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In cooperation with Sinikka Rautakivi
and the Western Social Center in
Helsinki, Finland, the University of
Joensuu has been using KIDWARE in
various preschools throughout
Finland. One of the centers,
Vuorilinna, has heen using KIDWARE
since 1992.
The director of Vuorilinna, Ritva
Huhtinen, is also a preschool teacher.
She has been integrating computers
into her curriculum and using
technology as a tool.
In Ritva's class, the KIDWARE
children's icons are not only used at
the computer center, but also
throughout the classroom to help
label children's lockers and
personal papers, like portfolio folders.
Her students also have unrestricted
access to all learning areas. They
have control over what happens at the
computer. One activity was to build a
city using any program or material
they wanted. Some children used
Electronic Builder and Electronic
Easel print-outs with construction
paper shapes to create their final
products.
The new Face Maker software program
inspired the children to create masks to
use in dramatic play. Together with
teachers, they enlarged their Face
Maker creatios, mounted them and cut
holes for eyes and mouths.
"It's a tool. [Using the computer]
is not an end in itself," says Martti
Sekkinen, a researcher from the
University of Joensuu.
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...support children's initial exploration
of concepts through hands-on activities
with concrete materials?