Hi, I teach at a private school and I have a class of kindergarten-2nd graders. The kids are very good for the most part, but over half the class has ADHD and they have a great deal of difficulty focusing. I've tried to teach lessons at the beginning of the year, and they generally went well (the parts of the computer, how to do paint, how to find Google images, etc.) However, now I feel as though I'm kind of at a plateau. The kids know the basics but I can't really teach Word or move on to larger projects because of their attention span and many of them have difficulty with reading and writing. So instead, I've had them go on computer and iPad games related to learning (Math Bingo, Story Time, etc.). This is what I'm thinking will work best, but is this normal for a computer class with students at this age? That they mainly play games and don't have a whole group lesson?
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You can't teach keyboarding because they don't have the ability to stretch till third grade.
I mainly did spelling word sentences and math games. I loved abcya.com
I did not go to google images because too many of my kids would have gone to inappropriate sites.
I agree with the idea of having them use their painting to illustrate stories. They can dictate the stories to you, or type them in. They don't have to be long. One sentence per illustration is a good start. If you then "publish" the stories in a book, they'll be thrilled. You need to focus on the point of having those skills, not just the skills. Or get the class to brainstorm a story outline together (you write the idea on the board- preferably using a graphic organizer) then let small groups write and illustrate parts. Make copies for the parents.
Adhd, huh? Oooh, its not normal for a kid to be energetic and active. give me a break. that's just an excuse for big pharma to sell you their LEGAL METH. Anyways, letting kids play games and what not isn't really effective. I remember being in school and the games were just games, and usually had easier problems than what we were learning. I don't think letting children on computers is very effective for their education. Have them write a story using different fonts/colors and different clip art to show their story. Other than that, just do what your doing because usually computer class is just recess-but-not-recess.