Dear Parents,
Thank you for the opportunity to work with your child. We hope the children enjoying learning new technology programs, applications, and skills. Please use this page to learn how you can work with your "digital learner". On this page you will find resources, links to articles, and helpful tips. If you have any questions about the club, or know of a resource to share, please let us know so we can pass along the information to other parents.
Resources
Helpful Tips
1. Pay attention to what your child is doing on the computer. Learning how to use technology requires problem-solving, critical thinking, and a lot of trial and error. Ask your child what they are doing and how they can use the technology to do different things.
2. Thou shalt not Google. Well, maybe that's a little too extreme, but learning how to use Google efficiently can save you and your child a lot of time searching the hundreds of thousands of websites that come up when you do a general Google search. Alan November has some great information for creating customized searches that filter out all of the unwanted results and give you the best resources for your search topic.
3. Your child is a digital citizen. Kids today learn differently because they have been exposed to technology for most of their lives, and they apply technology to help them acquire knowledge and skills, not just to apply the skills. Digital learners approach learning and problem-solving in a non-linear manner; they sometimes look at a situation or problem from a different perspective; and their solution to a problem may not be the expected approach. Please use the resources listed above to learn more about working with a digital learner.
4. Don't panic if your child knows more about computers and technology than you do. Kids aren't afraid of breaking the computer, so they'll be willing to try to figure it out on their own. Many of us from the "old school" haven't mastered navigating the Internet, or creating multimedia presentations (to say nothing of programming, coding, and sophisticated applications). Ask your child to show you what they know. Letting your child "teach" you will help them develop a deeper understanding of the skill.
5. It is not about the gadgets, software, program, or hardware - it is about using the gadget, software, program, or hardware to gain knowledge, demonstrate a skill, apply understanding, solve a problem, create a product, share an idea, or to communicate with others. If your child wants to use technology, ask him or her why the technology is the best method, or how will the technology help him or her accomplish the goal. |