I've been taking my laptop, mobile phone and portable speakers to the school everyday. My laptop is hooked up by my phone to the internet, so the kids have access to the world wide web. It's been an endless source of wonder for the children and an extremely useful teaching tool. We use it for many different things.
Firstly, we use the laptop to show pictures and videos of the topics that we are teaching in class. For example, when learning about the letter V, the kids are able to see a picture of a violin, hear a piece of music played by a violin, and then watch a video of a violin being played. Imagine their surprise when they saw that a violin is played by a bow, and wasn't strummed like a guitar.
Secondly, we use it to teach songs and sounds. The kids absolutely love the video below, which helps them to learn the phonic alphabet. The Pre-unit class could memorise most of the song after playing it just two times! These sorts of educational videos also help correct any mispronunciations, which is important as the kids don't speak English at home.
The children have also used the laptop's camera to make videos of themselves doing many activities. This includes conducting plays, public speaking, singing and dancing. The possibilities with using technology to teach are really endless.
Just today, the kids met "Mama Kun" and "Baba Kun" via skype. They were extremely excited and eager to show my parents the dance that we've been practicing in class. There were also screams of glee when they saw that my mum had joined in the dancing.
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| Skype screenshot taken by my parnets |
However by far, the kids' favourite activity is make song requests during our dance class. So without further adieu, here are the 3 most requested songs from the kids of Shine Academy.
1. Jambo Bwana
This is arguably the most famous Swahili song.
2. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) by Shakira
South Africa World Cup Theme Song
3. Furi Furi Dance by Jimmy Gait and DK
The song is sung in Sheng (a slang version of Swahili) and Pidgin-English and comes with its own dance moves.
1 comment:
I once had notions as a student to one day go to africa and help others
Unfortunately - as the years pass by these aspirations become more and more distant and excuses became easier to make
glad that someone had the courage to do so
keep up the good work
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