KidSmart- GUIDE TO EARLY LEARNING AND TECNOLOGY

TEACHERS – ACCESS FOR ALL

How can I make sure that computers sere all my children?

• Culture
• Gender
• Learning Disabilities
• Physical Disabilities
• Stereotypes
• Urban Settings
• Violence

Culture

How can I provide all children with equitable access to computer experiences, regardless of cultural or social differences?

Cultural Equity: Race, Class, and Language

Class, race, ethnicity, original language as well as family structure are all variables that can affect children's access to computers.

Class: Children from more affluent homes are more likely to have computers at home. As a result, they are often exposed to a greater variety of software activities and have more opportunities to interact with adults around computer games. It may make sense, therefore, to create special turns for those children whose only access to computers is in the classroom. It also may be important to make sure that children who only have school access get opportunities to teach children who are generally more familiar with computers something new about the computer, so they are not always in the position of learning from their more affluent peers.

Race and ethnicity: Some of the software used by children may portray an almost exclusively white, middle class world. Most producers of children's software make some effort, but it is important to make sure that the holidays represented in the software, for instance, include not only mainstream Christian celebrations. If some of the children's cultures are not represented in the computer program, it may be better to make celebratory cards and posters by hand rather than to privilege those of the mainstream culture found in the computer.

Language: Children for whom English is not their first language may not be familiar with all the idioms used in software programs. Children can learn English language skills from playing with computers, as they can from listening to stories and watching videos. Teachers have to make sure, however, that children with language difficulties understand the instructions and rewards offered by the computer so they have the same opportunity to develop skills and enjoy their own mastery as children whose first language is English.

Family structure: Not all children's families are made up of a mother, a father and siblings. Teachers have to make sure to include all children and not to make children with different family structures feel disadvantaged. Some teachers do not make Father's Day cards on the computer with their children, for instance, but make "Someone Special" Day cards instead, because they know that some of their children do not have fathers. They discuss family structure with their children and arrive at a more equitable definition of family, as the people who love and take care of each other, which could be any combination of adults and children, including single parents, same-sex parents, grandparents as well as other friends and relatives.

To explore another Web site that deals with this issue, please visit:

N. B: Many of my children are Chinese-Americans. They talk to each other in Chinese. I was worried that they might not understand the computer games because of the English — but it doesn’t seem to be a problem. I don’t speak Chinese, so I don’t really know what they’re telling each other, but I hear some English words from the computer crop up in their conversation. I hope they’re not telling each other all sorts of wrong things.F.R: I guess you can only tell by watching them and seeing if they seem to understand the games. My problem is that all the people in some of the software that parents have donated to the class are so, I don’t know, mainstream looking. They’re mostly animals, so race isn’t so much of an issue, it’s more the way their houses look. Everybody lives in these neat, white-picket-fence-type houses in the suburbs. My kids mostly live in inner-city projects. I don’t know what the kids think this means about them.N.B: For me, the problem is more about the family structure. Every-body seems to have a mommy and a daddy. My kids come from all sorts of families, I don’t know — I guess all I can do is discuss it with them. We talk about how people all are the same, you know, two eyes, two ears and like that — but I don’t really know how to talk to them about how people are different. The best I can do is to make sure I don’t assume everybody is the same. So I try to find out as much as I can about them.F.R: That’s all you can do! I talk about the differences in the group, how some have a mommy and a grandma and some have uncles and some have pets — and how everybody is special.

return to the top

Gender

How can I provide girls and boys with equitable opportunities to learn with computers?

Learning Disabilities

Gender Equity

Even though girls and boys may typically prefer different activities, it is very important to make sure that all children are provided with genuine access to all activities. The computer is no different from other areas of the early childhood classroom in this sense. Just as it is important not to turn the Lego or block area into a boys-only space or the kitchen and dress-up area into a girls-only space, it is important to make sure that girls and boys feel comfortable with the computer.

Equal access does not mean merely being allowed to participate. It means having full opportunity to explore and to discover one’s own preferences and talents. It is inequitable, for instance, if the only way boys are allowed into the kitchen area is by playing "the dog" or "the baby." For true equity, boys need opportunities to see themselves as nurturers, as people who can provide food and care to the people they love, not just as passive recipients of food made by the women in the family.

In the same way, computers allow children to express themselves, to learn important skills and to solve problems. Different children prefer different uses of the computer, but this is the medium in which much of the communication and information exchange takes place in the adult world — and increasingly in schools. All children need to make this technology their own in ways that suit their needs and interests.

At this age, girls as well as boys usually enjoy playing with the computer. Without teacher supervision, however, the computer easily can become the boys’ domain. Boys tend to be more insistent about their turn, while girls tend to be more likely to yield their turn and be satisfied with a more passive role. Not all girls are passive and not all boys are insistent, of course, but there is often a pattern of unequal use among children.

To explore another Web site that deals with this issue, please visit:

This site is about general issues of gender equity and includes links to many other related sites.

L.H: I have been noticing that the boys in my class take to the computer more easily than the girls do. Whenever there’s a free choice, the boys want to play computer and the girls are happy to do something else. I do have one boy who seems uninterested in the computer and a couple of girls who love it, but they have computers at home. Maybe that’s why, they’re used to it.T.T: I don’t know, I think the boys are just more aggressive about taking a turn on the computer. When I started making sure that everybody signs up and gets equal time, the girls seem to love the computer just as much, but I did notice that they do different things on it than the boys. The boys like the games where you make stuff like robots and build things and the girls like to make cards and decorate them. L.H: Yeah, you’re probably right: I’ll try using a sign up sheet so everyone can have a turn playing on the computer. It might be good to have all of the kids try out different programs, even though they have preferences, which can seem like stereotypes. I’ll try to get the boys to make cards and the girls to build robots, just so they can see what it’s like.T.T: I think the way around stereotypes is giving boys and girls a chance to be different — on the computers and off. I make sure my kids know that girls can grow up to be doctors and lawyers and firefighters and that boys can grow up to be nurses and cooks and teachers. We talk about that stuff a lot. Sometimes their parents seem to disagree, but I don’t care. I think it’s important for them to hear it, even if they don’t get the same message everywhere.

return to the top

Learning Disabilities

How can I include children with learning disabilities in the use of the computer?

 Including Children with Learning Disabilities

Equity does not mean equal treatment, but a striving for equal outcomes by paying attention to individual children and what their needs and strengths are. This is as true for the computer as for the block area or dress up area.

There are many learning disabled children who excel at computers, but even those children with learning disabilities who are not particularly interested in computers need opportunities to become so expert at some computer activities that they, too, can teach their classmates, making them feel equal rather than "slow."

Learning disabled children often respond very well to multimedia activities that present information in multiple ways by allowing them to build on their strengths and learn in a style that works for them. Some children with learning disabilities may have difficulties with computer programs that require them to make too many choices. They may need appropriate help with those programs from teachers or other children.

Most of the software guides the child's learning by providing hints. In most cases, the number of options is reduced each time the child attempts to answer a question. Many games also include exploratory modes that allow children to play without the pressure of coming up with a particular answer, while still discovering concepts and relationships.

The assessment opportunities provided in some of the software programs also allow teachers to diagnose areas in which children with learning difficulties are doing well, and areas in which they need special attention. The kinds of difficulties teachers might be able to diagnose at this age include attention problems, language impairments and organizational difficulties.

Careful turn-taking schemes make it possible for all children to explore the learning opportunities provided by the computer at their own rate.

To explore another Web site that deals with this issue, please visit:

B.G: I have a few kids who seem to have some trouble learning. They’re too young to be diagnosed or anything, but I notice that there are things they can’t do — that they get confused. So then I noticed that these same kids just LOVE the computer! I was watching them to understand why, and I can’t figure it out. They’re not better at the games than the other kids, but they want to play all the time.M.S: I think it’s that computers are so predictable. My kids with difficultiesseem to have a need for things to be exactly the same. The routines make them feel safe so they don’t get so confused and frustrated. They know exactly what’s going to happen.B.G: I think that’s true. I have a kid who gets very anxious when some-thing new happens. It takes him a long time to get used to a new routine. Then he’s OK. So I watched him play on the computer and I could see that he just loves to make the computer do the same thing over and over and over. M.S: And of course, the computer doesn’t care! The computer is as enthusiastic about the kid getting it right the millionth time as the first time. And the computer doesn’t get frustrated when the kid keeps getting it wrong. I think it’s that — and the fact that they can choose what to do at their own pace. With the computer, they have predictability and choice, which is the perfect combination for them.

return to the top

Physical Disabilities

How can I include children with physical disabilities in computer play?

Including Children with Physical Disablities

The computer provides many children with physical disabilities an opportunity to shine and express themselves. There are at least three different levels of including children with special physical needs in computer play: pedagogy, assistive devices and system configuration.

Pedagogically, including all children means setting up activities so that children with physical problems can participate as fully as possible, whether on the playground or at the computer.

There are a growing number of assistive devices that allow children to communicate with and through the computer, from special input switches to microphones or text readers.

Some software provides a special system configuration option for children who use a single switch input device. This means that the computer rotates through the available choices until the child presses the switch to select one.

To explore other Web sites that deal with this issue, please visit:

H.J: I was so glad when they first brought in the computer console and I saw that the little bench could be removed. I have a kid in a wheelchair and when I first saw the picture of the computer I got it into my head that the bench was attached. Until I started having kids with physical disabilities in my group I never realized how many things are just built wrong so that people in wheelchairs can’t get to them.W.I: Yeah, I know! I have a kid in a wheelchair who needs to use one of those switch clickers. I tried to figure out a way to make using that switch part of the game so Tamika doesn’t always feel different. But it turns out the kids like using the switch because it has this big red button and they all want to press it, so it’s not a problem. They like waiting for the cursor frame to come around to the place they want and then hitting the switch! They think it’s fun. First I tried to say that only Tamika can use her switch, but then I realized it’s much better that she has something cool they all want to use. H.J: I have a deaf kid who has a little hearing so she wears hearing aids. Most of the time she’s fine, but sometimes she gets upset, like her head aches from trying to hear, and she wants to take her hearing aids off. Then I let her play with the computer. The great thing for her is that she knows all the commands on the computer games by heart, so she doesn’t need to hear them any more. She loves playing with that thing! Plus, it gives her ears a rest.

return to the top

Stereotypes

How can I avoid cultural stereotypes when selecting software?

Selecting Software: Avoiding Stereotypes

Many software programs for young children have been designed to avoid cultural stereotypes Nevertheless, teachers have to make sure programs, possibly offered by parents or other community members, do not inadvertently bring racial, gender and cultural stereotypes into the early childhood classroom. This is no different from pre-screening books. Teachers should not put an unscreened program on the computer any more than they would put an unscreened book on their bookshelf.

The most likely form of cultural stereotyping consists of presenting only a single "typical" representation of a cultural group, thereby creating the impression that all the people belonging to that group are alike.

To explore another Web site that deals with this issue, please visit:

This is the site of a magazine for teachers and parents that reviews software. To get their software reviews, you have to subscribe (and pay), but this site includes some free software reviews, a free search page to find software according to title, age, publisher or topic, and links to other software review sites, some of which are free.

O.S: One of our parents keeps bringing in software for the computer. She means well, but some of that stuff is so full of stereotypes. There was one game, it was like an advertisement for a food company, I think, and it was supposed to teach you about healthy food, like vegetables. The little mouse in it had a Chinese accent, you know, like saying "l" instead of "r". I didn’t want to make too much of it, but it upset me because the mouse always got it wrong. He wanted only cheese and the point was to get him to eat his veggies. It made it look like all Chinese have bad eating habits. Maybe I’m being too sensitive.B.H: I don’t think so. I loved cartoons as a kid and I was going to show my kids some cartoons I loved as a kid ­ and I suddenly saw how they were really quite prejudiced. I guess we didn’t used to notice so much, but I think it had an effect on us, on how we saw people.D.V: It’s hard to know when you’re being overly sensitive, but I’d rather err on the safe side — whether it’s software games or books or anything else. I think the best way to deal with it is to talk about it. When I see something I don’t like, I make sure we have a discussion about it.

return to the top

Urban Settings

How can I include urban setting to reflect a more diverse population when selecting software?

Selecting Software: Urban Environments

In adding software to the computer, teachers might want to focus on representing aspects of their children's lives not included in many software programs. In many popular software programs, for instance, there are few representations of urban environments. Urban children may not have ponds to explore, but they have parks and playgrounds.

It is important for children to find something of their own identity reflected in the virtual world they see in computers and on videos. Careful selection of software celebrating other cultures and other environments should mirror to the children who they are.

To explore another Web site that deals with this issue, please visit:

This is the site of a magazine for teachers and parents that reviews software. To get their software reviews, you have to subscribe (and pay), but this site includes some free software reviews, a free search page to find software according to title, age, publisher or topic, and links to other software review sites, some of which are free.

F.R: Many of the CD-ROMs we have show everybody living in the country. My kids mostly live in the inner city, in projects. I can’t seem to find any software that shows life in a big city.A.G: I know. At most they live in little towns, where each little store is a separate house. I decided to deal with it off the computer. When we talk about our neighborhood, we talk about how big our houses are, much bigger than the ones in the computer games, and how we have houses so big, they can have many stores in them.F.R: I’m looking for a good book with pictures of people in a park — and the animals that live in the park. I’d love to see software like that too. I’d love to see a game about a pigeon cruising through a city, or even a city mouse. I think it’s important for kids to see their world reflected in the pictures they look at.

return to the top

Violence

How can I avoid the portrayal of violence when selecting software?

Selecting Software: Avoiding Violence

Many software programs have been designed to avoid portraying violence as a solution to any problem. Nevertheless, teachers have to make sure programs, possibly offered by parents or other community members, do not inadvertently bring examples of violence as a form of conflict resolution into the early childhood classroom. This is no different from pre-screening books. Teachers should not put an unscreened program on the computer any more than they would put an unscreened book on their bookshelf.

The kind of violence portrayed in most early childhood computer games may be very mild compared to the kinds of games designed for older children. There is an important difference, however, between seeing a cartoon character flatten or dissolve to get through an obstacle and using physical force to resolve a conflict or solve a conceptual problem. Children realize early that cartoon characters can do things real people cannot do. The image of using violence as an option when frustrated by a problem, however, is reinforced by other things they see in the world around them and is thus more likely to ring true to them. Good computer games should model using one's mind to solve problems creatively.

To explore another Web site that deals with this issue, please visit:

This is the site of a magazine for teachers and parents that reviews software. To get their software reviews, you have to subscribe (and pay), but this site includes some free software reviews, a free search page to find software according to title, age, publisher or topic, and links to other software review sites, some of which are free.

E.V: I know many of my kids watch a lot of TV, more than I’d like them to, I guess. It’s not so much the time that worries me, but the kind of stuff they see. I don’t like how so many of the cartoons they watch have violence in them. And some of the video games they play at home are just as bad if not worse. I think this all makes them think that violence is OK. B.Z: But we can help them with that. In my class, anyone who hits gets a time out, even if they are imitating somebody getting bonked on the head like one of the characters in a game. They can come and tell me, and they can even yell at each other, but no hitting. E.V: That’s fine, but they see violence everywhere. We have to do morethan just forbid it — we have to make sure they know how to solve problems without resorting to it. So I teach them about how we can talk things out. They each get a turn to tell me what they want and then we find a way to work it out by using our heads. When somebody has a good idea about how to solve a problem like that, they get to wear a kind of crown for a while, a wizard crown, to show they used their head, not their fists.

return to the top