Pasnik says she sees a lot of learning potential in these newer technologies. Tablet computers for example, offer repetition, portability and the possibility of learning with gestural movements, all of which hold promise for preschool students. She cautions that many of the apps being developed today place too much emphasis on academic skills and not enough emphasis on making things, discovering, sharing and turn taking. “We do a disservice to young children in attending to a very rigid and narrow sense of math and literacy and not really paying attention to the developmental needs of this age group,” said Pasnik. “The uptake of adoption here is far in advance of the research. But that’s not to say that we can’t be really thoughtful about what we do know about children’s development.”

Parents need help figuring out how to set limits with new media and making sure it doesn’t replace one-on-one time talking with their children, which experts agree is still the most valuable learning tool of all.

in addition to identifying quality in children’s media, is getting parents to understand the importance of setting limits and guiding their children’s media play.

before using technology with young children, teachers and parents should ask themselves: “What’s the value added at this particular developmental level?” and, “What can technology offer that other things can’t offer?”