Day 4: ICT for writing

Today the internet was still down. Apparently the Department changed their server for the wireless internet and that means that now every individual netbook has to be amended to be able to access the wireless internet. This caused so much frustration to everyone! To make matters worse, the ICT Coordinator will be going to the Asian Experience Trip (as part of a cultural exchange program) for two weeks. The pressure will now be on the technicians when they come to school next Thursday.

Despite this drawback, the students still used technology today. The teacher set 3 tasks to complete by the end of the 2 hour block:

1. Create three folders (Graduation, Maths, English)
2. Write a piece about "Today I got my new net-book..." and save it in their English folder
3. Write a class list and save it to the Graduation folder

These tasks, although simple, demanded a lot of attention from students as many of them didn't know how or where to save or how to create new folders. This is alarming, as students in Grade 6 should have been shown how to save their work in previous years. This can only be due to a lack of use of technology in the earlier grades. I am finding myself in awe of how little students in Grade 6 know and how much I have overestimated their knowledge.

The level of noise (students chatting) is significantly lower when using computers. Students were focused on their writing and a high level of completion was achieved.