Through
the Eyes of Children
Janet
Zaccour
Deputy Principal
St Francis Xavier Primary School:
"The project Through the Eyes of Children looks at the Cairns
environment, tourist and business potential, education facilities and our unique
indigenous cultures, through the eyes of our students. The filming for the C.D. rom shows
our students interacting with students from Taketoyo in Japan, showing them what Cairns
has to offer. It shows how people from different cultures can communicate in many forms
and it also showcases the enormous potential for making wonderful worthwhile friendships
and lasting ties."
"As educators we are always conscious of the fact that students have
real life learning experiences and that learning is purposeful. Technology is a
vital partner in the learning process and students need to gain skills in using the
technology to enhance their learning. With these skills comes the need for teaching
children to also critically evaluate how the technology can enhance the community's
lifestyles. We are aware that students should be able to transpose this learning to
benefit the community."
"The context of learning within the wider global community
has also to be address whereby students become aware of other cultures, their lifestyles
and their needs. To address the learning skills required to meet the needs of our society
in the future, we need to give students opportunities to interact with people from other
cultures, both in digital formats and in real life situations. By using the medium of a
C.D. rom, students are able to learn skills via an interesting and worthwhile project, as
they are immersed in hands on learning. They are also able to work toward a product that
not only benefits them and the school, but also the whole community. By involving the
Japanese students in a homestay project our students are able to be directly involved with
students of another culture and in turn this Japanese culture also benefits from the
interaction."
Other comments by Janet Zaccour |