Hardware & Planning

Many types of technology can be used as additional options for learning. It is not necessary to purchase technology—many libraries, schools and community organizations allow others to borrow equipment or use it while visiting their location.

There is no one answer on what type of technology to buy, or even whether to buy additional items. For younger children especially, the best choice may be no new technology or using what you have in a new way.

• Tape recorders record children reading aloud or telling their own stories, poems, and songs, and let them listen to stories recorded by others.
• Cameras record skits, performances and presentations on film, video or in a digital form. Children can tell a story in pictures and dictate the captions.
• TV/VCRs play back recordings of activities and tapes that the children have made.
• Fax machines reach out to other child care centers, to schools, to outside organizations, to gather information, invite guest speakers, and to keep in touch with parents.
• Digital microscopes display magnified images on the computer screen. These handheld microscopes allow children to explore and investigate the world around them.
• Computers let children access information and explore make-believe worlds; they can create, draw and write, and analyze (compare and contrast, sort, and categorize) information. Computers can also be used to communicate with others around the world.

Planning for Computers

Using a computer does not automatically ensure that learning will take place. Technology has great potential, but to be effective, it must be planned for and managed. Consider these questions as you begin planning.

What will the computer be used for—how can it help reach learning goals? What will computer use replace, and are the tradeoffs acceptable? Will children's developmental needs be met

If you decide that a computer is the right answer for your situation, consider these points.

• Think ahead to what you will want the computer to do a year from now. Keep in mind, however, that bigger is not always better—you may be paying for something you don't need.
• Word processors and spreadsheets will run on relatively simple computers.
• CD-ROM encyclopedias, hypermedia, and Internet use require a more powerful machine.
• Newer software may require a CD-ROM drive.
• Developmental software programs, with features such as verbal instructions and the child in control of changing situations, have certain memory and performance requirements.
• Some software may run on only one type of operating system.
• If you plan to add external devices such as a scanner or digital camera the computer needs to be able to connect with them.
• Games, which require the fastest, most powerful machines, are not necessary in a child care program.

Computer-related items (peripherals) you may want to add:

• Internet access requires a telephone line, a modem (the device that connects the computer with the outside world through the telephone line), and ongoing telephone access, or access to a network connection
• Printers are necessary for a paper copy of a child's work.
• Scanners input information into a computer.

Sources for Information on Selecting a Computer

• Talk with colleagues and knowledgeable friends.
• Stop by the library and skim through current computer magazines that are geared toward the general public.
• Publications that provide consumer information can be helpful.
• Computer magazines have up-to-date information on products and pricing.
• If looking in stores, go to businesses that carry more than one type of computer, or visit more than one store.
• Look at sites on the Internet for information.

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