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Manxli, I attended a parent teacher meeting at the day care my daughter attends just about 2 weeks ago. The daycare takes children from infants to age 5, also takes care of older kids after school. The director stated she was in favor of hands-on learning, not computers, but thought that computers should be available to the after school kids. I told her that it really depended on what she wants to accomplish with computers in the classroom, and that I prefer computers over mindless video. In my opinion, for children under 2, computers don't provide much benefit, so they should be used sparingly if at all. Kids up to 5 should have access, but for short periods of time and with good reason how what they are doing is helping. In school, my son has computers 1 hour per week, and some classroom access. So, it really depends what you consider young kids, and what you are trying to accomplish. There is lots of literature out there on technology integration into the classroom, and lots of people who do it well or poorly at all levels preK to graduate school. You might consider looking into that to help deal with the opinions you encounter and help you articulate your own. Irmi
In reply to Irmgard Willcockson
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What sort of real thing did you / they have in mind?
A huge amount (social construtivist purists might argue all) learning happens through communicating with other people.That communication can and does happen inside the classroom (hence, together wih their efficiency, their continued existence), but an awful lot more can now be technologically mediated - a virtual learning environment extends the opportunities for interaction within the learning community beyond those permitted by the school term and timetable, and also potentially extends the membership of that community to include those with experiences which might be radically different from a child's own or those of their immediate peer group.
To take the example from your illustration, sure, a lot of the time it's better to go birdwatching than watching a DVD about birds, but better still to be able to compare and contrast that experience with a whole community of others, potentially world wide and of all age groups.
A huge amount (social construtivist purists might argue all) learning happens through communicating with other people.That communication can and does happen inside the classroom (hence, together wih their efficiency, their continued existence), but an awful lot more can now be technologically mediated - a virtual learning environment extends the opportunities for interaction within the learning community beyond those permitted by the school term and timetable, and also potentially extends the membership of that community to include those with experiences which might be radically different from a child's own or those of their immediate peer group.
To take the example from your illustration, sure, a lot of the time it's better to go birdwatching than watching a DVD about birds, but better still to be able to compare and contrast that experience with a whole community of others, potentially world wide and of all age groups.
In reply to Miles Berry
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Here is a quote from Wartella and Jenkins
http://www.soc.northwestern.edu/justine/cc_winter05/pdfs/wartella_children.pdf
"Computer technology has ushered in a new era of mass media, bringing with it great promise and great concerns about the effect on children’s development and wellbeing.
Although we tend to see these issues as being new, similar promises and concerns have accompanied each new wave of media technology throughout the past century: films in the early 1900s, radio in the 1920s, and television in the 1940s. With the introduction of each of these technologies, proponents touted the educational benefits for children, while opponents voiced fears about exposure to inappropriate commercial, sexual, and violent content."
I agree with Miles to question real thing - the Internet and computers are part of the fabric of everyday life for most children (in the West anyway).
I think that the study of media should be part of a general education (despite the seasonal gripes in UK papers about the validity of Media Studies as a valid academic subject) so that young people can learn to be critical consumers of media, safe from the utopic and dystopic claims alike.
http://www.soc.northwestern.edu/justine/cc_winter05/pdfs/wartella_children.pdf
"Computer technology has ushered in a new era of mass media, bringing with it great promise and great concerns about the effect on children’s development and wellbeing.
Although we tend to see these issues as being new, similar promises and concerns have accompanied each new wave of media technology throughout the past century: films in the early 1900s, radio in the 1920s, and television in the 1940s. With the introduction of each of these technologies, proponents touted the educational benefits for children, while opponents voiced fears about exposure to inappropriate commercial, sexual, and violent content."
I agree with Miles to question real thing - the Internet and computers are part of the fabric of everyday life for most children (in the West anyway).
I think that the study of media should be part of a general education (despite the seasonal gripes in UK papers about the validity of Media Studies as a valid academic subject) so that young people can learn to be critical consumers of media, safe from the utopic and dystopic claims alike.