Young Children and
Computers
Questions we’ll address
in this presentation
• At what age should children begin to use the
computer?
• Are children harmed by early computer use?
• Are children harmed by extensive computer
use?
• Is there research to support the effectiveness
of using computers in education with young
children (before grade three)?
• What are some guidelines for teachers and
software designers to follow?
At what age should children
begin to use the computer?
•
•
•
•
by the age of 3, a child can begin to use a computer meaningfully
with the help of an adult or an older child.
On average, by age 3½ children can point and click with a mouse.
The Alliance for Children claims that young children are not ready
for computer based learning and learn better through hands-on
interactions with nature.
Healy (1998) criticizes the use of computers with young children
as it displaces other fruitful learning activities that are more
developmentally appropriate for young children.
From Computers and Young Children: Social Benefit or Social
Problems?
At what age should children
begin to use the computer?
•
•
•
•
In hundreds of school-based experiments, computer applications have
improved children’s performance in reading, writing, and basic mathematics.
Drill-and-practice software has repeatedly been shown to work.
Improvements can be large: students in an experiment’s computing group
gain roughly three months over their non-computer counterparts, using the
educational progress made in a normal school year as a yardstick
(Melmed1995).
A second type of software intended to improve problem-solving skills
offers a more mixed picture, working in some cases but not in others (Coley
et al. 1997; Software & Information Industry Association 1999).
Computers do not currently have a strong impact on student learning
because most teachers find them to be of limited utility and hard to deploy
in their daily teaching, and therefore use them in small doses. (Cuban 2001)
From Computers and Young Children: Social Benefit or Social Problem?
Are children harmed by early
computer use?
Emphasizing computers in childhood may expose children to the risk
of a broad range of developmental setbacks. Potential hazards
include the following:
Physical Hazards
• Musculoskeletal injuries
• Visual strain and myopia
• Obesity and other complications of a sedentary lifestyle
• Possible side effects from toxic emissions and electromagnetic radiation
Emotional and Social Hazards
• Social isolation
• Weakened bonds with teachers
• Lack of self-discipline and self-motivation
• Emotional detachment from community
• Commercial exploitation
Are children harmed by early
computer use?
Intellectual Hazards
• Lack of creativity
• Stunted imaginations
• Impoverished language and literacy skills
• Poor concentration, attention deficits
• Too little patience for the hard work of learning
• Plagiarism
• Distraction from meaning
Moral Hazards
• Exposure to online violence, pornography, bigotry, and other inappropriate material
• Emphasis on information devoid of ethical and moral context
• Lack of purpose and irresponsibility in seeking and applying knowledge
From Fool's Gold: A Critical Look at Computers in Childhood
Are children harmed by
extensive computer use?
• A very small percentage of children studied who used home
computers for 8 hours or more per week.
• This correlates to fewer hours spent playing outdoor sports
and activities.
• Heavy computer use is also associated with substantially
higher body mass index in children, even after controlling
for family background.
• Computer effects were minimal on test scores of heavy
computer users as compared to those with moderate to
little home computer use.
From Computers and Young Children: Social Benefit or Social
Problems?
Is there research to support the effectiveness of
using computers in education with young children
(before grade three)?
• Georgetown University's Children's Digital
Media Center (CDMC) looked at computer
use in children who were from 6-months to
6-years of age.
Is there research to support the effectiveness of
using computers in education with young children
(before grade three)?
• The parents surveyed reported that very
young children who had access to computers
were using them: 21 percent of children two
and younger, 58 percent of 3- to 4-year
olds, and 77 percent of 5- to 6-year olds
with computers in the home had used them.
Children who had used computers first did
so on a parent's lap around age 2 ½ and used
computers independently by 3 ½ years of
age. On average, children used a mouse to
point and click by age 3 ½.
• In a separate study, CDMC
researchers examined the effect of
user control on children's attention
to and learning of content presented
in a computer story. The researchers
found that over time, children's
attention to interactive media
remained high when they controlled
the mouse, but user control did not
affect retention of the story
content.
• The study examined the effects of
user control on 53 preschool-aged
children's comprehension of content
presented in an online storybook.
• The story was presented to the
children four times in one of four
scenarios:
• a) an adult controlled the mouse and
read the story as the child observed;
b) the adult and child took turns
interacting with the story;
• c) the child controlled the mouse as
he or she interacted with the
program; d) a no-exposure session
where the child never saw or
interacted with the computer
program.
• "
• These results suggest that control is
an engagement feature that pulls
children into an activity."
• "The study presents a lesson that
may influence constructive early
adult-child interactions with
educational computer software.“
From Children’s Digital
Media Center (CDMC) Website
What are some guidelines for
teachers and software designers
to follow?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Social and language skills are increased through conversation, so
group young students at a computer together.
Most learning in using
Teachers should encourage parents to use computer time with
their children as an opportunity to talk, listen and share
experiences.
Make computer time multi-sensory with music and real-life objects
to support the computer activities.
Balance time on the computer with physical activities such as
blocks, clay, paint, etc…
Talk with children as they work on the computer and explain what
is happening.
From Early Connections – Preschool NETC website
Conclusion
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
There is no substantial evidence that computers are increasing the academic
achievement of those students.
According to the Alliance For Childhood, technology is preventing necessary child and
adult interaction.
Computers are developmentally above young children's appropriate learning level.
When computers are use, it should be paired with other student, teacher, or adult
interactions, as well as with physical activities that support the activities on the
computer.
In hundreds of school-based experiments, computer applications have improved
children’s performance in reading, writing, and basic mathematics.
Drill-and-practice software has repeatedly been shown to work. Improvements can be
large: students in an experiment’s computing group gain roughly three months over their
non-computer counterparts, using the educational progress made in a normal school year
as a yardstick (Melmed1995).
A second type of software intended to improve problem-solving skills offers a more
mixed picture, working in some cases but not in others (Coley et al. 1997; Software &
Information Industry Association 1999).
Computers do not currently have a strong impact on student learning because most
teachers find them to be of limited utility and hard to deploy in their daily teaching,
and therefore use them in small doses. (Cuban 2001)
Resources
Computers and Young Children From PBS
http://www.pbs.org/parents/childrenandmedia/computers-preschool.html
Alliance for Childhood-Computers and Children
http://www.allianceforchildhood.net/projects/computers/index.htm
Children's Digital Media Center
http://cdmc.georgetown.edu/about_press.cfm#research_examines
How Technology Can Enhance Early Childhood Learning
http://www.netc.org/earlyconnections/index.html
Computers and Young Children: Social Benefit or Social Problems?
http://www.gc.cuny.edu/faculty/research_studies/attewell03.pdf