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THE HERALD July a Computer education is essential in school teacher says By BEN DUMMETT Herald Staff Computer is essential if todays children hope to cope in the information age Centennial Public School teacher Mattie Spencer says So essential she said that computer education should start in Kindergarten Ms Spencer was recently an nounced as the recipient of the Federation of Women Teachers Associations of Ontario Computer Education award The annual scholarship recognizes a teachers work in computer educa tion Ms Spencer qualified her en thusiasm for the computer saying its a tool albeit an important one and only if it is used properly will teachers realize the desired results Teachers first have to be properly familiarized with the computer before they can effec incorporate it into the classroom And according to the head of Centennials computer committee Sue this is ex actly what Ms Spencer did for the schools staff Ms Dobie as head of the com mittee nominated Ms Spencer for the Computer Education Scholarship As of last September there were only a handful of teachers in terested in incorporating the com puter in classroom instruction Ms said But following the workshop Ms Spencer held in Oc tober on the operation of a com puter the entire staff was hooked she said The only problem being the schools 32 teachers only had access to computers She created a monster Ms quipped Ms Spencer organized the workshop provided instruction and made up operation manuals for each teacher Ms Dobie said Ms said Ms Spencer was also instrumental in launching and handling the schools Dare to be Different program Centennial has a threeyear in structional computer plan and as of this program the schools Language Arts and Social Science teachers incorporated computers in their classroom teaching this past year The Halton Board of EducaUon requires its schools to have similar threeyear plans Ms Spencer prepared informa tion booklets for the teachers describing how each topic should be taught using the computer and different aids and quizzes that could be used Ms Spencer per sonally worked with five Grade 7 students during this period to monitor the effects Two computer programs employed by teachers simulated real life situations One had the student as a babysitter The dent would be given a series of situations and a selection of cor responding choices of action Depending on the course of action the student followed the student would either be fired or received a raise In another case the student is a truck driver Situations are posed for example in which the driver is over tired The student indicates whether the driver should continue driving or pull over If the student chooses the former the truck crashes Ms Spencer said She of these two examples to show how the computer can help students improve their thinking skills The computer was also used to help students improve their writing skills Ms Spencer said students enjoyed using the com puter to write because they could make corrections immediately She added the computer can be us ed to help teach a variety of sub jects including art drafting and math Ms Spencer got involved in com puters by accident in the spring of She had planned to take a primary specialist course but because the commute was too far she enrolled in a computer course held at Sam Sherratt Public School Milton I was hooked the minute after the first class The course centred around how teachers could integrate com puters into curriculum Besides the work at Centennial Ms Spencer taught keyboarding to Grade 1 students Public School in Georgetown and Robert Little School m Acton She also taught teachers at Smith Middle School in Acton how to use the computer to fill out their students report cards Ms Spencer said there isn a negative side to the use of com puters as a teaching tool Only if computers are allowed to become the be all and end all of in will they have a detrimental effect on students learning she said Ms Spencer will start in a new teaching position in September at Public School in Oakville teaching Grade students GREEN MEADOWS NURSERY GARDEN CENTER For All Your Gardening Needs 8731200 ELLS DRIVING SCHOOL NEXT COURSE Aug 7 to 30 Wed Night 930 For Information About Courses or Private Lessons phone 8772671 Guilty plea in Barber House case A Georgetown man pleaded guil ty Thursday to charges of breaking and entering into the Old Barber House on Maple Avenue last August and to charges of theft in connection with thousands of dollars of goods on the property Edward Wallace Tooke 35 rot Eighth Line Erin was sentenced to 15 months probation and hours of community work by Judge Douglas Latimer in Milton Provin cial Court Halton Regional Police say the premises at Maple Avenue Georgetown owned by Development were missing anti que goods worth thousands of dollars From Aug to Aug 1988 items such as a marble fireplace wooden stairs and anti que books were taken from the premises Goods were found in the garage of Mr Tooke s home where they were recovered by police Toronto lawyer Alan Gold defending Mr Tooke in provincial court asked the judge for a light sentence for Mr Tooke who has no Run your own business Have you always wanted to run your own business The Georgetown Library is offering a four night course called Starting a Small Business Informative guest speakers and handout material will be included with your registration fee This course will run on con Wednesdays at the Georgetown Library Sept 13 20 and 27 from 79 For more information call 873 2681 previous convictions and has three children a wife and a job with the Ministry of Skills Development Just convicting him is a severe punishment the lawyer argued The court heard that Mr thought he had permission to take some items from the property a move that his attorney claimed was bad judgement Your Honor has a somewhat unusual case Mr Tooke was ac tive in the community affairs prior to this arrest Halton Regional Police also charged three other men in con nection with the break and enter and thefts at the 133 yearold Barber House last year George Joseph Galway of Acton Kelly Kirton 24 of Milton and Michael David Jackman of Burlington elected Thursday to be tried by a judge and jury If the court finds sufficient evidence to grant trials to the three accused they will appear in court at a date to be set possibly for next year The three men pleaded not guilty to charges of break and enter and theft The Old Barber House on Maple Avenue was sold in spring to Millview Management a Toronto company which plans to build con dominiums there Property owner Doug MacLaren and his wife resid ed at the home until May 1988 when they moved to Belleville Mr MacLaren said he was removing the contents of his house on a gradual basis Management had given the MacLarens until the summer to remain on the property The 17acre property is the site where the Barber family founders of the Barber Mill and much of ear ly Georgetown resided for 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