July 2
Today we used a different modality than yesterday. Yesterday
we tried making all the students accounts first and then having them use the
page. What we’re doing now is separating the class into two equal halves. For
the first half of the time one of the groups uses the computers and the other
is outside playing math games. What we do is make the first group their logins
and then they stay the first half of the class. After the snack break we
brought in the second group and made them logins and they used the computers
until the end of the session. We did this with both the morning and afternoon
groups. This is the best solution we could find so far with the quantity of
kids we have and our limited number of computers. We have also found that as
the students get more familiar with the site they are faster in picking it up
and need less help as they go along. Students at similar levels have started
engaging in competition to see who can advance the farthest. We look at this as
a good sign because it means that the kids are getting comfortable with the
program and finding it interesting. Students have also started helping each other
solve problems or/and explain concepts that they get to each other. They have
also started helping each other navigate the website for when they get stuck.
We have also been using the practice exercises mostly but some students have
used the videos with the Spanish subtitles and say they help a bit. The only
problem with that is that the student cannot fully concentrate on the content
in the video because they have to be also attentive to the subtitles. A large
part of the students don’t want to leave when their allotted time is up. But in
the interest of fairness we have to change the groups so that everyone has a
chance of using the computers. It would be ideal if we had more computers and
unlimited time so that the students can explore and learn at their own pace.
But alas that is not the situation we are in and we are doing the best we can
with what we have.
We have also had to teach some of the students how to use a
computer. Some of the students have not really had the chance to use a
computer. So we teach them the basics of navigating the site and the basics of
using a computer. We hope that they are learning math and at the same time
learning how to use a computer and the internet. We cannot allow free
navigation of the internet by the students because this would put too much of a
strain on our internet connection. We have figured out that our connection can
be used for about up to 9-10 computer/laptops and we can usually get one tablet
to also work. But the internet is rather temperamental and we sometimes have
the web pages crashing because the internet connection gets overloaded.
We are taking the program one day at a time. Today was a new
approach that seems to be working. But we will keep tweaking and being flexible
with the program as we see fit or as situations arise.
EWA
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