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Computers Hurt, Rather than Help, Low-Income Kids
June 10, 2008 07:00 AM
by
Rachel Balik
Researchers discover that Romanian children who had subsidized computers performed worse academically than children without computers.
30-Second Summary
In a technologically evolving world, many believe it is essential for all children to grow up with a computer. The official mission statement of the philanthropic organization, One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) states that “Standing still is a reliable recipe for going backward.” OLPC carries out its mission by delivering computers to children in impoverished countries. But one study finds that giving a child a computer is no guarantee of going forward. In Romania, children whose families received a subsidy allowing them to purchase a computer actually performed more poorly in school than those children in the same economic bracket who did not have computers.
Researchers speculate that this is because “for many kids, computers are indeed more of a distraction than a learning opportunity.” In cases where a parent was available to monitor the child, he or she often performed better in school and was more likely to express aspirations of attending college.
Many groups, such as One Laptop Per Child, still feel that the problems faced by education systems in developing countries can be solved with computers. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics states that screen time is unhealthy for young children, a study in England found that computer games were a viable substitute for books in terms of teaching plot and literacy.
Although the debate is clearly a long way from being resolved, children can certainly learn from computers and the Internet, if properly guided.
Researchers speculate that this is because “for many kids, computers are indeed more of a distraction than a learning opportunity.” In cases where a parent was available to monitor the child, he or she often performed better in school and was more likely to express aspirations of attending college.
Many groups, such as One Laptop Per Child, still feel that the problems faced by education systems in developing countries can be solved with computers. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics states that screen time is unhealthy for young children, a study in England found that computer games were a viable substitute for books in terms of teaching plot and literacy.
Although the debate is clearly a long way from being resolved, children can certainly learn from computers and the Internet, if properly guided.
Headline Link: ‘The $100 Distraction Device’
Researchers Ofer Malamud and Cristian Pop-Eleches discovered that Euro 200, a program that provided computers to low-income families in Romania, did not have quite the desired effect. The researchers concluded that “for many kids, computers are indeed more of a distraction than a learning opportunity.” The program’s intent was to help children of impoverished families with their studies by subsidizing the price of a home computer. However, Malamud and Pop-Eleches found that the students who received a computer performed less well academically than students from a similar socioeconomic background who did not have a computer at home. Although kids spent less time watching TV, they also spent less time sleeping, reading and doing homework. On the other hand, children who had both a computer and a stay-at-home mother to supervise computer use did not perform quite as badly.
Source: Slate
Background Link: One Laptop per Child
One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) insists that the lack of financial resources allocated to education in developing countries can be combated with the specially designed XO laptop. The program’s mission is based on the theory that “a computer uniquely fosters learning learning by allowing children to ‘think about thinking’, in ways that are otherwise impossible.” The XO laptop is tailored to help children “learn about learning.”
Source: One Laptop Per Child
Related Links: The pros and cons of screen time for kids
Although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that young children spend as little time in front of the television as possible, babies are spending 61 percent of their time in front of the television, and children aged 4-6 spend two hours a day watching TV. Parents are lured by marketing ploys for TV shows, electronics and, of course, computers designed to be “learning systems.” Bobbi Conner, who hosts The Parent’s Journal on National Public Radio, is concerned that parents put kids in front of the screen because they’ve forgotten how to be with their children outdoors. She published “Unplugged Play: No Batteries. No Plugs. Pure Fun.”, which reminds parents of the rules for outdoor games and how to play with dolls. “By and large, what kids need, particularly kids under 7 and 8 years old, is hands-on play,” Conner says.
Source: USA Today
A 2004 study in England, funded partially by the Department of Trade and Industry, found that playing video games could help children’s understanding of literature and narrative. “Game literacy is, as a way of investigating how games are means of expression and representation, just like writing or drawing,” project manager Caroline Pelletier said. The researchers claim that video games “can be used in the classroom to help children learn concepts such as critical appreciation of narrative structure or character development which they might otherwise study in a novel.”
Source: The Guardian
Reference Link: Using Computers for Good
The findingDulcinea Education Web Guide will help you find the Internet’s best education resources. Discover only the Web’s most trustworthy resources for teachers and children. You can also explore a variety of academic subjects in our education channel.
Source: findingDulcinea
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