Learning & Technology

Around the age of seven or eight most children have had the experiences in the real world they need as a foundation for acquiring symbolic and abstract skills and understanding. They can begin to benefit from using a computer and software appropriate for their developmental needs. The technology should be used in addition to hands-on learning, and not take the place of important tasks children need to accomplish during their early years.

Social Development

• Place 2 or 3 chairs at each computer to encourage interaction
• Plan activities that require the help of peers
• Ask open-ended questions about children's work
• Offer suggestions and comments about what you see them doing
• Display children's work
• Encourage parents to use computer time to talk with their children, exploring and sharing their experiences with each other

Children can also teach their parents about the computer and the programs they know how to use. The attention from adults increases children's feelings of worth and self-esteem, and the conversations increase their social and language skills.

Approaches toward Learning

• Provide opportunities in activities for children to use all of their senses
• Plan for lots of interactions with things in their environment
• Add technology tools while continuing hands-on learning
• Encourage reading, social interactions, and other activities that require sustained attention
• Balance computer time with greater time using physical objects, such as building blocks, modeling clay, or paints
• Limit screen time (television, computer, video games or VCR)
• Share with parents that setting limits and managing media time is essential—one hour per day of total screen time for preschoolers, and two hours for elementary school is a good recommendation

Young children's attention naturally jumps around, but distracting graphics on television and computer screens may increase distractibility and make it harder for children to pay attention for sustained periods. They need time to develop memory and visualization skills before the images are provided for them.

Language Development

When helping children learn to read,

• Read with them
• Talk with them about stories and daily events
• Listen to them
• Provide open-ended materials such as puppets and costumes for acting out stories

Most software programs that teach the alphabet or numbers do not develop the connection between the symbol and its meaning, and so do not provide strong support of language development. These programs should be used sparingly.
See Software Selection for more information.

Cognition and General Knowledge

To increase cognition and general knowledge,

• Talk with children while they are working—language is important for cognitive development
• Provide information to help young children understand the "if-then" sequences of computer programs
• Explain what is happening on the screen: "If you move the mouse like this, the arrow on the screen will move like this."
• Use social situations and interactions in software programs to help teach social-causal reasoning. Ask questions such as, "When you took the mouse away from Jimmy, how do you think that made him feel?"

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