Just Plain Bill
“The computer won’t let me win!”
When Melanie, a
diminutive first grader in my computer lab class made this statement, my first
response was to say, “Give it another try.” After further thought, I realized
that “not winning” is one of the realities of computer games: to not be
“defeated” by a human.
The game that
Melanie was playing was Road Rally, one of many beginning exercises in
my computer classes designed to support familiarity, comfort, and confidence in
using all the keys on the computer.
After sitting
with Melanie and explaining some strategy that would allow her to “win”, she
has become a whiz at that game, as well as with other learning games we include
each week. In fact, she’s now “beating” the computer regularly!
Once again, I was
reminded that when I truly listen to my students, listen beyond just the words,
I can learn much more than I realize.
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