The promise was that with technology, students
could learn in more creative, active ways. So classrooms were
wired, and schools across the nation spent hundreds of millions
of dollars to buy and install computers. Yet, “[In] English,
we generally don’t use computers,” 18-year-old Kristy
says.
“I know in some classes they do, but I don’t
take any classes that involve computers,” 14-year-old
Anna Mae adds.
“They use the movie screens sometimes – like,
no, they really don’t use it, actually,” says
Wilhemlmina, 17.
High school physics teacher Dan Gray uses a lot of computers
and other technology in his classroom, but he agrees that
he’s in the minority.
“It’s easiest just to do things the way you’ve
been doing,” Gray explains.
In his book titled Oversold and
Underused, Larry Cuban, an emeritus professor of education
at Stanford University, found that even schools in the heart
of Silicon Valley have closets full of computer hardware collecting
dust. The hype went unfulfilled, and computers have largely
gone unused in the educational setting, says Cuban, a former
high school teacher and superintendent of schools.
“Particularly in spending enormous amounts of money
to wire the schools, purchase the hardware, purchase the software,
and then see that it’s used often in unimaginative ways
– very disappointing,” he says.
Cuban says parents can pressure schools to embrace technology,
but in the meantime, if you can afford it, a computer and
Internet connection at home can benefit even young children.
“I’ve seen the experiments, I’ve seen software
– some of it is very exciting, and I think the students
can profit from it,” he says.
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Today, more children
than ever have access to computers at school, and more than
two-thirds have a computer at home. What do children learn
and experience through their use of computers?
- Educational software and nonprofit Internet sites offer
children opportunities to explore the world and to create
original works of art and literature.
- Communicating through the Internet can enable children
to keep in touch with friends and family and to form online
communities with others who share their interests.
- Studies show that computer use is linked to slightly better
academic performance.
Despite these benefits, the Alliance for Childhood (AFC)
challenges the increasing emphasis on computers in early childhood
and elementary schools. According to the advocacy group, concentrating
on children’s cognitive development by using computers
may be repressing development of other important intellectual
abilities. Through their increased use of computers, today’s
children are bombarded with flashy graphics far beyond reality
or edited versions of reality that don’t give them a
chance to experience the real world. The AFC also points out
the following problems with the overuse of computers:
- Children seem to be finding it harder to generate their
own images and ideas when exposed to ready-made electronic
images.
- Open-ended curiosity and creativity of children is being
dampened by exposure to too many contrived, controlled versions
of reality.
- Computers may also undermine the sense of wonder and reverence
that young children bring to their encounters with the real
world.
The AFC asserts that these abilities are necessary to lay
a solid foundation for later mastery of more advanced forms
of thinking.
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Spending too much time on the computer can
have adverse effects on your child, including the following
cited by Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital:
- Obesity in children
- Repetitive-strain injuries
- Vision problems
- Decline in social involvement
- Increase in feelings of loneliness and depression in teens
- Increased aggression (from playing violent computer games)
Parents and educators are urged to recommit themselves to
providing young children with the essentials of a healthy
childhood, which include the following elements:
- Close, loving relationships with responsible adults
- Outdoor activity, nature exploration, gardening and other
direct encounters with nature
- Time for unstructured play, especially make-believe play
- Music, drama, puppetry, dance, painting and the other
arts as a way to bring the full range of other academic
subjects to life
- Hands-on lessons, handcrafts and other physically engaging
activities
- Conversation, poetry, storytelling and books read aloud
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