Is your kid graded on computer skills?

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

DS got his report card home yesterday. I know last year his teacher (who taught a mix of Sp Ed and normals) introduced computer concepts like using the mouse and keyboard. I knew that they would probably be continuing on that path this year as well. I did NOT expect he would be given a 'grade' (needs progress, progressing or mastery) on how well they can use a keyboard and mouse. I just noticed on the last 1/3rd of his report card there is a space that reads "Begins to enter/exit programs successfully".
What?
He's 4, almost 5. Does he really need to know this stuff or am I just an old fart mom out of the loop?

 

[BeckyScott]

Yeah, you're an old fart mom.

Both my boys could run a computer by that age. But that's their "thing" and I don't know if that's typical. I do remember when DS was in SpEd preschool they used the computer as a reward, like if he did good at OT that day, she'd give him 10 minutes on her laptop. So he was very able to maneuver around on a computer by then. But we're a pretty computer-addicted family.

DS also is being taught keyboarding by the OT now in elementary school, both as a life skill and because of his processing issues and messy handwriting. I think his IEP this year has him finding "home" on a keyboard and being able to find letters on a keyboard within a certain amount of time. He's in 3rd grade. He isn't graded on it per se, because it's on his IEP, but it's a goal. They do have computer class once a week as a "special" in the regular classroom.

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

Who knew that at 30 I'd be an old fart?

DS has been interested in the computer since he was an infant and I would prop him on my lap while I checked email or whatever. We let him play with an old, beat up keyboard and mouse that didn't work for quite awhile before my SIL bought him this thing called a FisherPrice EasyLink which allows him to surf the web (sort of) safely. I'm even looking at seeing if I can get the Handy Manny/CARS upgrade pack for Christmas for him.

He's gotten to the point now where he wants to 'do it mahseff!" and gets annoyed if I try to help him. And I have to admit, he is getting better at playing games, navigating around the Playhouse Disney site, etc.

 

[mechurchlady]

old fart at 30 then what does that make me at the age of 51?

At a young age children learn and adapt easiest. Children will grow up in a world full of computers and need early on to have them skills. If your child does learn early on how to use a computer properly then they can access interesting things like literature, games, and WDW. congratulations on another milestone.

Today it is games and Disney Playhouse online and someday it could online on its laptop at an airport planning the next corporate meeting or maybe planning a trip to WDW because they were a successful businessman or lawyer.

 

[Schmeck]

All of our schools have computer labs, and computer classes, but we don't start formal class time for them until 1st grade. On the other hand, the best time to introduce new skills is during the preschool years, so your son is the right age to start exploring the technical world.

 

[Piper]

I teach Pre-K in a public school and I have 2 computers in use every day in my classroom. The children can use the mouse, the arrow keys, and know that the X in the corner of the screen is to exit the program. They can click the appropriate icon on the screen to begin a program and select the "game" they want to play. Our district blocks many inappropriate sites (and some that would be very harmless ) so I don't worry about them getting into something they shouldn't. Of course, I do monitor what they are doing. Right now we are using Starfall.com which is a fantastic site for teaching letters, sounds and beginning reading skills. It also has some little memory-type matching games, sequencing, etc. They also know that they need to let me know if a message box appears on the screen or they navigate out of the program.

I use power point presentations (just did one on coconut trees to introduce Chicka Chicka Boom Boom) with them fairly frequently as well as streaming video to introduce new concepts.

If you take the time to teach them, young children can do far more than most people think!

 

[BeckyScott]

I wanted to share what happened with us just yesterday. Oldest DS had a ped appt and youngest DS was there too. The ped has a PDA that has a program in it of all the different meds, dosage info, side effects, etc., that she pulled out to look up some information.

Both kids were like "oooh, what's that?"

So when she was done, she handed it to oldest DS. We were talking, and a few minutes later she looked over at him and he'd managed to leave the rx program and find the games and was playing checkers. Which, honestly, didn't surprise me much. She thinks he's real smart to be able to do that. But this is the same kid that last year, his teacher used him as the classroom Tech Support. Youngest DS got hold of it, and although he stayed in the checkers game, figured out what to do no problem. I don't know much about PDA's, but it resembled a computer close enough they knew what to do, the only thing different was the stylus.

Of course, now they both want one.

Along with what Piper said, I think both kids could do those things about preschool age. About a year later, they also learned (by watching me) that when the computer locks up, to do the ctrl-alt-delete, which is not exactly something I wanted them to learn. And when the box pops up, how to figure out which program to exit to get the computer to un-freeze. (for example, we exit out of "iexplorer" and not just "explorer", cause exiting out of "explorer" means we have to completely restart the computer)

One thing I've taught them is aside from the games, using the internet for research purposes. Oldest DS caught onto that very quickly as a method for looking up game cheats. This is how you know you've crossed out of old fart status (LOL!)- when the kid asks you a question you don't know, instead of saying "go look it up in the encyclopedia", you say "google it"....

 

[sdarwkcabemanmy]

I know that DS's class goes to computer lab at least 2X a week. It just amazes me they are expected to know these things in PRE-K. Things have come a LONG way from when I was in school where we weren't introduced to the computer until 7th grade. Even then, it was a true dinosaur--a Commodore 64. We had to learn to program it in BASIC (which I doubt DS will ever have to do, unless he becomes a computer programmer and I don't think even THEY use BASIC anymore) and come up with three 'games' for it to play as a project. Our HS had ancient Apple IIes and I didn't even know what the internet WAS until I went to community college and had to take a refresher course because our school was so outdated.

I'll have to check out Starfall. com. Thanks for the recommendation. DS LOVES to play on the computer but right now, he's only allowed to play if his EasyLink is turned on, so he can't navigate away from the websites it goes to.