[Techtalk] improving computer usage in schools

[Terri Oda]

> I was wondering who here has experience in making this sort of proposal to 
> their kid's school, and if anyone can think up anything else that would be 
> fun and useful in using their resources?

It might be too text-based for that age group (where they usually can't type
well) but there are some resources on using a MOO for educational
purposes.  Wish I had some handy, but maybe someone else does?

Are there any setups so kids can make their own quizzes?  It'd be great if
they could make little (say, 10 questions) multiple-choice quizzes based on
the stuff they're learning in school, then they could play each other's game
when they're done, having the computer do the scoring.  It's probably simple
enough to do with some web package, or something more complex would work
too.  

Along the same lines, making "games" where if you click something, something
else happens would probably be fun.  It's all about making interactive
things.  Way more fun to show off to your friends that way. :)

Music and graphics programs would probably go over well, too.  I remember
spending some time making birthday cards and stuff on my computer as a kid,
and composing music in basic.  They must have more advanced stuff that's
cheap enough for a school to afford.

 Terri