Finally...an update!

Hey everyone!

I know, I know..we have been terrible with updating the blog..but it's finally here, so enjoy!

After finalllly getting the right importer code, the laptops finally arrived! After spending a few hours getting the laptops ready, Aimee, Drew, Steph and I handed them out to the children at St. Mary's and at Holy Cross!

It looked like Christmas morning. The kids all sat patiently while they were handed their boxes, eagerly waiting to open them and see their very own XO laptop.

The kids opened them up, put in the batteries and turned them on. The kids got right into playing maze, listening to music and exploring all of the different activities.

Everyday at St. Mary's, I have taken small groups of children in the same age group into the computer room to work on the laptops. Each day, we have done different activities, such as, "take a picture of yourself, and cut and paste that into a write document and talk about yourself" or "draw your house and backyard with turtle art." The kids have shown strong interest in wanting to learn how to type properly, so "typing turtle" has been a big hit! These activities have been used for kids to mess around with the laptops, get used to different commands, but still have fun. Preparing for learning projects is necessary in the beginning!

The kids are finally getting a hang on the basic rules of the laptops, i.e., not having too many activities open at one time, what to do if the mouse freezes, or how to invite someone to chat. It has been both emotional and exciting to see the children help one another and watching their facial expressions when they figure out an activity, or have successfully cut and paste a picture into a writing document.

Many pictures to come to show the kids and the laptops!

'Til next time...