A.P.P.L.E.

Lietuviškai

A.P.P.L.E. Work Group  "Computer science" meeting
   Minutes

1998 11 27                   Vilnius

Participants:
Nijolė Krikščiūnienė, master teacher - computer science, Elektrėnų Versmės gymnasium
Svajūnas Maciulevičius, master teacher - history,  Kaišiadorių Žiežmarių school
Regina Jasiūnienė, LPKI chemistry professor
Vytautas Kavoliūnas, teacher, Ukmergės  Užupis school
Vainas Brazdeikis expert teacher - computer science, OSF engineer

Ideas voiced during meeting:

We would like to hear about interaction and communication teaching on the Internet.

We would like to hear about the teaching of communication and association skills through the Internet.

New teaching methods using technology

We now know about group work, we would like to hear something new.  How can we use the projects method solve teaching problems in class, not just during free time?  How can this be integrated into the teaching program?

What is done in classes in the US with new technologies?  What system?

How can we use the project method in classes and still reach program goals and examination requirements?

New technologies are usually used for demonstrations, as if they were magic.

How can teachers of subjects which have nothing to do with computers use the new technologies.

Need to take a step further, basics are and can be taught by own colleagues.

There are teachers in Lithuania who are excellent, for instance, the chemistry teacher in Biržiškos school.

How do we solve this integration problem:  general curriculum, computer curriculum and teaching methodology?

Here is an idea:  get some excellent lecturers who would train a group of enthusiastic Lithuanian teachers (maybe a group of 20 people), who would later work parallel with A.P.P.L.E. lecturers, maybe next year, who would keep in touch with the American lecturers and complete on-going tasks.

We need American experiences through Lithuanian "heads" (adapting new methods knowing the current practices in Lithuania.)

It is imperative that lecturers, who get new information, try it out themselves.

Beginners can be taught without Americans, we should not concentrate on the elementary skills level.  Would be interesting to get several groups of different higher levels of skills for strand work and leave the beginner lessons for the choice lectures.

While I was working with the American lecturers, I had to prepare my own lessons.  That was very useful.

What is taught about the Internet in American schools?  Only browsing?  Information gathering skills?

There are differences in curriculum, examinations, after school activities, but it would be interesting to know what they teach in school.  How do they work.  We need practical examples.

In class, some work with computers while others do experiments.  How do you decide who works where and why?

Student and teacher problems can arise when students get computers at home and work with them, while there are not a few teachers who are AFRAID of computers.

Lithuanian computer teachers could work with other strand participants, teaching them computer basics (one advantage - they would not need interpreters).

General lecturers - personalities, A.P.P.L.E.'s strong point.

Choice lectures allow teachers to choose what interests them.

American lecturers interact with us in a very warm-hearted way.

That, which I hear in 1996 I would not like to hear again.

Local and inter-school computer networks.  What are they?  What kind of information is stored - student information, financial, students correspondence, students projects, teachers lesson plans???

Examples of curriculum materials.  It would be worth while to compare our curriculum with the US curriculum in any subject.

• The Internet:  what and how it is taught, what kind of information is in school networks.
• Computers use in all subjects (accent on methodology).
• How to integrate curriculum, standards, and new teaching methods (for example - project method).

• Teaching lecturers who would teach others during the schools year.
• Choice lectures
• General lectures with STRONG lecturers

Compiled by:  V.Brazdeikis, V.Kavoliūnas

Comments of those, who could not participate:

From: Rima Česnienė <rima@ipc.lt>
To: vainas@osf.lt <vainas@osf.lt>
Date: 1998 m. Gruodis 1 d. 05:14
Subject: pasitarkim (let's discuss)

I have read the questions discusses at the A.P.P.L.E. meeting.  There are so many questions and this shows, that everything interests us, but...
In my heart I feel uneasy:  do we really want, that everything should be as in America?  (I got that impression when I finished reading the minutes).  Why do we want to take everything, adapt their system (How are curricula, lesson plans, and projects correlated) into our educational system.  Why do we forget, that we are Lithuanians with our own base, our different character traits, with our own psychology and abilities?   We need to grow, improve, but maybe we should choose that, which is most important to us, those areas to which we give priority.  When during the seminars there are many strands, it is not good, because one person has many responsibilities and he is interested in lessons, after school activities, administrative work, exams, lesson plans, and most of all, projects that cannot be separated from their subject.  It makes it hard to choose.  Nevertheless, it seems to me that the organizers should see, where we are weakest, while in America that area is stronger than in other countries, and to which this year we should focus our attention.  You know very well, that in Lithuania there are many people who are talented, intelligent, and knowledgeable in their area.  They are creating their own methods, knowing their projects very well and knowing the possibilities and needs of their country.  They are not insular, but go out into the world for new ideas.