COMPUTER EDUCATION PES 408

COMPUTER EDUCATION CURRICULUM IN NURSERY AND PRIMARY SCHOOL

LECTURER IN CHARGE DR ONASANYA (GROUP 5)

What is Nursery and primary Education.According to the national policy on Education

(NPE 2004). Nursery education is the education given to children prior to their entering the Primary school. It includes the Crèche and Kindergarten.

Primary education is the education given to the children between the age range of 6-11 years. Since the rest of the education system is built upon it, the primary level is the key to the success or failure in the whole system.

What is Curriculum?Curriculum is derive from a Latin word

‘curere’ which means running a course of event to purposefully go through within a specified period of time. In other words it is a course to be run for the attainment of predetermined goals. In simple terms curriculum is seen as both planned and unplanned program of activities carried out in a school system for a particular period of time.

What is Computer EducationComputer refers to an electronic device which is capable of

receiving information (data) in a particular form and performing a sequence of operations, in accordance with a predetermined program to produce a result in a form of information.

Computer education is an application of computer programme to education in order to aid teaching and learning in the school, particularly in the classroom setting.

Computers has proved to be a valuable educational tool. Computer assisted instruction(CAI) uses computerised lessons that ranges from simple drill and practices questions to complex interactive tutorials. These program have become essential teaching tools in schools where topics are complex and the cost of human-teachers is extremely high.

ADVANTAGES OF COMPUTER EDUCATIONA computer is an electronic device that stores and

processes data. it allows users to manipulate data easily. The speed of performance of a computer is incomparable, therefore, teaching and learning process becomes more efficient.

The computer and internet have affected our way of learning, working , storing information, communicating, playing and also writing. In fact, computers are used in every sphere of life today.

One can write more effectively by means of a computer. A computer allows the user to create documents, edit ,print and store them so they can be retrieved later.

Using the computer, one can remain connected to the world through the internet. Internet is a network of computers that communicate via the internet protocol suite (IP).

Computer can be used by students as a storage system where materials, information and electronic educational books can be stored.

Computer Education Curriculum Content contains:Pry 1 : (i) Uses of Computer (ii) Computer in work places Pry 2 : (i) Description of Computer (ii) Computerized Electronic

Device (iii) Parts of ComputerPry 3: (i) History of Computer (ii) Input Devices (iii) Output

Devices (iv) The System Unit (v) Components of a System Unit (vi) Storage Devices

Pry 4: (i) Data and Information (ii) Importance of Computer (iii) Computer Hardware (iv) Computer Software (v) Setting up a Computer

Pry 5: (i) Classes of Computer (ii) Sizes of Computer (iii) The Computer System (iv) The Keyboard (v) The Mouse (vi) The Desktop (vii) Computer Games (viii) Care of Computers

Pry 6: (i) Computer Networks (ii) Word Processing (iii) The Tool Bars (iv) Drawing with the Computer (v) Care of the Computer

ROLES OF COMPUTER IN EDUCATIONComputer have changed the way we work and play a vital

role in every profession. It aid in industrial processes, field of education, medicine, to mention a few. Computer soft wares have also been developed for every field and they are flourishing which is playing an important role in education. This is also why education experts have made computer education an integral part of curriculum.

Discussed below are the roles computer play in education:Computer technology has a great impact on the

educational sector. Thanks to computer, communicating instruction to students have become easier and much more interesting than before. Owing to memory capacities of Computers, large chunks of data can be stored in them

Computer teaching plays a key role in modern education system. Students find it easier to refer to the internet than searching for information in fat books.

Online education has revolutionized the education industry. Computer education has made the dream of distance learning ,a reality. Education is no longer limited to classroom it has reached far and wide thanks to computers.

Computer facilitate effective presentation of information. Presentation soft wares like power point and animation soft wares like flash can be of great help to the teachers in delivering lectures.

The otherwise not so interesting topics become interesting due to audio-visual effects as subject can be explained in different ways

ASSESSMENT IN COMPUTER EDUCATION. Assessment is the process of defining, selecting, analysing,

interpreting and using information to increase students learning and development of students.

Increased numbers of students in Primary education and the corresponding increase in time spent by staff on assessment has encourage interest into how computer can assist in this area. Ensuring that the assessment methods adopted reflect both the aims and objectives of the course and any technical developments which has taken place is becoming increasingly important, especially as quality assurance procedures require departments to justify the assessment procedures adopted.

Assessment in Computer-supported collaboration learning (CSCL) environment is a subject of interest to education and researchers. The assessment tools is used to measure groups knowledge, of the collaborative process, the quality of groups product and Individual collaborative learning skills .

Reasons for computer in Education There are various reason for teaching computer in the Nursery

and Primary school which include the following: Computer education influences their performance by enabling

them to become involve in their school works. Computer classes enables students to put their creativity into use.

Computer education reduces the time needed to efficiently learn new materials.

Computer education and supporting activities produces developmental gain in the lives of this kids such as intelligence , non-verbal skills and long term memory.

Computer education enhances students mathematical thinking and improve scores in problem solving and critical thinking tasks.

Incorporating computer education in schools can inspire students to undertake careers in technology and enhance their understanding of how computer technology impact peoples daily lives.

It provides students with a grounding in computer related software and activities such as office suite, and creating data sheets. In which can be applied later in life.

STRATEGIES PUT IN PLACE BY SCHOOL ADMINISTATORS IN THE PREPARATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT

Government support: government cooperation is necessary for ICT programmes to have substantial impact and be sustainable. In the attempt to revaluate the education delivery system and curriculum of countries to include ICT, Governments have consider the social context in which they are implementing to include this phenomenon, the realities of individual countries and the disparities within and across their geographies, including their limitation say , the language barrier, should be considered and the availability of ICT should be made according to the needs and desires of the countries in order to facilitate appropriate learning and local ownership of knowledge .

Creating Community-Based ICT facilities: The concept of community-based ICT facilities may be experienced at the school level to increase school students’ access to ICT-based materials. For example, one ICT centre may be created for every five schools in the village/block, and this centre may be equipped with computer, television, radio or other technologies. A time-table may be allocated so that each school has access to the ICT centre for one day of the week. Within each school again, different classes may be allocated different periods for accessing the ICT centre.

Establishing Local Area Network: Given that internal access is a problem for most schools, especially in the rural areas, educators and administrators needs to consider the possibility of establishing Local Area Network (LAN) in schools.

Focus on Capacity Building: The use of ICT in education calls for fundamental shift in the way content is designed and delivered, as well as for teamwork and collaborative practices. New technologies to understand these fundamental shifts. On going training is necessary for the trainers in institutions and organizations who are engaged in the design of curriculum, teaching same time middle-level managers, both in the public service and the NGO sector, need to understand the pedagogy of learning through ICT and the management models that is required.

Alternative Power Source: Given the situation of power shortage in areas, and the effect of power shortage on the usage of computers and other technologies in school, the government should actively promote the usage of alternate sources of power. This ecologically friendly solution will also ensure a steady power supply to schools in rural areas.

Financing ICT Investment: Financing mechanism for ICT in adequate initiatives are quite varied. Due to the high up front costs and large recurrent costs, countries and communities typically employ varied models of financing and cost recovery mechanisms. Public-private partnership and user fees are important components of financing ICT in education in many countries although more research is needed to determine the impact and effectiveness of these mechanisms

EVALUATION TO EDUCATIONEvaluation as a concept is derived morphologically from the root ‘value’ and the stem ‘evaluate’. Evaluation is generally defined as the process of passing judgment on the value or worth of an object , a person, an event, a thing or an undertaking beyond this general conception. However evaluation is a goal oriented component of all decision making activities and it entails the collection and analysis of relevant data so as to be able to make progressive adjustments towards pre-determined goals.What Is Evaluation? In teaching learning process the teacher’s main task is to promote and facilitate meaningful learning. A teacher would not be have completed his task until he has determined the performance of his students. Hence evaluation of students learning outcome is imperative in the instructional process. Evaluation is one of the elements of the curriculum. Evaluation is a mainstream educational tool which is the valuable and less obtrusive when position integrated with all phases of the instructional process. Bloom(1971) perceives evaluation as the systematic collection of evidence to determine whether certain changes are taking place and the extent of the change in individual learner. He further identified 2 sides to eradicate as the goals and roles and collection of information (data collection) plus the processing of collected data. Evaluation is therefore, a useful tool in the determination of the worth of a learning programme for the purpose of making alternative decision. Three primary types of evaluation are recognized among educators :- diagnostic, formative and summative

Diagnostic evaluation: is often used in the primary school settings, it often precedes instruction, while,

Formative evaluation: is carried out and completed during the instructional period.

Summative evaluation: is the most common and is concluded at the end of the unit or course. In the school systems, evaluation focuses on the students, the teacher , the curriculum and the classroom. However, the student is the primary focus in the evaluation of learning outcomes.

In evaluating students learning domains of knowledge are recognised. The cognitive, the affective and the psychomotor. Evaluation in the cognitive domain, which deals with knowledge and the development of intellectual skills and abilities, is often given more attention. The affective and in psychomotor domains are seldom as prominent . In spite of the importance of the evaluation, most teachers are unprepared for the role of an evaluation techniques. Consequently, evaluation in schools traditionally tended to be paper – and pencil testing type. Further more, summative evaluation is the most frequently used by teachers at the primary school level because of the level of comprehension of the children of primary school age the teachers tends to employ summative evaluation.