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 I told them it's not really the most polite thing to say, and that it's maybe a bit outdated.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?

The computers

The new computers have arrived! Everybody is beside themselves with excitement. A few teachers and some admin from the orphanage have, upon hearing that i'll be the teacher, slyly pulled me aside and asked for lessons. Sure!

There are two computers and they are kept in the orphanage because there is no power in the school. I went to in set them up today. Oh man, they are so slow they're running xp, which I think is the problem; they were built for windows 95. When I set them up I had Janet with me, the secretary who accompanied me to the market last week. She had never used a computer before. I was telling her things about drop down menus and copy-paste shortcuts when I realised she was just enjoying the interaction between her hand on the mouse and the the cursor movement on the screen. I've never really thought about how one would go about teaching computers from scratch. I can't remember a time when there wasn't a computer in my classroom and at home. Sure, they were the ones with green text on a black screen that ran off dos, or the kind with a ball built into the keyboard in the pre-mouse days. I'm trying to think of what a good first lesson would be to somebody who has never even seen a computer.

I guess we can talk about the functions of the monitor, keyboard, cpu, mouse, etc. I think a day of playing with ms paint would be good for getting the hang of the mouse. The next day we can talk about different types of files, saving and opening documents, and how folders work. Word could be a few weeks worth of lessons. Today is the first lesson and its with the older girls. I guess we'll see how it goes!