Added: 09/21/2006 |
The Importance of Computers for KidsIn order that children today possess a better appreciation of the technological advances going on around them it is important that their education includes the use of computers. Computers for kids is no longer a luxury rather a necessity if they are to be properly equipped with the knowledge they need to enter their future adult environment. The earlier a child begins to use a computer the better. Beginning with toddler computer games is an excellent way for them to do so.
How to manufacture and distribute computers for kids specifically is very different to those sold to adults. Children’s priorities are different as is their ability to focus on subjects that can be termed as dry. For this reason software manufacturers recognize the necessity to provide colourful content with their products in order to achieve a successful result with a child’s attention span. An example of this can be seen with toddler computer games which provides an educational bundle wrapped in a playful adaptation of a specific subject.
However computers for kids need to address certain criteria even before we reach the software packages. Hence manufacturers created mini-computers aimed at the toddler market whereby a small keyboard and screen are combined to offer a semblance of the real thing while larger keys and often bright colours make understanding what to press easier for the child user. In addition toddlers in possession of computer toys of this kind will adapt their play in order to make their mini-computers function correctly.
Whether computers for kids is harmful in anyway is arguable, although what cannot be argued is that today children do need t be educated in computer functionality because computers are so commonly used in modern society. Preventing computers for kids is today similar to suggesting that the education principals of 100 years ago are adequate for today’s youth, something we all know would be incorrect simply because our society has advanced so much since that time. It would therefore be a backward step to suggest that computers for kids is something likely to damage our children, although the truism ‘everything in moderation’ is possibly apt as it is with many other things that individuals need to do.
Allowing children access to computers in the home is possibly the place where limiting their time spent on a computer should be measured. Computers are a tool which every individual can use to help develop their knowledge about almost anything. Provided the critics opposed to computers for kids do not lose sight of this significant factor and establish their argument against computers for kids related to an overdose of computer play rather than intellectual stimulation they may be ale to harness some support from the technical disciples. In the home and family scenario it seems reasonable to suggest that children should spend time away from computers in order to pursue other activities because doing so is necessary in their development.
Recognizing that computers are a 21st century tool available to all and, that they represent as significant impact to society as once did the telephone, makes the suggestion that computers damage children’s IQ less worrying given the potential for their improved development. What should be researched is not the damage computers may have on children but rather how computers can be used to increase both their education and development.
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