Mozilla, Computers, Kids, and the Mystery of The Kracken! by Debbie Bagnato

Where do I begin with this topic? I thought this was such a fantastic program, and had trouble making up my mind on which activity to follow through to the end. After dabbling in a couple, I followed through on “Kracken the Code” and had my own virtual classroom with myself—I did well though guys, because I followed the suggestions on the Legit-o-Meter (which is simply crap detection for kids) and was not hoodwinked! The reason I landed here was mainly because my oldest grandkids are eight years old and that is the suggested age for this “Web Literacy Basic.” Also, let’s face it, if I want to teach something I better know how to answer all questions; some of the other activities, I would have had questions of my own…But, looking up the Kracken was great fun, and I was impressed with its colorful history and the amount of scholarship written on this big old squid. Lord Alfred Tennyson, The Kraken (1830) is pretty important stuff, not to mention the references in Moby Dick! This gigantic sea urchin has been written about since the late 13^th century; however, there is no concrete evidence—not even in the London Magazine or Gentleman’s monthly Intelligence (straight out of Harvard College Library). The bottom line is that in the twenty minutes allotted, I was able to quickly locate these sources, check for dates, authors, sites, spelling, publish dates, domains, and judge the validity of all the above. That is an amazing feat, when I recall the hours it used to take to track information sitting in the library and scanning through books, periodicals, and gaining access to old magazines which could not leave the reading room! More importantly, it was fun; this was like a game to try and prove the big fish OR disprove its existence. The outcome was a draw, due to its legendary but unproven history, but the practice was entertaining and educational.

If this simple lesson could attract me, I am sure it would be much more fun to do with young students, split into groups and given the same instructions for their task. What I don’t understand is why this is not a regular part of the curriculum for elementary school students. When my children started grammar school in the late 1980’s, they had computer class a few days a week. By the 1990’s, the classes were in a different school, but they still had to attend and were not as thrilled by any of it as I would have thought. The reasons were simple; not enough time to really learn how to do many things on there, all of the computers were not equal in how they worked, and the lessons they might have benefitted from were simply not there. This may have been there school(s)—I had four children so they would have had different experiences over the years. Or, it may have been the mentality that it was not as important a course so, therefore, was not given the necessary time and attention by anyone. What I found so astounding was in Laura’s blog, she describes the same mentality towards computer literacy by elementary schools today as my children experienced over twenty years ago. Yes Laura, I believe you have nailed it completely; Computer education most definitely should be the fourth “R.” Because of the necessity of computer skills, each school should have this course of study implemented as a regular part of their curriculum. Instead, however, this is not the case in most areas, and when children could be learning the tools they will need to master as they grow, they are only getting a very basic introduction to computers with little opportunity to grasp the potential they have in their hands.

Students should have this tool as part of their studies and it should be treated as an equal to the other core courses, with extra help available. Not all students may have parents who are computer-savvy at home, or the skills they need to master may not be things the parents are familiar with. The programs looked so intriguing and inviting on this website, my initial reaction was that perhaps many schools use them. In reality, that is not so. My granddaughter had little to no computer-time in her school in Manahawkin and only now, in private school, is she getting some training. My grandson’s school, down in Cherry Hill area, has about the same. Both programs are limited at an age when they would really benefit from programs like the ones we just explored here, on Mozilla. From the simple beginnings, such as navigation, and search tools through the crap detection, security (kids have to understand this!) and web mechanics, that I could use a class in, these tools are so important for young students to learn now so later, they can progress with ease to the more complex things.

Composing, remixing, and designing skills are far more complicated to master if one cannot easily navigate their way around a computer. Why would the precious time when students can easily master the basics being ignored, and then these same kids will have a harder time acquiring the skills later to move forward with their computer “know-how.” I wish I could have that sense of familiarity with all things online, and I think students today should be given that opportunity. The need for accessibility is growing and these students will need to be able to find their way around in this global, fast-paced world. Getting them started now, right along with the other needed classes to groom them for the world, should be without question. My vote is in for the fourth “R”…How about you?