Computers in Kindergarten
Perhaps you are skeptical as to the benefits of using technology with young children and you’re not unsure about using computer technology for your own purpose. Some questions frequently asked are, Does using computers in the primary grades stifle young children’s natural inclination to experiment and explore and hamper the development of independent thought? Will hardware turn primary classrooms from environments that nurture young minds to labs that merely mesmerize them? I will answer these questions in my paper. My opinion on the topic, at hand, is that I think there should be computers in Kindergarten rooms but students wouldn’t benefit very much from them. Students in Kindergarten rooms don’t have enough time to really get into a program and benefit from it.
Many researchers do not recommend that children under 3 years old use computers.[1] Computers simply do not match their learning style. Children younger than 3 years of age learn through their bodies: their eyes, ears, mouths, hands, and legs. Although they may return over and over again to an activity they are full of movement, and they change their focus frequently. Computers are not a good choice for the developmental skill that these children are learning to master such as: Crawling, walking, talking, and making friends. Children need plenty of time to experiment and explore, computers would occupy much of their time.
Before a child even starts playing on a computer they need to understand how a computer works, how to use disks, how to start and use a particular program, and how handle CD ROMs. Borgh (1993) states that once these skills have been established, children should then be give opportunities to interact with the computer. Papert (1998) stresses that computers have an impact on children when the computer provides concrete experiences, children have free access and control the learning experience, children and teachers learn together, teachers encourage peer tutoring, and teachers use computers to teach powerful ideas. In addition, computers enhance children’s self-concept, and children demonstrate increasing levels of verbal communication and cooperation with others. Children share leadership roles more frequently and develop positive attitudes toward learning.[2]
The potential gains for kindergarten
McKenney, S., & Voogt, J. (2010). Technology and young children: How 4–7 year olds perceive their own use of computers. Computers In Human Behavior, 26(4), 656-664. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2010.01.002
China, along with most every country in history, has long had conflicts which caused new governments to take power. However, China’s civil war of the 1940’s was the first that caused a non-dynastic government to come to power in China. The Communist and Nationalist parties struggled over who would finally take control of the fledgling government. The Nationalist party represented more traditional Confucian values, as well as (oddly enough) democracy. In contrast, the Communists wished to dismantle the traditional social hierarchies and establish a socialist state. The Nationalist army was less trained for war than the Communists after they avoided battle in the recent Japan-China War. Perhaps the most important cause of this conflict, millions of peasants became disillusioned with the system that had caused their crushing poverty, and wanted the control of their own fates that Communists promised. They would not take control easily.
Shark finning began as a Chinese tradition around six-hundred years ago. (Techera 602) In Chinese culture, eating shark fin soup signifies a person’s wealth and status. According to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, when Fishermen hunt and catch sharks, they cut off their fins regardless if their alive or not. (The Brutal Business) Fishermen do not keep the whole body of the shark because it is considered valueless and there is limited space of the fishing boats. (Ling) So most of the sharks are thrown back into the ocean, where they are unable to swim without their fins. Furthermore, the sharks will bleed out and/or get eaten by other marine animals. (Verlecar 1078) Verlecar reports that sharks fins are being sold for more than seven hundred dollars per kilogram. (Verlecar 1078) Close to one-hundred and twenty-five countries are involved in the industry of shark fins. (Verlecar 1078) As reported by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, “…the oceans are literally being scoured clean of sharks…Poachers are invading national marine parks like the Galapagos ...
The term Monetary policy refers to the method through which a country’s monetary authority, such as the Federal Reserve or the Bank of England control money supply for the aim of promoting economic stability and growth and is primarily achieved by the targeting of various interest rates. Monetary policy may be either contractionary or expansionary whereby a contractionary policy reduces the money supply, reduces the rate at which money is supplied or sets about an increase in interest rates. Expansionary policies on the other hand increase the supply of money or lower the interest rates. Interest rates may also be referred to as tight if their aim is to reduce inflation; neutral, if their aim is neither inflation reduction nor growth stimulation; or, accommodative, if aimed at stimulating growth. Monetary policies have a great impact on the economic stability of a country and if not well formulated, may lead to economic calamities (Reinhart & Rogoff, 2013). The current monetary policy of the United States Federal Reserve while being accommodative and expansionary so as to stimulate growth after the 2008 recession, will lead to an economic pitfall if maintained in its current state. This paper will examine this current policy, its strengths and weaknesses as well as recommendations that will ensure economic stability.
In the study of macroeconomics there are several sub factors that affect the economy either favorably or adversely. One dynamic of macroeconomics is monetary policy. Monetary policy consists of deliberate changes in the money supply to influence interest rates and thus the level of spending in the economy. “The goal of a monetary policy is to achieve and maintain price level stability, full employment and economic growth.” (McConnell & Brue, 2004).
Computers can also capture and hold a child’s interest like no other learning tool. Consider, for example, NASA’s recent Mars landing and exploration. It is now possible for an elementary classroom to log on and follow events like these as they unfold - they are witnessing and experiencing a national event as it is occurring. There is no doubt that without technology, an event such as this would not be nearly as interesting or appealing as say, following it in the newspaper.
In today’s society, we are overwhelmed with technology. Technology is changing everyday, and will forever be a staple in our lives. The effect that technology has on our children has brought some concerns and some praise. Children these days have no choice but to somehow be influenced by the ever growing technology in our society. Our common concern has been that although digital technology has boosted children’s ability to multitask, their ability to process information deeply may be deteriorating (Carpenter, 2010).
...ttention and focus to reduce the negative impacts on development of children. Research suggests that technology use and especially computers enhances development of children when properly used. On the other hand, the uncontrolled use of technology in childhood education may produce negative effects and impair development in children. Uses of technology in childhood education range from enhancing social interactions, language development to initial computer use skills. It is important to note that, technology use in children education is a matter of how it can be harnessed for the purposes of learning in children. Research by health professionals argues that technology use in children education can produce detrimental health effects especially obesity. Thus, children exposure to technological gadgets like computers and tablets among others should be greatly checked.
Subrahmanyam, K. (2000). The Impact of Home Computer Use on Children’s Activities and Development: The Future of Children and Computer Technology, 10(2), 123-143. Retrieved from http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/Web/People/kraut/RKraut.site.files/articles/subrahmanyam00-Compute%26kids.pdf
It is no surprise that technology is rapidly taking over the world, and defining the day to day lives we live. As humans we are constantly engaged in some form of technology. However, the role of technology in early childhood classroom is a growing and controversial topic. The bottom line question for most teachers is whether or not computer based technology is developmentally appropriate for early childhood students, and if they benefit from using computers as a primary learning tool. Technology is the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment (Webster Dictionary). Technology has been present in the world for centuries, from cave men to the industrial revolution which brought on a whole new era of technology to the United States. The Department of Education is granting schools with seven million dollars to help fund technology based learning just this year (Luebbe, 2011). Schools are now starting to be judged by the student to computer ratio, to determine the schools ability to provide a “quality” education. It’s no wonder everywhere we look and everything we do is a counterpart to technology.
This article addresses how the internet and use of computers is in all aspects of our life directly or indirectly. The many ways technology can be used can help enhance the creativity in our children’s lives. As children participate more and more on technology, which now includes
Andy Carvin states “ internet access in schools isn’t worth a hill of beans if teachers aren’t prepared to take full advantage of technology” (2000). Schools spend a lot of money on computer hardware and software as well as other technologies without realizing that many of their employees are unprepared to include them in their teaching and use them to their advantages. Educators often use technology as a classroom management tool rather than an educational one, allowing computer time as a reward for good behavior (Clark & Gorski, 2001). The problem with this is that students learn to use the computer for games and such because it is their reward instead of using it on their own time for educational purposes. This is teaching them the wrong idea. Margaret Honey, director of the Center for Children and Technology in NYC said it best, “The bottom line is, you don’t just put technology into schools or into homes and expect miracles to happen. The technology is only as good as the program that surrounds it” (Meyer, 2002, p.2).
Computers are ubiquitous. As our society grows towards being a culture connected through the Internet, and as prices of these machines gradually decrease, more and more have been purchased by families for their homes and as a result, children are beginning to learn to use the computer at an earlier age. Even if computers are not presently available at the home, a child will almost certainly be exposed to one at school or the library, among other places. Adults today are amazed at the amount of knowledge a child has at such an early age – children generally find that computers gives them a sense of power and accomplishment. “A computer is nothing more than a box of circuits that perform software level tasks for a user. Even the software is little more than instructions to the hardware to perform specified tasks. Therefore, a computer, in and of itself is, neither positive nor negative. Its inherent goodness or badness is determined by the user.” With that being said, there are many positive, with as many negative associations that come along with owning a computer.
As time goes by, advances in technology will provide more and more avenues for learning by way of the computer. The Internet has opened the doors of the world and unleashed limitless possibilities in research and education. It may be only a matter of time when the classroom is brought online to all children and attending a school classroom outside the home is a thing of the past. Looking back over the last 20 years, I never would have imagined that computers would come this far and impact our lives so much. Just imagine where they will be 20 years from now.
Computers have always been useful, but not until recently have computers become useful for children who are twelve and under. Of course these children enjoy playing games and talking to there friends on the computer but due to new innovations coming out everyday children can now do a lot more then just play and socialize. Computers have brought school to the home. When children come home from school it used to mean school was over but today if you have access to the internet school is know longer over but just beginning on the internet. The internet has special educational sites that children can visit and learn from. Besides that children actually can have contact with there personal teacher from school. A new invention called the “Mobile Author can be used by human instructors either from a computer or a mobile phone to create their own Intelligent Tutoring Systems and to distribute them to their students. Students can also use any computer or mobile phone to have access to theory and tests.” (Source 2, Journal) Homework, notes, review assignments can now be given over the internet by the child’s teacher from there school. “Instructors can monitor their students; progress and communicate with their students during the course.” (Source 2, Journal) Children can learn new information on the internet and they are able to review and get extra help on things they don’t understand. If a child realizes that they do not understand something when they get home, they know longer have to wait to go in to school for extra help, but they now can communicate with there teacher online or they can go to an internet tutoring system which will give them just as much help as being in a regular classroom.