So, this weekend, I spent a lot of time sitting around with my five year old cousin from Prince George who is definitely quite the super star when it comes to computers. When he first arrived at my house, and asked to use my laptop computer, I was very resistant. I was thinking, of a way to say no, yet at the same time seem polite. I am not greedy or anything, rather have many assignments and useful documents saved onto my laptop. My cousin looked at me with comfort in his eyes and simply said “I just want to upload some pictures of the family, so you can see them”. I looked at him with this sort of fascination in my face. At his age, I don’t even think I knew how to properly turn on a computer, and this kid wanted to upload pictures? WOW! To me, just hearing these words was amazing. Yes, I know children are more exposed to computers, which makes them well rounded learners and more familiar with technology, but never did I think that they would be this knowledgeable.
Doubts aside, I let little Isaiah use my laptop. Within minutes, he had navigated through my computer and uploaded family pictures. I was truly amazed, almost speechless. Boy did this kid blow me away. In shock, and full of curiosity I asked him, “How did you learn how to do this Isaiah, at school?” he replied “by myself”. After hearing that, I truly realized the benefits that a child can be introduced to simply by being given an opportunity to work with a computer. Not only did Isaiah use his time and patience to learn how to complete such a task, he was given the ability to learn a skill that would not have been introduced at school otherwise.
This learning experience for Isaiah, opened a whole new perspective on technology and learning for me. After viewing this personal experience, I have began to recognize and appreciate the countless amount of learning opportunities and resources that that available to a child at the click of a button. Wow, what an eye opener!
What an inspirational blog. Stories like these truly remind me of the rapid pace we are traversing yet the next generation is on the pulse of such change. Just from this example alone we can see how far a child can learn by themselves. Just image what would happen if there was a teacher able to further push their boundaries.
ReplyDeleteIt feels like just yesterday, when we would all run to our parents for answers to everything. Now, when I want to learn something, the first thing I turn to is GOOGLE! Just that thought, scares me a bit, however, it really makes me realize how much is available in terms of the internet and its world of possibilities.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to this example, it is clear how much more interactive and technology based children have become through self-absorbed knowledge. When you say to think about the introduction of a teacher in this situation, i believe that the teacher and the student can be valuable tools for one another. The teacher can facilitate the learner to allow the child to further push their boundaries.