Educational software is growing like wild fire and the highest growing category is aimed at children under 5 years old. Another product is what is being called "lapware" This is computers and software that is being aimed at children 6 months to 2 years. The children would use it while sitting on parents or an adults lap. It is meant to be used cooperatively. Computers programs aimed at such young children are the heart of the software debate right now. Some feel that the use of computers at this young of an age is actually harmful to children. Others feel it is a great jumpstart to the childs developmental learning. While children are so young, they need to master skills much different than those a computer provides. Parents and care givers need to be in communication with each other as they acquire new information of technology and it's effects on very young children.
http://www.acei.org/inf.vol.13.4.htm
This article was very interesting. I never realized that all those little Leap Pads and things were computer games for young children. It has always been something I knew yet just not really thought about. I just got one for my one year old niece. She loves books and this would fall under the lapware category. Makenna loves it but I never really thought about it as being a computer with software. I just considered it an interactive story book.
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3 comments:
Very interesting article. I side with the people that think children should not be using a computer under 2 years old. #1 the children are not developmentally ready to sit and focus for any length of time on any task, much less a computer. Some questions I have about this are: What kind of programs are out there that are simple enough for a small child to understand? How do they participate in the program? Children now days spend too much time already sitting and watching television. When they are young they need and want to be active. Sitting on an adults lap watching the screen is a very inactive activity. I think once the child is able to talk and tell us what is happening on the screen and know what buttons to push or is able to use a mouse is soon enough to start.
Kim :)
Erin,
I just did a similiar website article. There are many articles talking about the "cons" of computers. When we look at our world today, it is important for us to know how to use computers. We do so much on computers. When we hire new employees, I'm amazed on how many people don't know how to use a computer. We do our timesheets on the computer and it takes time to train the new employee on doing their time sheet or travel voucher. Some of these new employees are in their young twenties. I'm always amazed. We take computers as granite and when a new person comes on board, it's like teaching someone all over again. I say the earlier we get them using the technology, the more successful we will be as a community or world. Nice article. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Keith
Erin,
Your article seems like it was very interesting. As wonderful as I think technology is, I do feel that children under 2 years of age are too young to be sitting at a computer. My nephew got some leap frog adapter thing for their home computer at the age of 1. He didn't have a clue what was going on and now it is money down the tube. I work with 2 year olds and there is a children's computer station in my room. I hate it! I very rarely turn it on because when I do I have children just hanging around the screen and fighting their way to one of the 2 chairs. I feel that young children have other skills that they can be mastering and I wish our society would slow down enough to allow kids to just be kids.
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