Re: computers in pre-k

[Robert Eiffert <robert@CRYPTICMACHINERY.COM>]

You will need to delve into EdPsych, Learning theory, and School Reform
areas to get the research base needed to make a decision. Which means it is
a bigger project than either of you are envisioning.  However, there are
many studies of Ed reform and technology that use that research. Below are a
couple of quotes and sources of those studies.

I think teacher training in use will be a critical aspect of success in
using tech with pre-school.

One aspect to consider is the tremendous growth that this age group goes
through.  What would be totally unreasonable expectations in Oct. would be
entirely possible by April.  Also, the range of learning and social skills
varies from kid to kid, probably even more so.

Anecdotal: Our K and 1 teachers who utilize computers for class work and
projects,  for something besides 'time-filler' or reward for getting 'work'
done, have the highest readers (k checking out chapterbooks), better overall
behavior and, it seems, better decision-making in terms of book choice while
in the library.  Of course, there could be many other factors influencing
those results.


--
Robert Eiffert, Librarian at Image Elementary
Vancouver WA
http://www.ima.egreen.wednet.edu/library_resources/kidresource.html
beiffert@groupwise.egreen.wednet.edu

(these are older resources, pulled from research I did a few years ago. I
would want to look at the 'No Significant Difference" meta-research, and
spend some time looking at learning studies more focused at early years)

Using Technology to Support Education Reform -- September 1993
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Educational Research and Improvement

"The primary motivation for using technologies in education is the belief
that they will support superior forms of learning. For this reason, theory
and research in learning provide an extremely important source of ideas.
Advances in cognitive psychology have sharpened our understanding of the
nature of skilled intellectual performance and provide a basis for designing
environments conducive to learning. There is now a widespread agreement
among educators and psychologists (Collins, Brown & Newman 1989; Resnick
1987) that advanced skills of comprehension, reasoning, composition, and
experimentation are acquired not through the transmission of facts but
through the learner's interaction with content. This constructivist view of
learning, with its call for teaching basic skills within authentic contexts
(hence more complex problems), for modeling expert thought processes, and
for providing for collaboration and external supports to permit students to
achieve intellectual accomplishments they could not do on their own,
provides the wellspring of ideas for many of this decade's curriculum and
instruction reform efforts."
http://www.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/TechReforms/chap1a.html

Getting America's Students Ready for the 21st Century: Meeting the
Technology Literacy Challenge. A Report to the Nation on Technology and
Education, June 29, 1996
from the Benefits of Technology Use section

"In a decade-long series of studies, students in classes that use CAI
outperformed their peers on standardized tests of basic skills achievement
by 30 percent on average."

"By incorporating pictures, sound, and animation in classroom activities,
multimedia significantly enhances students' recall of basic facts, as well
as their understanding of complex systems."

http://www.ed.gov/Technology/Plan/NatTechPlan/benefits.html



Jan Birney at stmark6614@YAHOO.COM on 4/4/01 9:54 AM wrote:

> Hello, All,
> My assistant principal has asked me to check for
> research on the necessity/usefulness/advisability/ of
> computer use and programs in a pre-kindergarten
> program.
> My opinion is that very young children need literacy
> readiness, they need to be read to, they need to be
> allowed to develop their creative thinking skills with
> play-acting and physical activity, but they don't need
> to use computers as part of the pre-kindergarten
> curriculum.
> I have not been able to cite any research that backs
> my opinion. I have checked LM_NET Archives and EDTECH
> Archives. There are opinions similar to mine, but I
> haven't found any definitive research or articles that
> support my position.
> My assistant principal would like me to write a short
> piece that explains my position and I would like to
> cite someone other than myself!
> If anyone could help (by the way, your professional
> opinions, as school media specialists, would fit our
> requirements!) please post.
> Thanks so much.
> Jan Birney

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