Computers in elementary and early childhood education

Childhood Education, Fall 2000 by Cesarone, Bernard

This column summarizes recent ERIC documents and journal articles that discuss the uses of computers in elementary and early childhood education and their effects on children's learning and development. For details about ERIC and ordering ERIC documents, please see the information following these abstracts.

ERIC Documents

ED431524

ENHANCING LEARNING: Computers and Early Childhood Education. Seok-Hoon Seng. 1998. 14 pp. This paper establishes a link among children's development, appropriate teaching practices, and the use of computers in the early childhood classroom. Current investigative studies include information in the areas of social development, gender, emotional development, cognitive development, thinking skills, and physical development. Computers, the author says, can be particularly useful tools for enhancing children's social, language, and cognitive skills. This paper highlights the computer's effect on children's problem solving, reflective thinking, and cognitive development.

ED416991

YOUNG CHILDREN AND TECHNOLOGY. Douglas Clements. 1998. 21 pp. This paper reviews research on computers and social interaction, teaching with computers, and curriculum and computers. The review finds that computers serve as catalysts for social interaction, with children spending nine times as much time talking with peers while working at computers than while doing puzzles. Computers and other technology offer opportunities to aid learning by highlighting individual and gender differences in learning approaches. Effectively integrating technology into the early childhood curriculum requires matching the type of computer software used with the skills desired, and coupling computer and off-- computer activities for maximum learning. The paper then describes a technology-based curriculum for pre-kindergarten through grade 2 that integrates computers, manipulatives, and print materials.

ED404040

EARLY LITERACY: The Empowerment of Technology. Jean M. Casey. 1997. 178 pp. (Not available from EDRS; write: Libraries Unlimited, Inc., P.O. Box 6633, Englewood, CO 80155-6633.) Drawing on research conducted simultaneously by researchers in France, Spain, and the United States, this book shows how to use a word processor with a voice synthesizer in order to build literacy and encourage learning among elementary school students. The book's 11 chapters discuss various aspects of computer use and literacy. The eight appendices include criteria for scoring writing samples, a list of software programs for early literacy, and a teacher's checklist for integrating technology in the classroom.

ED400934

TEACHERS, COMPUTERS & KIDS: Recipes for Success in Early Childhood Settings. Kids and Computers, Number 1. Suzy Crowe & Elaine Penney. 1995. 199 pp. (Not available from EDRS; write: STCS Book Distribution Services, P.O. Box 246, Glassboro, NJ 08028.) This book reviews the basics of selected software packages and presents several ideas based on the principle that children learn by exploration and discovery. The book includes ideas for playing games, simple questions that help children associate a computer-based activity with the real world, and fun things to do away from the computer that help develop concepts learned about on the computer. Areas of learning covered include alphabet and letters, animals, colors, community helpers, counting and numbers, creativity, letter-word association, memory and concentration, music, problem solving, science and nature, and storytelling.

ED400100

LEARNING WITH COMPUTERS. AECA Resource Book Series, Volume 3, Number 2. Alison Elliott. 1996. 21 pp. (Not available from EDRS; write: Australian Early Childhood Association, Inc., P.O. Box 105, Watson, ACT 2602, Australia.) This resource booklet provides an introduction to using computers in early childhood settings in ways that can enrich learning opportunities, and offers guidance to teachers seeking developmentally appropriate software and hardware. It provides information on the roles of computers in early childhood programs, creating a computer-active classroom, choosing and evaluating software, and using the Internet.

ED380242

YOUNG CHILDREN: Active Learners in a Technological Age. June L. Wright & Daniel D. Shade, Eds. 1994. 403 pp. (Not available from EDRS; write: National Association for the Education of Young Children,1509 16th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036-1426.) This book addresses the appropriate use of computers with young children and how children and early childhood educators interact with the computer in early childhood settings. Part 1 addresses young children as active learners. Part 2 considers the role of technology in the early childhood curriculum. Part 3 examines the challenge for early childhood educators. Journal Articles

PS530499

WHAT ROLE SHOULD TECHNOLOGY PLAY IN YOUNG CHILDREN'S LEARNING? Part 2. Susan W. Haugland. Young Children, Vol. 55, No. 1 (January 2000): 12-18. This article discusses computer use as a method for facilitating children's learning in early care and education settings. The discussion addresses software and Web site selection, connections of software and Web sites to the curriculum, and computer selection. Strategies for facilitating equitable access, improving computer availability, and assisting parents with home computer use are provided.