Here, this is the first type of meeting
made by composing a simple circle
and asking many questions to the chidren.
Questions aimed at creating a link between the things
known to them in concrete life and these concepts
memory, google, computer, internet
that have substantially flattened
into a sort of russian salad.
At one point we pulled out an old computer that they were free to patrol
that they were free to patrol.
It got hot, it was put on a table
and the objects came disassembled and commented
always with the same philosophy of the questions.
Forms of spontaneous groups formed
that tended to deepen certain things.
After about an hour the children they are invited
to get in a circle,
which they did promptly, to my great amazement
because they were really enthusiastic for what they did
and we proposed to do a survey.
They all offered to go to the blackboard
fortunately the teachers have chosen
because I would not have known how to do it
The survey was about their habits, video games,
what computers do they use, tablets, etc.
In the next sequence, let's see the second type of encounter
is offered to children the four computers to be mounted
and the four cameras.
The children are divided into four groups of four each
and the roles are assigned:
a child makes video recordings, one writes the story,
one makes the drawing and one works;
builds the computer or will maneuver it in the following phases.
Then the manufacture proceeds
and the meaning is explained to the children of the various components.
Children build, write, documenting,
and the approach, you see, it's a slow approach.
We also offer the use of the instruction booklet
that they must try to follow.
The booklet is written in English but it is clearly illustrated.
This also allows us to discuss on the meaning of some English words.
Then they are helped where they require it
but always according to a principle of the minimum intrusion
just showing them
and then leaving that they are to complete,
to actually do the job.
Always or almost always they have succeeded intention
and with a concentration, you see in this girl.
Collaboration is also very beautiful, the hands that help each other
and not that collide, collaboration in the various roles.
I do not hide that amazed me deeply
the diligence of these children.
Nothing to do with that idea that I had received from the public discourse
on rudeness, on restlessness, superficiality.
I had the feeling that, if respected as people
and offering them things that have a connection with their reality,
they are also, from my point of view, very, very disciplined.
The myth according to which digital natives they refuse to use the instruction booklet
.. but it depends: if they are put in condition to take advantage of it they use it
as an example to solve the non-trivial operation
to attack correctly the delicate plug
of the audio speaker to the small computer card:
a delicate operation.
The roles have been managed in a fluid way:
if a child gets tired, for example of doing filming
and another asked, how did this girl,
we let it do it.
Once the computer is mounted time is over, that is to say at the end,
so you have to start the reading phase of the works.
And I proposed, having been late, to disassemble the computers.
The surprise was that instead they are the children who asked
if they could take them apart.
And it is an operation that has made spectacular precision.
I found some of the boxes - everyone has put everything in place
but some have remitted exactly all things right
how they had found them, with all the coiled threads
and all the components in the right place.
In the final stages they were read the tales
the drawings were shown.
It is only in the next meeting that then monitors were also connected.
Computers were built faster
because the children were already a bit expert
and then the monitors were connected and they could so
start exploring them
and they immediately found us a game, Minecraft,
with which, of course, they immediately started playing
and on that occasion it was left to them freedom to play freely,
to find an engagement with the world known to them.