UWW310 Technology & Early Childhood

This article documents the use of cell-phone technology as a tool for teachers to reach out to disadvantaged parents of preschoolers with tips for strengthening language skills. While parents may not have the time to read back pack mail, or might be overwhelmed in general with the responsibilities of parenting, random text messages with short tips for helping kids develop language skills can catch parents at just the right time, and - a study shows - are being proven effective in increasing parent-child interaction and improving language development test scores!

An interesting article that focuses on a new type of digital divide: While access to technological devices has evened out between disadvantaged and advantaged families, internet access itself remains a problem for poor school kids - even when they own cell phones and game consoles.

Is the idea of Sunday school on its way out the door as the day of rest is being replaced by over scheduled children and parents?

Does anyone agree with these tech free families or do you think it's overkill? I'm on the fence about it. Seems like a really good idea but what does it do to the children that aren't around technology until school.

Nice list of tech toys at different age groups. It just seems to be for 0-12 months but still good read

They are no longer "smart" devices, but being used as "shut up" devices. Children simply can not learn and achieve important social, emotional and physical developmental milestones through a smart device.

Good post!

We study how children with a lot of technology exposure brains are wired differently then the previous generation and it affects every aspect of their lives, especially attention. This blog is helpful in debating on the good and bad that comes with letting young children use technology.

"55% of teens have given out personal info to someone they don't know, including photos and physical descriptions" Some of these are just terrifying!

It's not so much the article itself that I found so intriguing but the comments below. It seems like everyone hates the invasion on their privacy and yet Facebook has more members then ever...

Maybe it's just our country that makes technology taboo and an issue. Maybe we need to stop looking at it like a drug and use it for the tools they really are? Really interesting read.

This website offers guidelines for safe screentime and suggestions on ways to reduce screentime effectively

That is awesome.

While today's parents worry about the impact of technology on the developing brains of young children, new research points to the potential value of touch screen devices as effective learning tools for toddlers.

Interesting read on depression associated with technology

It long has been known that play is really the work of childhood. Researchers have been paying a lot of attention to rapidly evolving technology and its role in early education. Research continues to bear out that young children develop and learn best through play. With young children being continually expose to technology, the question now is, what then, are potential impacts of technology on play-based learning?