anonymous said…
Everyone I know who really knows something about computers (ie, people with PhDs in the sciences) wants to keep kids this young away from them and encourage reading instead.
Dear Anonymous,
As a new blogger just starting out, I have been overwhelmed with the response to this site. The support has been tremendous. Thanks for reading and commenting!
The comment you left in the comments section of my blog after I wrote about the Clifford The Big Red Dog stories and games website made me think about the objective of my blog and what I know about technology and young children.
As a teacher with a background in classroom technology integration who taught teachers infuse technology into their curriculum, I firmly believe that technology can enhance a child’s learning. Using a website, such as Clifford The Big Red Dog stories and games, can reinforce skills that your child is working to master. Just as homework is used to reinforce academic skills being taught in the classroom, an interactive website or piece of software gives a child an opportunity to practice what they know. Technology should not be used in isolation. It is most effective when it enhances learning through reinforcement of skills.
One of my main goals of this blog is to help parents select appropriate software and websites for their children. If evaluated and selected according to criteria such as age appropriateness, ease of navigation, and content, websites and software can help to empower children. For example, the ability for a child to create a Clifford story by choosing the word at the end of each page is empowering. Not only does it reinforce early reading skills and the importance of reading, but by putting a child in charge of the text you allow them to be an author. Maybe they aren’t writing with a paper and pencil, and perhaps their word choices are limited, but on a certain level, they are writing a story on their own. How great is that?!?
Clifford The Big Red Dog stories and games is just the beginning of a long list of Websites of the Week to be featured on Tech Savvy Mama. I’ll continue to comb the web to find the best interactive, educational sites out there for your children.
As always, please feel free to e-mail me with comments or questions! Thanks for reading!
Thanks for reading Tech Savvy Mama through your feed!
Original post by Tech Savvy Mama
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As a math major and practicing computer programmer, I’d tend to be wary. Yesterday my son spent a long time watching a lego car sliding down our trampoline in different directions as he moved his feet around the trampoline. That is building the neurons he needs to have an intuition about searching a solution space for an optimal solution, about gradient flow in incompressible fields, about a whole host of concept that in ten years he’ll be able to manipulate within his head. I fear that if he’s never touched the concrete side of the metaphor, he’ll lack confidence in manipulating the abstractions that lead to such beautiful technology. Of course, he’s only three.
I did buy my 7 year old a “Give one/Get one” laptop (which hasn’t been shipped it – I ordered it minutes before the deadline ran out).
Cheers,
Chris
Hi Chris! Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. As an educator, I certainly understand your wariness and am also a huge fan of hands-on learning.
One of Little Miss Techie’s favorite toys right now is a marble run. She loves putting together the pieces and reconfiguring them in order to get the marble to do different things. I love that the marble run taxes her problem solving skills, teaches physics, and is just plain fun.
I agree that there needs to be a balance in a child’s life. Again, thanks for sharing and reading Tech Savvy Mama!