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Hitting the ground running
I.T. education in kindergarten

By Tramy Heung

It is  now free time for kids in a kindergarten. Happy kids rush to the computer corner to play computer games.

This is the scene in Shing Kung Hui St. Peter Church Castle Peak Siu Lun Court Kindergarten.

In the kindergarten, there are 10 computers in the computer corner and one in each classroom.

To keep abreast of the increasing use of information technology, or I.T., many kindergartens teach kids how to use computers.

Ms. Louisa Chow, the principal of the kindergarten, said it was worthwhile to invest $270,000 to install the computers for the kids.

She said, “A computer serves as an approach to accomplish a unified education. It satisfies kids’ curiosity through their own exploration.

“We also hope that they will not have computer-phobia when they go into primary school.”  

Ms. Christina Han is a lecturer in the School of Early Childhood Education at the Hong Kong Institute of Education.

She said a lot of research supports the use of I.T. in pre-primary education.

“Kids aged from 3 to 6 can cope with the use of I.T. in class.

“Indeed, many toys for kids under 2 are similar to computers. There should be no problem for kids to learn I.T.”

Ms. Chow supports the view that I.T. education for kids is beneficial.

Said she: “Kids can learn social skills through using computers.

“They can learn to queue up to play and know the importance of order.

“They also tend to discuss among themselves questions about computers. This improves their interpersonal skills.”

Parents welcome the introduction of I.T. education in kindergartens.

Mr. Tsui Kwok Wah is the chairperson of the Parents Teachers Association of Shing Kung Hui St. Peter Church Castle Peak Siu Lun Court Kindergarten.

He said this new form of education can narrow the knowledge gap.

He said, “Some families do not have computers. If kindergartens provide I.T. education, every kid will have an equal opportunity to learn I.T.”

“So, kids with no computer at home will not feel inferior and frustrated,” he said.

For kindergarten teachers, I.T. education assists in their teaching.

Ms. May Tsang, a kindergarten teacher, said, “I use computers to assist our work, like designing worksheets  and other teaching materials.

“I think children like those colourful and attractive teaching materials.

“Using computers can save me time because I do not have to paint any more.”

She also said computers  strengthen students’ memories.

As the teaching package is user-friendly, Ms. Tsang has no problems handling it.

She only needs to follow the instructions and install files for children.

However, Ms Tsang still faces another problem.

She said, “Once I was demonstrating a computer game to kids, and they challenged me as to whether I knew how to play or not.

“I was quite embarrassed at the moment. So, teachers need to be familiar with the teaching package.”

When teaching I.T. in kindergarten lessons, careful planning is essential.

Ms. Han of the Institute of Education said, “I have visited a lot of kindergartens to observe their I.T. education.

“The effectiveness of the computer lessons varies from school to school.”

She does not encourage each child to use computers individually.

This decreases the amount of communication between children and teacher and it affects kids’ ability to express themselves.

Ms. Han emphasised that computers can only be one kind of teaching tool, but they cannot replace all.

She said, “While children learn to use computers to produce creative and colourful pictures, teachers should also let children draw by using crayon and colour pencils.” 

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