Let C4C’s IT teacher, Sarka, whisk you away into her magical world of mouse clicks, the magic of 3D printers and the excitement of sailing through Internet waters.
C4C’s Springboard to Life program aims to help orphaned children find their place in life.
My little IT wizards
Author: Sarka Paletarova
Every time I walk into our classroom full of blinking monitors, I feel like the captain of a spaceship. My crew? Seven intrepid space explorers from a children’s home in Žatec who, with their enthusiasm and curiosity, would make you forget all your ideas about “problem” children. And today, I want to share with you our small but mind-blowing adventure from the world of technology.
When I first met C4C‘s PC Club for third-graders, I was slightly worried, because children in third-grade do not yet have computer science lessons – normally. How will this turn out? I was equipped with nothing but determination and a USB stick full of ideas… But the kids showed me that when it comes to learning and having fun, they’re like mushrooms after the rain. Together, we set about setting up a school account, and let me tell you, even Jack Sparrow didn’t sail the Caribbean with more excitement than we did through the internet waters! Streams of sweat ran down my spine like a river, because I was driving that little pack with constant shouts of ‘Teacher, I’m not good at this!’ ‘Teacher, there’s something flashing here!’ ‘Teacher, come and help me…’ It was really challenging, but the accounts were set up! And you wouldn’t believe how quickly kids remember passwords (unlike me).
But that was just the beginning. When I showed the children the 3D printer that printed a whistle for each of them, their eyes lit up like the stars in the night sky that we later created in the Paint program. “Is it magic?” one of them asked, his mouth open. “No, it’s science,” I replied, but I thought to myself that who knows, maybe it IS a bit of magic.
Our club has become a place where chatter and laughter are mixed with mouse clicks. And with all the chatter, I found out that my little ones have a weakness for everything sweet and fizzy – well, trust me, you could build pyramids on Coca Cola and chips! That’s why I decided to intervene with the “Healthy Snack” project. A four-hour mission, where we focused not only on healthy food, but also competed in an online memory game to discover which snacks are real friends for our bodies. And the laughter? It was so contagious that it should be included in the recommended daily intake of vitamin C.
So if you happen to be walking around the PC classroom and hear the commotion, don’t be afraid to peek. You might just see a little person discovering that broccoli can be just as exciting as a supernova explosion – all you need is a little imagination and an open heart to new adventures.
