Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Computers are ace

Starting today computers are built in (well, appended) to the schedule. This means that I have all 32 (form one/ grade nine) or 38 (form two/grade ten) students at once, and only two computers. They are divided into groups of around three. Each class is forty minutes long, but that's really only twenty minutes of computer time since we need to carry the computers to the church (where class takes place, since its the only place with power) and set them up.

Basically, at two classes per grade per week, each group of three gets one class of computer time every three weeks. And while that's totally fine, I don't really know what to do with the rest of them during the classes when it's not their turn. Currently they just sit in the pews behind and watch, though I made a strict rule that if you come to the front and interfere with the girls whose turn it is, then your group goes last. Two girls came forward to the computers, so I had to put their groups last, and now I think maybe that's kind of a harsh punishment, but I think it's important that I not go back on my own rule.

I've decided that there will be three units, and each group gets on the computer once per unit. The first unit will be the mouse, saving files, opening files, opening and exiting programs, and typing lower case vs upper case letters. This unit will entirely take place on MS Paint, because it'll make them want to practice mouse control. The second unit will be Word, because that's probably the most useful program to learn. The third will be just using Microsoft, like folders and stuff. I guess the third unit can be embellished a little.

Every so often I accidentally drop some slang, like when we were going to the field for gym and some people were being slow, I shouted, 'chop chop!' They loved it so much, and I overhear them saying it all the time. It's so hard to explain proper slang usage! I told them it's not really the most polite thing to say, and that it's maybe a bit outdated.

Today when we were done returning the computers to their proper location, I said, "ace." Then I had to explain ace. I picked the term up in an episode of JakeandAmir.com when Jake was making up terms to see if Amir would believe him. J&A fans, remember? Gully? Anyway, so ace is slang that is used semi-ironically, like as an inside joke with an internet tv show. (Ace and Jocelyn, astronaut accountants from space, am I right?) It's obscure. But I explained it to them as meaning a mixture of good/thanks/I am pleased with what you have just said or done, and that only the youth use it. I felt a little silly explaining. Anyway, somebody let Jake and Amir know that ace has officially spread to Kenya.
Ps- if any Jake and Amir fans have nothing else to do, can you link the episode I mean in the comments?

5 comments:

  1. That's funny about the slang.

    Crazy that you only have 2 computers for all those kids (considering that our house probably has like, 5 computers at any given time).

    My cane is arriving today! (It's a black one, with flames - the same one as House on that tv show). I'll send you a picture of me using it so you can see how cool I am.

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  2. I can just imagine what kind of influence you can have on language development in that area...

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  3. wouldn't that be amazing? if random slang that you brought to a small kenyan village stuck around in that area, and then like 100 years later there's some documentary about how this weird little area of kenya uses crazy outdated american slang thrown into their swahili, and no one knows why?

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  4. Here it is, I think!

    Why wont it let me copy and past here?

    I guess I will type it out for you - I love you THAT much.

    www.jakeandamir.com/post/5159168/ace

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  5. Hahaha. "Ace" was totally THE word in NZ in the 80s, I remember it from when we moved back from the states.

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