The “kids these days” are deeply involved in technology. They tote around all manner of gadgets and they are not afraid to press any and all keys and buttons. Unlike their parents, kids do not take it personally when the computer crashes. Putting their comfort with technology aside, is their use of technology just so much mental candy? Or worse, is it a harmful diversion? Or, does technology provide fundamentally new opportunities for learning? As responsible parents, it is our absolute duty to ask such hard questions; thoughtful answers will guide us in protecting or enabling our children. In this and the forthcoming entries, we intend to ask plain and direct questions about technology, children and learning. Indeed, while we have a set of questions to kick-start the series, we invite you to put to us the issues that are of concern to you and your children.
A bit of introduction is in order first. Dr. Cathleen Norris is a Regents Professor in the College of Education at the University of North Texas and Dr. Elliot Soloway is an Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. We have logged over 50 years between us as university faculty, conducting research, mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, and teaching hundreds of classes. Before UNT, Cathie was a middle and high school math teacher for 14 years, while Elliot—well he liked college so much he never left. That said we are definitely not stuck in our ivory towers! As members of LeapFrog’s Educational Advisory Board, we have the exciting opportunity to provide critical input on LeapFrog’s offerings. And, we are co-founders of GoKnow! Inc., an Ann Arbor-based company that supports K-12 teachers and children using mobile computing devices for teaching and learning.
Now back to our question: How does technology help children learn? From the 20,000-foot level, we see four ways technology can provide new ways for children to learn:
1. Like training wheels, well-designed technology can “scaffold” learning, enabling children to learn when they would otherwise be stuck. For example, the Tag Reading System scaffolds the reading process by helping a reader understand the letters, words and sentences in a book. Most importantly, the child is in control and decides when to use the scaffolding. This sort of scaffolding helps children develop into autonomous learners—learners who are prepared for the demands of the 21st century.
2. Unlike a textbook that tacitly assumes that “one size fits all,” well-designed learning technology acknowledges the diversity in children and affords them multiple entry points. For example, the Leapster game system, LeapFrog’s low-cost, but powerful, handheld computer, enables children to explore a broad range of learning activities, such as matching games, memory games and so on. While a child will eventually engage in most of the activities, each child can start where he or she is most comfortable and successful. Finally, then, through technology, we can design learning activities that address the enormous diversity that is an intrinsic characteristic of today’s children.
3. Computing technologies go way beyond paper-and-pencil to enable a child to express herself or himself in a broad range of modalities—textually, graphically, numerically, aurally, visually and so on. For example, children use Sketchy, a easy-to-use tool developed by GoKnow, to create animations that bring together words, numbers and pictures. The research literature is clear that employing multiple modalities in self-expression is a key strategy for effective learning.
4. Computing technologies afford children new ways to communicate—to converse, to collaborate and to compete. While there are times when a child needs to step back and grapple with issues in private, there are other times when interacting with peers, mentors, acquaintances and friends is a highly effective strategy for learning.
Taken together, the above technological-afforded learning opportunities help a child become an effective and successful learner. We often hear children report: “using technology at school is fun.” “Fun” in this context is not of the “ha ha” type. Rather, using technology to learn—and have “fun”—is a deeply satisfying and joyous experience. As parents, our primary learning technology was pencil-and-paper; for our children computing technologies are primary. As parents, we can all remember individuals who were not successful at learning. Computing technologies, with their unique affordances, are helping to make all of today’s children into successful learners.
What do you think? Let us know! See you next week.
Cathie and Elliot
Recommended Readings:
Multiple Intelligences: A Theory for Everyone
How People Learn
