Computers and Early Learning

Three-year-old Sam is smiling from ear to ear. His parents have bought him his first computer. But to Sam, the most interesting thing about his new toy is the big brown box it came in. Could little Sam be too young for the sophisticated world of icons, keyboards, and commands?

Ready or not, Sam will be spending time on the computer if he goes to preschool next year. Ten years ago, about one-quarter of the nursery schools in the U.S. had computers. Nearly all do today, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Parents aren't the only ones who want preschoolers to cozy up to the computer: The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)--a group of 44,000 technology teachers, school district technology coordinators, and education professors-recommend that kids (as young as 4) learn how to use a mouse and keyboard. ISTE has created a set of guidelines for what students should know about computers, and at what age.

But not everyone is buying into ISTE's standards. Critics say that children have plenty of time to learn about technology at an older age. And the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) say computers can't replace the tried-and-true tools of early childhood development and learning, such as art, blocks, sand, water, books, and dramatic play.

Jane Healy, Ph.D., the author of, Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children's Minds--for Better and Worse, takes NAEYC's positions one step further. She believes that time spent with computers in the early years not only subtracts from important developmental tasks, but may also entrench bad learning habits, leading to poor motivation and even symptoms of learning disabilities.

Perhaps it's wise to keep our expectations of computers in check, as has Clea Winneg, mother of two: "I equate our computer to any other educational toy. Will my 5-year-old daughter Anna read faster because of a software program? No, she'll read when she reads." What matters to Winneg is that "Anna is learning to sit by herself and work through a problem. And she's getting comfortable with computers. That's important to me, since they are everywhere."

More on: Early Learning: Ages Three to Five