Let Them Play (Issue 52) by Tiamari

The Age of Technology

Keeping up with technology is pretty hard for most people. It is especially hard for anyone who does not have any a computer background – it is almost as disastrous as being illiterate. If it is a good thing to teach our children to read and write from an early age, wouldn’t it be an equally good thing to ensure they are computer literate?

Have you noticed how easy it seems for a 6 year old to pick up a cell phone and start using it? Did you ever have to call the resident teenager to fix the settings on the VCR? Give that kid an Apple! Recent research suggests computer use among preschool children may actually improve their readiness for school and academic achievement.

Get With the Program

It ain’t no fun reading through a thick Encyclopaedia, but OH WHAT FUN it is to read the same stuff online on Wikipedia! Kids just LOVE learning when they can do it on a computer! Sure, they play games too. But even the games will give them skills that they wouldn’t learn otherwise, and it is way more interactive than watching TV.

The trick is to make learning material available. If they find only games on the computer, that is what they will use it for. There are some really amazing educational resources available - from fun letter games for the little ones, to more advanced assessment tools for older students. A local company offers laptops and tablets that come preloaded with a range of educational material, including Wikipedia Offline!

Find more information here!