The practical lessons have been going great. In fact it is on account of them
that I have not had time to upate my web site. The students are extremely
enthusiastic and are always asking me to open the computer room so that they can
practice. I have written a few programs to help them work at their own pace.
The first is a game called Mouse and it gives instructions for the
learner to complete within a certain period of time. If they succeed then their
score increases and they get a new instruction. The amount of time they get for
each task reduces every time so eventually they will lose all their lives and
will be able to register their score. It is very popular as there is an element
of competition amongst them to see who can get the highest score.
The second program I have written for helping with the teaching is called Training
By Steps. Each week I create a lesson at home and then copy it onto all the
learner's computers. The lessons are made up of a number of steps that the
learner can work through in his or her own time. There are video clips and/or
pictures with each step to help explain the various concepts. I hope that this
will allow me to teach larger classes as I do not need to spend the entire time
with each student.
The third program is the multi choice exam program. This means that students can sit at a computer, and answer multiple choice questions when they feel they are ready to do so. They get a result straight away and can have a print-out of areas where they need to do more study. If they achieve a score greater than 60% they can also have a certificate printed out.
As I have mentioned before, it's not all work here. This evening I am off to Kampala to a reception at the Irish Ambassador's residence to meet a visiting Irish parliamentary delegation. They are here to help monitor the parliamentary elections that took place this week. As I understand it Michael D. Higgins, Nora Owen and David Andrews will be amongst them.