Nancy Donaldson's Article:

Since our group project focuses on a network design for young children (1st and 2nd graders) I was drawn to an article in the ERIC Early Childhood and Elementary Education database. The article is an edited transcription of a presentation by Barbara Bowman, president of the Erikson Institute, which discusses young children and computer technology. According to Bowman, many children from low-income and minority communities are not taught the skills and knowledge necessary to fully participate in the economic, social, and political life of the country. Schools need to start early, to recognize the unique nature of how young children learn, and to design programs that will ensure that all children have the same opportunity to participate in the technological world of the 21st century.

Bowman describes computer applications for use by young children as ranging from open and active to closed and passive. Open and active applications extend children’s thinking and provide a structure with which to discover new ideas and new ways of thinking and reacting. The next level of applications provides information. The most closed-ended applications set problems and determine answers. Bowman believes that open applications are the most important for preparing young children to live in the 21st century. She believes that young children can either learn that technological skills are important, socially desirable, and that they are expected to learn them, or they can learn that such skills and knowledge are more available to some people than to others. She also suggests that technology can be used as an individual activity or as a collaborative activity. Bowman believes that schools must start early, recognize the unique and diverse learning styles among young children, and design programs that will ensure that all children have the same opportunity to participate in technological learning.

Bowman states: The 1986 position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) says, "Early childhood educators have a responsibility to critically examine the impact of technology on children and be prepared to use technology to benefit children." Bowman describes the opinions of some educators who believe that young children who use technology are denied the tactile experiences of using paint, crayons, blocks, etc., or who believe that young children will only break things and not gain anything meaningful from using technology. She opposes these opinions and believes that computer technology is important in all our lives, including all children, regardless of their socio-economic or ethnic background.

According to Bowman, young children (3 to 8 years old) are exposed to computers and technology in many areas of their lives--for example, the checkout counter scanner at the grocery store. She believes that children accept technology and learn its use much more quickly and easily than do adults. And since technology will be so prevalent in every area of their lives in the future, they should begin learning about it at the earliest possible age.

Equal access to technology for all children is a very important theme in the article. Bowman cites research statistics from a National Assessment of Educational Progress report that indicate more than half of the nation’s 17-year-olds are inadequately prepared for jobs that require technical skills. The report says that many of these children are from low-income and minority communities. Bowman asks, what do we want to teach children about technology so that we can attain the social outcomes we seek? She believes that technology can be a powerful tool for communication across all sectors of society. She believes that it is important for schools or children outside of a mainstream of American experience to have computer lessons that are broad and open and encourage children to think and do for themselves.

Bowman's article and the research behind it contain ideas that are important for educators to consider. We can either teach and promote technology as a means of further dividing our societal lines, or as a means of uniting all societal groups in the common pursuit of knowledge, collaboration, and cooperation.

 

Article Reference:

Robertson, Anne S., Editor. Proceedings of the Families, Technology, and Education Conference, October 30-November 1, 1997. Catalog #222, December, 1998. General Sessions: Bowman, Barbara. Equity and Young Children as Learners.

http://ericeece.org/pubs/books/fte/general/bowman.html