My experience in the EYFS was a useful one; I had long forgotten what it was like to play for most of the day! One of my most valuable experiences was the time I was given to observe an EYFS computing lesson - a kind of lesson I had never really seen before. The objective was to simply get the children used to, and comfortable with logging on to the computer and navigating their way to find a programme. Children were guided by the teacher through the password and username before being shown how to access the programmes menu and click on 'Paint'. By the time all of the children had found their way onto 'Paint', 40 of the 45 minutes assigned to the lesson had gone and the children didn't get to do much creatively, however, they made progress in the key fundamental area of simply understanding how to use a computer.
At first I was a bit shocked by the fact that turning the computer on and off was a lesson in itself. However, when you think about it, it is probably one of the most important computing lessons children will ever have in school, let alone the EYFS stage. There has to be a starting point somewhere, and this was it. This was the beginning of children's learning. Thinking about it now, I presumed children would just know how to do the very basics in terms of on and off; I didn't think that would need a specific time slot for this to be taught. I am glad I saw this though as it has allowed me to understand computing more broadly, seeing how it is taught in its infancy and simplest form. The fact I observed this in January as well, and children were still - halfway through the year - being given such intensive instruction as to how to log on etc. shows that it is a complex issue that needs a lot of time and attention before the children become truly at ease with using this technology.
In reference to 'Paint', this seems to be the 'go-to' programme for a lot of Reception classes. It is a very simple programme to follow for the children as it is simply a case of drawing and painting, except they use a mouse instead of a pencil or a brush. I think this is a good programme to use during this transitional period for this very reason as children have fun drawing and designing whilst simultaneously, and unknowingly, getting to grips with the ability to use a mouse properly. On GPP I saw something similar as 'Paint' again was used as the main focus in computing lesson, so it is clearly a popular choice! Hopefully on FPP and enquiry I can ask more about computing in this phase and see if there are any other programmes that are advocated.
At first I was a bit shocked by the fact that turning the computer on and off was a lesson in itself. However, when you think about it, it is probably one of the most important computing lessons children will ever have in school, let alone the EYFS stage. There has to be a starting point somewhere, and this was it. This was the beginning of children's learning. Thinking about it now, I presumed children would just know how to do the very basics in terms of on and off; I didn't think that would need a specific time slot for this to be taught. I am glad I saw this though as it has allowed me to understand computing more broadly, seeing how it is taught in its infancy and simplest form. The fact I observed this in January as well, and children were still - halfway through the year - being given such intensive instruction as to how to log on etc. shows that it is a complex issue that needs a lot of time and attention before the children become truly at ease with using this technology.
In reference to 'Paint', this seems to be the 'go-to' programme for a lot of Reception classes. It is a very simple programme to follow for the children as it is simply a case of drawing and painting, except they use a mouse instead of a pencil or a brush. I think this is a good programme to use during this transitional period for this very reason as children have fun drawing and designing whilst simultaneously, and unknowingly, getting to grips with the ability to use a mouse properly. On GPP I saw something similar as 'Paint' again was used as the main focus in computing lesson, so it is clearly a popular choice! Hopefully on FPP and enquiry I can ask more about computing in this phase and see if there are any other programmes that are advocated.