Children and Computers

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Children and Computers Brian Newberry
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Computers Ubiquitous Multi-Purpose Mind-Altering
Society-Altering
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Computer Use Survey (Meaningless Data!) 27
Responses 8 Male 19 Female 15 age group10-19
(Mean First Use 1983, Mean First Age 8.7) 11 age
group 20-29 (Mean First Use 1983, Mean First Age
Mean 17) 1 age group 50-59 60 First Computer
Used Apple II family 1-3 Megahertz! (6 of 10
with first type named) Current Computer Mean
Processor 362 Megahertz (7 responses with
processor speed indicated or could be reasonably
known)
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Computer Use Survey (Meaningless Data!) First Use
Responses Games (13) Printing/Writing
(5) Programming (6) Data Base (1) Current Use
Responses E-mail (19) Statistics/Spread Sheet
(5) Internet News/Information/Browsing (22) Data
Base (2) Graphics (2) Games (6) Writing (19) Web
Page Creation (2) Programming (1) PowerPoint
(1) Banking (4) Music (2) Chatting/IM (2)
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One Computer User
Ally Age 12 First Use 1990 when she was 3
years old. Her first computing experience was
with a Radio Shack PC compatible computer,
running at 8MGHZ, with 640KB of RAM, a color
monitor, and a floppy disk drive. She later used
a Macintosh computer with 8MB of memory, a 640 MB
hard drive, a color monitor with both CD and
floppy drives. Ally first used a computer to
play a learning game that helped her learn the
letters of the alphabet and the keyboard. Her
current computing experience is on a Windows
machine, 350Mghz, 128MB Ram, 50GB hard drive, CD,
CD writer, Color monitor with a wireless
keyboard. She now uses the internet for e-mail,
learning about games she plays, researching
school work, typing programs, desktop publishing
programs, Excel as a database, to play mp3s and
games.
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What do we know about how children use computers?
Source National Center For Educational
Statistics http//nces.ed.gov/quicktables
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What do we know about how children use computers?
Source National Center For Educational
Statistics http//nces.ed.gov/quicktables
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What do we know about how children use computers?

• 82 of children surveyed (ages 10 -17) say they
  play video or computer games at home. Forty-two
  per cent play every day. (National Public Radio,
  2000)
• 78 of children surveyed (ages 10 -17) say they
  have a computer at home. Of these, 73 say they
  use the Internet or e-mail at home. (National
  Public Radio, 2000)
• Most children and teens use the Internet for
  e-mailing, search engines, games, music, and
  schoolwork. (Barron's, 1999)
• 54 of children surveyed (ages 10 -17) use their
  computer at home to access chat rooms. (National
  Public Radio, 2000)
• Surveys show children spend limited time using
  computers
• mean 34 minutes per day - 63 minutes per day for
  teens (http//www.appcpenn.org/inhome.pdf)

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What does research find? There is a lack of high
quality scientific study. Why?

• The Technology Changes Rapidly
• Many Vested Interests
• It is Difficult To Separate the Variables
• Some Effects May Only Be Found In Longitudinal
  Studies
• Research Efforts Initially Focused On
  Achievement
• Research Based On Assumptions That No Longer
  Hold True

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What does research find? Physical Effects

• Risk of Repetitive Motion or Musculoskeletal
  Injuries
• http//ergo.human.cornell.edu/Mbergo/schoolguide.
• html http//www.allianceforchildhood.net/projects/
  computers/computers_reports_fools_gold_contents.ht
  m
• Risk of obesity
• Mostly based on television studies
  http//www.theage.com.au/news/20000505/A41708-2000
  May4.html
• Risk of Eyestrain
• http//www.niehs.nih.gov/odhsb/manual/man11f.htm
• Risk of seizure
• slight risk in video games with flashing lights
  http//science-education.nih.gov/nihHTML/ose/snaps
  hots/multimedia/ritn/Video/
• Risk From Exposure to Electromagnetic Radiation
• http//www.allianceforchildhood.net/projects/compu
  ters/computers_reports_fools_gold_contents.htm
• Risk is low according to OSHA http//www.osha-slc.
  gov/OshDoc/Fact_data/FSNO95-24.html
• Increased Manual Dexterity
• Http//ericeece.org/pubs/digests/2000/haugland00.h
  tml

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What does research find? Cognitive Effects

• Computer use sometimes correlated with higher
  achievement
• Mixed Results http//www.technos.net/journal/volum
  e7/2cuban.htm
• No Difference http//www.heritage.org/library/cda
  /cda00-08.html
• Preference for violent video games sometimes
  correlated with aggression
• http//www.apa.org/journals/psp/psp784772.html
• http//archpedi.ama-assn.org/issues/v155n1/abs/poa
  00191.html
• critique of some studies http//www.senate.gov/co
  mmerce/hearings/0321gol.pdf
• Increased visual intelligence skills
• Based on older studies of video games.
  Subrahmanyam, K, Kraut, R., Greenfield, P, and
  Gross, E. (2000) The Impact of Home Computer Use
  on Childrens Activities and Development. The
  Future of Children. Vol. 10. No. 2. Fall/Winter
  2000. http//www.scottbezzant.btinternet.co.uk/Dow
  nloads/Dissertation.htm_Toc450723490
• Improved Long-Term Memory, Verbal Skills,
  Problem Solving
• Http//ericeece.org/pubs/digests/2000/haugland00.h
  tml
• Effective For Helping Children With Special
  Needs
• Meyen, E. L. The Online Academy Linking teacher
  education to advances in research. Lawrence,
• KS University of Kansas Center for
  Research on Learning. (Contract No. H029K973002
  1997 --

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What does research find? Social Effects

• Use of Internet associated with temporary
  declines in social involvement but effects fade
• Subrahmanyam, K, Kraut, R., Greenfield, P, and
  Gross, E. (2000) The Impact of Home Computer Use
  on Childrens Activities and Development. The
  Future of Children. Vol. 10. No. 2. Fall/Winter
  2000)
• Enhanced Self-Concept
• Http//ericeece.org/pubs/digests/2000/haugland00.h
  tml
• Children Interacting At Computers Exhibit More
  Language and Cooperation
• Http//www.netc.org/earlyconnections/by
  request.html

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What research is needed?
?
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What research is needed?

• Brain Activation Studies
• http//www.mbbnet.umn.edu/brain/cdns.html
• http//www.mbbnet.umn.edu/doric/brainscapes.html
• Longitudinal Studies Following Large Numbers of
  Children
• Cause and Effect Studies
• Studies About Developmentally Appropriate
  Computer Use

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Rant

• Many Studies Assume That Technology Should
  Support School Activities
• Are We That Sure We Know That We Do School
  Correctly
• Technological Determinism vs. Social Determinism
  (Co-Catalytical)
• Technology Creates Change and Change Creates
  Technology
• Technology Tool

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What are developmentally appropriate computer
uses?
?
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Recommended Resources
http//4d.sped.ukans.edu/compkids Cuban, L.
(1985) Teachers and Machines. Teachers College
Press. New York, New York. Papert, S. (1996)
The Connected Family. Longstreet Press. Atlanta,
Georgia.
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Children and Computers Brian Newberry