educational, reinforce cause and effect, and are fun.  Some people might be put off by their using commercial characters (Dora, etc.), but I think that anything that encourages children to start reading is a plus!  And I really want to buy one (or two) of the Fisher Price® remote controlled dinosaurs.  Unlike Tickle Me Elmo® which was a “watch me” toy, the dinosaur’s activities (walking forward/backward, rearing up on hind legs, stretching its neck, roaring “ferociously”) are easily managed by a preschooler whose indulgent grandmother cannot pass it up!

Off to buy my Droid … and get some cool apps!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

PS  I know I have used this photo before, but it was too perfect not to use again!

What does “Dust or Magic” mean for COMPUTER EXPLORERS classes?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  Dust or Magic allows us to plan for the future. We attend the conference each year to learn more about children’s technology products that are new in the marketplace … sometimes they are so new that they aren’t even available yet!

Participants in Dust or Magic are limited to only fifty people each year, and COMPUTER EXPLORERS is excited to be among those invited to attend!  Warren Buckleitner, technology education guru, hosts the conference.  I love being on the ground-floor to learn about what’s new!

 Two years ago we had a demo of the LiveScribe pen – I used one of two prototypes in the world … and now you can buy them at Target! Last year, a LEGO rep came specifically from Denmark to give us a sneak peak of LEGO Universe, the company’s 3-D gaming site, a visual presentation so secret that we had to agree not to use any recorders or cameras during the demonstration!

 One of my favorite parts of the conference is the critics’ panel.  Each member demonstrates a technology product that is “dust” (lots of flash, but no permanent value) and another product that is “magic” - (one that will stimulate children’s imaginations and make them want to learn more.)

 To quote the Dust or Magic Website:

Dust or Magic is an annual critique and review of commercial children’s interactive media products. The demonstration-intensive three day institute is designed for individuals who need to understand the latest technology, and how it can be applied to the next generation of products. Discussions are framed in the context of child development theory. Dust or Magic is about designing and making, and less about marketing and selling.

 You can tell from the photo that after three days, we’re all a little sleep-deprived from the fun and games! Watch for next week’s blog and a report on what’s new … or at least what’s new that I can talk about!

http://www.childrenssoftware.com/dustormagic/

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

Do COMPUTER EXPLORERS classes partner with kids in technology classes in the US and other countries?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  Absolutely!  Contact us at the corporate office and we’ll connect you!!

Did you ever sing that old camp song “The More We Get Together, the Happier We’ll Be”?  What better way to promote understanding and appreciation for people in other countries than to communicate with them using today’s technology! Whether the venue is as simple as initiating an email exchange or as sophisticated as creating interactive blogs, podcasts, wikis, and using video-Skype calls, the more we get together virtually now, the happier our lives are likely to be in the future!

Although connecting with kids in other countries seems more exotic, we could also learn a lot about kids in our own country. Lifestyles and interests in the US seem pretty much the same if you believe the ads on television; but when you start traveling around the country, you will hear different accents, listen to different music, eat different food and play different sports!  (Your heart rate will never be the same after going to a high school basketball game in Indiana, a hockey game in Minnesota, or a football game in Texas!)

If you would like your class to partner with COMPUTER EXPLORERS classes, please send me an email.  Let me know what age the kids are, with which CE country or state you would like to partner, and we’ll make sure you find some friends!

Cyndee Perkins

Director of Curriculum and Program Development

(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

I am applying for a technology grant for my school.  Can COMPUTER EXPLORERS help me?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  We can help you, but we can’t write it for you!

COMPUTER EXPLORERS can help you figure out the costs, help with some of the verbiage, and be a resource for the kinds of services you may want to include, but the writing is up to you.

A professional grant writer told me that any grant proposal can be in the top 10 percent of the applicants … because 90 percent of the proposals are thrown out before they are even read! 

To write a grant that is likely to be accepted:

1.      Become a grant reader first.  You won’t take long to learn which grants grab your attention and which are uninspired.  Being a grant reader will make you a better grant writer.

2.      Follow the directions exactly!  The first step in grant- winnowing is to get rid of the chaff. If a reader has 500 applications to review, he/she has to determine which ones are worth his time. If you are supposed to use a specific type font or margin size, do it!  If you are supposed to limit your descriptions to 200 words, don’t write 220!  By following directions, you gain credibility in being able to follow through on the project. 

3.      Target your funding source. Your need must match the goals of the grant.  If a grant specifically targets professional development in school, be sure that YOUR main focus is professional development.  You may need to get hardware and software (resources) in order to offer quality professional development, but the hardware and software are the means to the end, not the end in itself.

4.      Include measureable outcomes.  Include pre/post testing of technology skills, the development of classroom teaching tools which can be shared with other staff members, or the ability to replicate or expand this training across the entire district.

Avoid the term “learn to” – be specific and use active verbs. The teachers should not “learn to use wikis,” but teachers will “create grade-level wikis to allow student/parent participation in interactive learning.”

5.      Establish a team:  You may be the lead writer, but input from administrators, peers and students will strengthen the quality of your proposal.  Each person will give input from his unique perspective. You may choose to ignore some of their suggestions, but you will have a stronger proposal than one you developed in isolation.  

“Grant writing is the ART of storytelling and…  the SCIENCE of telling it well to the right audience!”  Nancy Fisher, The Sage Team, July, 2006.

I have been reading about COMPUTER EXPLORERS International trainees. What countries are you in?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer: COMPUTER EXPLORERS is now on four continents—North America-US (30 states), Asia-Malaysia and India, Europe-UK (England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales),  and Australia!  Our latest addition to the “CE Family” will be offering classes in Kuwait.

 Left to right are members of the latest graduating class: Emma Scawthorn and Paul Charles—Wales, Omar Abu Al-Hassan—Kuwait, Nargis Chavda—India. They are shown with Amesha Daniels—US teacher who invited the training group to visit her classes.

Each country offers our unique COMPUTER EXPLORERS classes for preschool students, school-agers, and/or adults, but the emphasis in each country differs depending upon the local needs and interests.  While the US, Australia and UK have embraced “We go to where the students are” and send CE teachers into existing schools, childcare centers and community sites, other countries have chosen their own delivery systems. Malaysia, for example, has been offering COMPUTER EXPLORERS classes in its privately-owned learning centers in commercial sites for over ten years!  The group in India is planning to license our curriculum and train the teachers in existing schools, while the group in Kuwait will build a series of its own schools.  But no matter where COMPUTER EXPLORERS is found or under what banner, the use of cutting-edge technology, the quality training for our teachers, the curriculum written by educators for educators and the commitment to “global education through innovation” stands firm!

Take a moment to review the various CE Websites to get an idea of what’s going on in the world of COMPUTER EXPLORERS – literally!

http://www.imagine-ent.com/

http://www.computerxplorers.co.uk/index.php

http://www.ctce.com.au/home.html

http://www.computertots.com.my/index.html

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

You asked for input on technology plans for elementary schools on LinkedIn. What did you learn?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  A LOT of people have had a LOT of bad experiences when designing technology plans!

What I found most particularly interesting was that people often shared their problems and pitfalls-what had gone wrong with their plans. But when those problems were phrased as what to do instead of what NOT to do, we had some great suggestions!

1.      Establish a broad-based committee: Include teachers of core areas as well as technology instructors, parents, community members and students.  Be sure that the program is driven from the top down.  Does the administration support the development of a (new/revised) technology plan?  Student participation is imperative – they are the ones who know what’s new in the field of technology!

2.      Align with current governing plans:  Review any existing technology plans already established by a body whose jurisdiction determines your actions (school district, state, archdiocese). Do you need to consider an existing Universal Design for Learning? You must be aligned with governing plans to get support or funding.

3.      Create an overarching mission:  Establish both long and short term goals to help you fulfill the mission.  What do you want to accomplish in the long run, and what do you need to do in the short run to accomplish that?

4.      Write a plan that is realistic:  Although a plan might span a decade, its more practical scope is 3-5 years.  Recognize and plan for obsolescence, not only in hardware and software, but also in teaching methodology.  A plan must be a living document that can be adapted to changing times (and finances).

5.      Start with the hardware, but don’t stop there:  Consider your school’s infrastructure.  Do you have the wiring and electricity to create a functioning lab or support a WiFi system? Consider what hardware and software you already have, how its usefulness can be stretched, and plan for future needs. Research what new and creative tools might be on the horizon.  (Does your plan include using cell phones or e-books, Web 2.0 tools or distance learning?)

6.      Develop a curriculum that supports vertical integration:  Find out what technology skills middle and high school students are expected to have.  Provide the foundation leading to those skills.  Implement at the lesson plan level.  Adopt a reasonable Acceptable Use Policy for both students and employees.

7.      Provide the teachers with professional development: The teachers need to be able to use technology to enhance their own teaching and to recognize student technology achievement. Be innovative in providing the professional development; establish a positive reward system.

8.      Measure your success: Along with goals, establish timelines, measurement and accountability.  Ongoing evaluation is necessary for proactive change. Select a fair and respected leader to follow through on evaluating your success.     

Above all, keep in mind that your school is only one in a global community of learners.  A sound technology plan will not only provide the skills, but also the communication tools that your students will need for future success!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

Thanks to Jayme Johnson and the Village School of Pacific Palisades for providing me with their technology plan as a reference!

How does COMPUTER EXLORERS choose software for its preschool classes?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  We literally use a scoring grid of 35 criteria based on age and developmentally-appropriate research!

Choosing software is both fun and frustrating!  When we (or parents) read the descriptions on a Website or on a software box, we need to remember that those descriptions were probably written by marketers, not by educators.  The job of the marketers is to stimulate buyers; the job of the CE curriculum team is to choose the best possible piece to stimulate children’s learning.  Only about ten percent of the software that we review is accepted by our team.

We divide the scoring into three major areas: Educational, Logistical, and Technical Criteria.  All of this sounds very pedantic and not very interesting to the average buyer who is looking for something to entertain his children.  But our job isn’t entertainment (which has its own value, of course); our job is education. Some of the criteria we use:

o  Do the activities have levels of complexity so they can be changed depending upon the skill sets of the children?

o  Does the software promote positive social values?  Does it mix gender and role equity?

o  Does the child control the action?  Does the software promote discovery learning?

o  Is the navigation simple and the purpose of the icons clear?

o  Is a print option available?

So what do we recommend?  If forced to choose only one piece, I would recommend that Kid Pix Deluxe 4® should be in every child’s software library!  It appeals to the very youngest child who can cover the screen with dinosaurs, horses and unicorn stamps, to the child who wants to post a podcast on his family’s Website!

Each year we create a ‘Technology Holiday Gift List’ in November.  Watch for it to be posted here in a few weeks …

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

I read that COMPUTER EXPLORERS is offering classes for military veterans. What is that about?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  Bud Hadfield, owner of COMPUTER EXPLORERS, is a WW2 veteran who wants to “serve those who served us!”

COMPUTER EXPLORERS is incorporating project-based learning to help military veterans in their job-search and career placement.  The first pilot program will be underway September 8-11 at Northwest Forest in Houston, Texas.

Using our proprietary curriculum to learn MS Office® applications (Word, Power Point and Excel), participants will develop their resume’s, explain their life and work experience with PowerPoint, and establish personal budgeting processes. They will showcase their “projects” via our new social media course (focusing on LinkedIn, Twitter and FaceBook) to develop business contacts and job opportunities.  These practical applications will enable the vets to explore wider employment opportunities.  Hadfield, who was a Dale Carnegie instructor for 20+   years, has also created a short Personal Development Workshop to help the vets speak comfortably in front of a group and to develop interviewing skills.

We’re excited about doing these classes, and are looking forward to meeting with the veterans in a couple of weeks!  Let us know if you have any suggestions that you think we should include as part of the course content!www.iced.net/veteranssupport

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development 

I saw on Facebook that you have been training technology teachers. What do you do that is different?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Before the teachers attend the training, we ask them to use our CE technology curriculum to create a PowerPoint® presentation on one of four topics:

   1) The Benefits of Teaching Technology to Children

   2) Why Cooperative Learning Works

   3) A Typical Academic Year in __ Grade

   4) My Behavior Management Philosophy

Each of these topics is a key to successful technology teaching. When creating these presentations, the teachers model integration of core subject matter that relates to their goals and objectives, AND they learn how our curriculum is structured and relates to the CE technology skills Scope and Sequence.

In addition we help the teachers plan their academic year, discuss “case studies,” and learn about new technologies.  Last year we demonstrated the Pulse Pen; this year we investigated e-textbook possibilities on the Kindle.  We also discuss new methods for professional development.  During the training, the teachers set up Twitter accounts and Facebook pages to communicate with educators around the world. 

According to research, adults learn best when training programs and educational experiences are:

o         Personally interesting to them

o         Hands-on and collaborative

o         Grounded in knowledge they already have

o         Explicitly tied to outcomes

We at COMPUTER EXPLORERS feel that our training fulfills these criteria … and is a lot of fun!

For more information about Technology and Teacher Quality, access the ISTE Brief released in June, 2009 that is posted on the sidebar of this page.

Cyndee Perkins

Director of Curriculum and Program Development 

Does COMPUTER EXPLORERS have new information about learning stages for a frustrated preK teacher?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  We recently researched reasonable expectations for young children because our teachers are frustrated too.

Children today are more advanced in many ways than those included in past studies. Roz Shafer, our lead curriculum writer, used a variety of sources – online and print—to determine milestones that parents and teachers can use to evaluate if a child is progressing as expected according to a “norm.”  We all recognize, of course, that no child fits the “norm” … and a young 3 is not on the same scale as an older 3-year-old. Any of these evaluations must be relative.  (Of course, if they live in Lake Wobegone, they are ALL “above average”).

I especially like the way Ms. Shafer organized the “Ages and Stages” into expectations for 3’s, 4’s and 5’s according to fine and gross motor skills, language development, thinking skills and social and emotional development.  And I like that you can carry the same skill from one age group to another.  For example a 3-year-old uses 3-5 word sentences; a 4-year-old retells a story, but may confuse facts; and a 5-year-old speaks fluently, correctly uses plurals, pronouns and tenses.

Probably the most helpful information of the Ages and Stages Milestones is the references on the last page where MS. Shafer listed her sources, citing information from such diverse groups as the American Academy of Pediatrics to PBS.org.  I encourage you to read through the Ages and Stages (linked in the sidebar to the right), but also to go to the original sources.   Thanks very much for writing! 

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

Will COMPUTER EXPLORERS classes be the same in India as they are here in the US?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  We will need to tweak the delivery system for the preschoolers.

The principals of elementary schools and directors of preschools in Mumbai loved our curriculum and how we integrate their core standards into our classes. The elementary school principals liked the idea of adding TechStars courses to their after school programs – especially Dinosaur Discovery (creating a mock fossil dig, recording the discovery, designing a mural and producing a video documentary) and video game animation.  They were delighted that our curriculum taught the technology skills that need to be mastered for the standardized tests.

The preschool directors liked incorporating academic readiness skills (math, science, reading and social studies) into the teaching of technology skills. And they liked our use of robots to teach math, digital microscopes to teach science, etc.  But we at COMPUTER EXPLORERS are going to have to adjust our teaching methodology to serve the vast number of students.  In our preschool classes in the US, Australia, Malaysia and the UK, we have small classes of 3-4 children working together with a teacher who facilitates the learning – almost a tutorial environment.  In India, we will need to teach more students at a time – perhaps 18 children in weekly classes – to be sure that all of them can participate!

We will still be using the “explore and discover” method of learning in the preschool, but the teachers will be specially trained to incorporate the children into small core groups within the larger group.  As the Director of Education for COMPUTER EXPLORERS in India has assured me, “Our children are used to working with lots of other children, and our teachers are used to working with lots of children! We can do it!!”     

I am a tech ed teacher. Does COMPUTER EXPLORERS think technology is a tool, or an environment?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  Great question! I read an interesting article on that topic, and have been thinking about it ever since!

Christine Weiser wrote the article for Technology & Learning published on May 11, 2009. On May 12, I heard Julia Sweig of the Foreign Trade Commission discuss lifting the trade embargoes for Cuba on the Colbert Report.  Sweig has written a book to be published in July entitled: Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know.

So what does Cuba have to do with your question about technology being a tool or an environment? Sweig maintained that lifting the embargoes won’t have any immediate affect on Cuban business or tourism or heavy industry, primarily because Cuba does not have an electronic infrastructure. Few Americans will go there without their cell phones, computers with Internet, Blackberries, Twitter or credit cards.

For some of us (you, the tourists Sweig was talking about, and me), technology IS an environment; much as we can’t get along without air, food and shelter, we can’t get along without technology.  I confess that I think twice about going out of town without all of my electronics safely stowed in my carry-on luggage.  The day that I downloaded the first book to my Kindle was magic … but second only to the magical day that I got my Internet aircard!

What happens to you and me, however, is that we get a distorted view of the world.  I can’t believe that my brother, for example, doesn’t have the Internet on his computer at home; he uses his computer ONLY to play games, type a letter and keep his finances. Technology is a tool for him, and he is happy...misguided man!

I teach computers to adults; a dad asked about kid computer camps in New Jersey. Can you help me?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  COMPUTER EXPLORERS is offering technology classes and camps all over the US!

COMPUTER EXPLORERS (CE) has ten business owners in New Jersey who offer classes and camps for ages 3-12+.  I suggest you direct the parent to our locations page, to use the drop-down menu to select New Jersey, and then to choose the site which would be most convenient for his child. Although the CE owner may have listed some specific classes, the parent should either email or call the owner directly to find out the full list, sites, dates and locations.

Our owners are offering great courses this summer, including Green Screen Adventures where students can climb Mount Everest, swim the depths of the ocean, or battle dinosaurs! Using a green screen and special photo-editing techniques, they will venture into real or imaginary locations and document the trip to share with friends.  Other classes include using the new LEGO ® WeDo robotics kits, CSI classes specializing in forensics, and geo-caching with GPS systems.  Whatever your friend’s child chooses to do, he/she is sure to have a wonderful time and learn a lot!

Part of my job is to look for new and exciting technology to bring to children, and one of the sources is the National Educational Computing Consortium (NECC )  whose 2009 conference is being held June 28-July 1 in Washington, DC.  A family field trip might include a visit to see the latest in techno-fun!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

I am starting a Montessori preschool. Will COMPUTER EXPLORERS classes fit with our philosophy?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  COMPUTER EXPLORERS preschool classes are grounded in the same philosophy as Montessori, and I can vouch for it! 

My grandchildren go to Montessori preschools, my children went to a Montessori preschool, two of our curriculum writers are former Montessori teachers, and I was on the board of directors of a Montessori preschool.  We definitely believe in the hands-on explore and discovery approach to learning!

We offer classes in Montessori schools all over the US, including one in Naperville, Illinois, where we introduced the ItzaBitza® reading/art software a few weeks ago. In the attached video, the director of the school, Denise Plasch, discusses how COMPUTER EXPLORERS facilitates learning.

Our curriculum includes hands-on manipulatives so the children begin to understand the relationship between virtual and concrete experiences.  In one of my favorite units, for example, the children program a virtual robot (the BeeBot(R)) on the computer to follow a path; they also program the real BeeBot on the floor to follow the same path; they can then compare how the virtual robot and the real robot work and act. In another unit, the children look at bugs under a digital microscope and take pictures for an album (we make a big deal about returning the bugs to the playgournd!), they use the computer to design their own bugs to add to the album, and they build with Knex ® kits to create extraordinary insects.

Like Montessori learning our use of software is based in explore and discovery. Students choose which activities they want to pursue, and our curriculum assists CE teachers to facilitate the learning experience. We work in small groups to "enhance social interaction for cooperative learning, peer teaching and emotional development"* ...but if you ask the children what they are "learning" in COMPUTER EXPLORERS classes, they look at you curiously and say they are "just having fun!"

Our goal is to create lifelong learners with intellectual curiosity. Children today look at technology as part of life, just as books, crayons, sand and water are part of life.  In COMPUTER EXPLORERS, we don't use computers or digital microscopes or robots in isolation; they enhance what is already going on in the preschool classroom.

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

*American Montessori Society

Can COMPUTER EXPLORERS help me with PBL for Grade 2 classes? I am not sure where to start!

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  Project Based Learning is fun for both students and teachers, but I feel that it should reinforce content at age 6-7, not be the primary means to teach the content. But where to start?

Our teachers have some general "rules of thumb" they follow:

1.      Look at the goals and outcomes for the unit.   Will a project help the students learn more, develop socializations skills and have fun?

2.      If yes, then what content to you want them to learn?   Plant growth from seed to flower to consumer benefit?  Names of planets and how they orbit the sun?  What services are provided by the community – police, fire, post office, library?

3.      Consider the type of project that will reinforce the content.   Too often teachers decide on the project before they think about its relevance to the learning.  (Oh, we'll write a play and the kids can be the actors!  It can be about plants...or planets...or firemen).  Should you create a book, a multimedia slideshow or podcast that can be shared on the Internet, a wall-mural or diorama, invent a game, write a song?  What will help the student learn what they need to remember?

4.      The construction of the project should incorporate learning: if the children create a book and the teacher binds it, the children miss an opportunity to learn about putting pages in order, binding with margins, etc.

5.      The project must be EASY to implement.   Teachers sometimes stumble here; their projects become too involved, and they or the children lose sight of the content because they are so busy "doing the project."  Putting the slideshow together becomes more important than what the slideshow is communicating about the solar system.

6.      Each child or team should create a segment of the whole project which is then put together.   This process helps prepare them for team sports, or a future workplace, where all the team-members contribute significantly toward a common goal.

7.      When feasible, every child should have a copy of the finished project. (Obviously a wall-mural can't go home, but photos of it can!)

8.      Use the school's Website to showcase the students' work .  Putting a stop-action movie of plant-growth on your Website will allow the children to relive the experience over and over, share it with friends/family across the country, and showcase your school.

The really fun part of PBL for the teacher, of course, is thinking of and developing the project.  But the project must not be the end in itself; it has to be the vehicle to reinforce the learning!

Cyndee Perkins

Director of Curriculum and Program Development

What does COMPUTER EXPLORERS have that I can use with my students for an Internet Safety class?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  Internet Safety Week is April 27-May 01. You can download and use this workbook that was written by one of our teachers in collaboration with her 10-11 year old students.

Internet Safety is becoming more and more of an issue with the proliferation of social media.  Children, and even adults, are easily victimized if they aren't aware of the dangers.  And as we get more comfortable about putting information online, the more informal the posts can become.  I saw a post a few days ago from a "tween" whom I know, who said "I'm depressed." Now luckily I know this child and knew that "depression" meant too much homework, but many children are truly vulnerable. How easy for a predator to respond in a friendly way, gain a child's confidence, and eventually offer to spend some time to cheer him/her up!

I like this workbook because it's written from the students' point of view.  It has Websites with games and videos for both children and parents to learn about Internet safety without lectures or inducing fear. I especially like Activity 3 in the Workbook which gives sample postings and asks the students which are appropriate to share and which give too much information. One of the examples is: If anyone out there loves football as much as I do, send me an e-mail. My address is: ___________

Although our material is proprietary and we don't endorse copying, I can encourage you to share this workbook with others.  We all need to think about how to keep kids safe!

Cyndee Perkins

Please discuss COMPUTER EXPLORERS online comments re: tech prof. development. PS I am a teacher.

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  I will try to avoid getting on my soapbox, but I do have opinions about professional development ... as you have apparently noticed!

Technology professional development is offered less grudgingly now than fifteen years ago for two reasons --first, technology PD dollars are more available than other funds, and second, schools don't want to be perceived as behind other schools and.orschool districts in using technology.

If the training is done correctly so that the teachers master the skills, the students WILL get a better education!  The teacher will demonstrate renewed enthusiasm for presenting the core curriculum in innovative ways, and the different technology tools they use for teaching will appeal to varied learning styles. Unfortunately the training is not often done "correctly" -- by which, of course, I mean MY way!

Let's take key application training as a start:  word-processing, spreadsheets, multimedia presentations, etc.  The training is usually offered in the summer and with back-to-back courses in the applications-a technology "boot camp".  It's efficient use of time for the staff, and puts the computer lab to good use in an otherwise slow time.  As part of the training, the district may demand "proof-of-learning" via some sort of project that is lesson-plan oriented and designed as a teaching tool.  Great ...as far as it goes...

But because the training is in the summer, the new teaching tool is not put into immediate practice in the classroom.  By the time the teachers are ready to implement the project created four-six months ago, they have forgotten how to use the application, they have lost their enthusiasm, and they revert back to the "tried and true" lesson plans they have been using for ten years.  How much better if the teachers learned one application, put it to use in the classroom, and then learned another application to use in the classroom.  Perhaps this method is not such an efficient use of teacher down-time and computer hardware, but it does provide a much better return on the dollars invested in professional development!  The teachers actually master and use the new skill!

If we use peer-accountability, the teachers could share their teaching tools with others on the staff or in the district, so that the effort encourages technology use by other teachers and benefits even more students .

The teachers should also be trained to incorporate the tool into projects for the students.  If I create my own PowerPoint, for example, to present information about the Revolutionary War, I will be more likely to ask the students to create multimedia presentations about other aspects of the Revolutionary War.  And if we used those presentations as a base, we could create podcasts ... which we could post on the school’s Website  ... and parents will Twitter about their children’s work ...and who knows where it ends!  But I know where it starts -- with good professional development!

If you’re a member of LinkedIn , you may want to join the ISTE and/or the Technology in Education groups. We have some good discussions going!  Please add your comments below.

Cyndee Perkins 

I am a mom with a junior high son.  What does COMPUTER EXPLORERS think about standardized testing?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  What a difficult question!  The answer isn't as simple as "It's good" or "It's bad."

Is anything more unnerving than watching Jay Leno's "Man on the Street" interviews? They're funny, yes, but frightening too! "Canada is an island in the Pacific." "The 'euro' is a Japanese car." "Global warming only happens in the summer."  Where did these people go to school?

As a parent, I want to know how my child is doing relative to other students.  As a taxpayer, I want to see my education dollars spent wisely and with accountability. And as a voter concerned about poorly-educated citizens who will determine the future of my country, I understand the need to measure general knowledge.  Standardized tests are simply a measurement tool, and from that standpoint they are good. 

But as a teacher, I am totally frustrated by standardized tests.  Student scores determine the amount of funding a community and school will receive.  And as a result, my success as a teacher is determined by my students' scores.  How much information a child regurgitates at a given time on a given day on a standardized test doesn't measure how well that same child can problem-solve, think logically or be creative. Would Albert Einstein have been a successful contestant on Jeopardy?

I don't think standardized tests are inherently bad, but the emphasis that is placed upon them is the problem.  We need to put the tests in perspective, and get back to preparing our children for life ...not preparing them to pass a test.   One of my favorite songs/videos by Tom Chapin and originally aired on NPR expresses the frustration caused by standardized tests: http://davidmquintana.blogspot.com/2008/04/tom-chapin-not-on-test.html

Cyndee Perkins

I need help teaching computer basics to kindergarteners. What do you do in COMPUTER EXPLORERS class?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  We provide the children with a lot of visuals!

We work with a lot of Kindergarten students in labs and media centers around the country and I understand what you mean about the frustrations of logging on and developing basic computer skills in a one-visit-per-week environment!

We use a child-friendly program that overlays Microsoft Office® in our PC-based labs; we provide visuals for self-help, as well as instructions for the classroom teacher and the aide.  If you look at pages 8-9 of the unit linked below, you will see the type of visual instructions that I am talking about.  Over the course of the 36-week school year, we cover basic computer operations, keyboarding, word-processing, graphics, multimedia presentations, and spreadsheets -- each week’s lesson has its unique Explorer Card with "step-by-step" instructions for non-readers.  After completing an application, the children create a project that demonstrates the learning.

I hope this unit will give you some ideas.  I look forward to your comments, questions and suggestions!  We're always ready to improve!!

To see a sample KG unit Click Here

To find out more about curriculum and program offerings in your area, click here.  

My 3-year-old twins in COMPUTER EXPLORERS classes are talking about CT’s birthday.  What is it?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer below:

ANSWER:  CT is the turtle mascot for COMPUTER EXPLORERS preschoolers.  He will be 25 years old on March 17.

COMPUTER EXPLORERS was founded in 1984, 25 years ago.  At that time our preschoolers were using 5.25" floppy disks, Apple ll or Commodore computers, and pressing arrow keys to control the program.  We had to sing songs while we waited a minute or two for each activity to boot -- no instant gratification in 1984!

To celebrate CT's birthday, our franchisees around the country and internationally are helping their preschoolers make a birthday card slide show which we will post on our Website.  So far over 2500 children have sent birthday greetings to CT, and more are arriving every day!  (Luckily they are arriving electronically, or we would have one grumpy mailman!)  We have had such a great response that we are posting several different slideshows.  Your twins are going to have a great time looking at the pictures and hearing the music that so many preschoolers have put together!

If you have difficulty playing this video, you can see all the CT birthday videos on our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/computerexplorers 

Can I set up an e-pal program for my students in the UK with COMPUTER EXPLORERS classes in the US?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  Our mission is to promote global education through innovation, so let's get started!

We can begin with e-pals, but let's consider how much more interesting and "global" the project would be for the kids to have a blog or a wiki, where they can post pictures, podcasts and videos about their school, their hobbies, current events.  They can teach each other about where they live, the history of the area, the geography -- students in the UK might be especially interested in Hurricane Ike that went through Houston last fall, and the Texas students would be surprised to learn about all the henges (other than Stonehenge) that populate the UK.

If you were to start a blog, students from all over the world could join in. To begin, we could ask COMPUTER EXPLORERS students in Australia and Malaysia to participate ... we would then have kids in four continents getting to know each other!

If you would like to be linked to COMPUTER EXPLORERS in a specific area, or to kids with specific interests such as robotics or movie-making, send me an email.  I'll help you get it started!  Click here to contact me!

Cyndee Perkins

Director, Curriculum and Program Development

COMPUTER EXPLORERS

In COMPUTER EXPLORERS classes, my son and his friend created a blog.  Is that “social media”?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  Yes -- and so are wikis, text-messages, Twitter, Facebook, Club Penguin, YouTube and the other online activities your son and his friends are using to communicate with each other

Your son and his friends are "digital natives"; nearly anyone over fifteen is a "digital immigrant."  As natives, our kids have grown up in a world of fast-changing technology and they adapt quickly. When you were his age, you were probably stuck with using such archaic communication tools as the 1-lb mobile telephone and dial-up Internet ... if you were lucky enough to have a computer! As digital immigrants, you and I have had to learn to adapt to a new way of life.

In COMPUTER EXPLORERS, we accept that kids are going to interact using social media, and we have a responsibility to help them use it correctly and safely.  As part of the blog class, your son not only learned HOW to create and write a blog, but also the importance of publishing facts (with sources), what kind of information should be made public and what should be kept private, how to "talk" to peers without being offensive.

In essence, today's "social media" is yesterday's video-arcade -- where kids get together to hang-out.  On the other hand, they might enjoy the camaraderie (and exercise) of being on a baseball or soccer team too! 

I see COMPUTER EXPLORERS responds to a lot of Internet postings.  Why do you do that?

Posted by Cyndee Perkins

Answer:  We really care about kids and education, AND we have a lot of experience to share!

COMPUTER EXPLORERS is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year.  We joke that when we started our business, parents thought a mouse was a rodent hiding behind a kitchen door!

We have taught thousands of technology classes to hundreds of thousands of students over the years, and learned a lot about what works and what doesn't in technology education.  Since you have read some of the postings, you know that we have important messages:

§          Our children need to be prepared for the 21^st century work force, and they can't do that if they have 20^th century technology skills.

§          Teachers need professional development in order to use technology effectively as a teaching tool.

§          Schools need more than good hardware to have a good technology program; they need curriculum, lesson plans and teachers specifically trained to teach technology skills.

§          Technology isn't only computers; it means using robots, creating digital movies, peering through electronic microscopes and trekking with GPS systems to connect classroom learning with the real world.

We used to write articles for education and technology print publications, but now we use technology to talk about technology!  Here are some of our more recent contributions:

http://www.eschoolnews.com/conference-info/conference-news/?i=57176

http://www.techlearning.com/blogs.aspx?id=15830

http://www.edutopia.org/student-information-systems-grade-monitoring

http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2009/02/17/04ddassessment.h02.html

Thanks for letting us know you’ve noticed us!

I would like to use my computer more. Does COMPUTER EXPLORERS offer classes for senior citizens?

Posted by Corporate

Answer:  We have classes that will help you learn everything from using your digital camera to creating your family tree!

We have a lot of fun in our adult/seniors courses!  One of my favorite classes is "Digital Photo Restoration" in which students bring in old family photos and learn how to repair the cracks, get rid of the dust and see who's hiding in the background!  I restored a photo of my grandmother on her eighteenth birthday, and was able to see the lace on her collar and sleeves, and the swirls in the taffeta of her skirt. (Here she is!) What I thought was a rather odd hair arrangement in the unrestored picture turned out to be a big velvet bow!

Another picture was of my mother as a preschooler in a Model-T Ford; when I lightened the dark areas, I discovered my great-grandfather seated next to her in the driver's seat!

Other classes include what to look for when buying a new computer, creating emails with attachments, buying/selling on EBay ... or at least valuing some of the collectibles that are on your bookshelves! Contact our local COMPUTER EXPLORERS owner to find out what classes might be going on at community and senior centers, churches or retirement communities in your area!

It’' time for you to start having fun with your computer!

http://www.computerexplorers.com/locations/

What’s going to be new in COMPUTER EXPLORERS classes for summer?

Posted by Corporate

Answer:  Try Green Screen Adventures!

Among other 70+ cool classes, we are especially excited about a new course in stop-action photography that uses a green screen; one of our business owners in California is running the pilot classes now, and we expect to be able to post some movies on our COMPUTER EXPLORERS YouTube channel in the next few weeks.  Look for the following course description in YMCA and community center catalogs:

Climb Mount Everest, swim the depths of the ocean, or battle dinosaurs! Using a green screen and special photo-editing techniques, you will venture into real or imaginary locations and film the trip to share with friends. Experiment with photos and unique drawing software to set the scene for fantastic adventures. Don't stay at home -- jump into a green screen and find yourself some fun!

Check out the other classes too ... video game design and comic book writing are mega-hits!