When kids should start using computers

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When kids should start using computers

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There's a lot of controversy about when children should start using computers. Personally, I come down on a very conservative side. I really don't think that children really need computers until they are at least seven years old, at which point, the brain can manage the kinds of information that they are dealing with on the computer. Prior to that, the human brain has a lot of developmental needs that which involve hands-on interaction with a three dimensional with people, social events, and their own creativity and imagination, which may very well be stifled if they spend too much time on screens. I know that it is absolutely absurd in this day of the iPhone and the iPod and all these marvelous gadgets that keeps kids' brains very much engaged and keeps them quiet. What we really don't want is for our kids' brains is to have them engaged and kept quiet by something that is outside their own minds, so that instead of learning to use their own brains to maximum capacity, they are responding to a program that was written by somebody else; who may not be as smart as they are.

Watch Video: When kids should start using computers by Jane M. Healy, PhD, ...

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Jane M. Healy, PhD

Educational Psychologist

Jane Healy is a teacher and educational psychologist who has worked with all ages from pre-school to graduate school.  Her major research interest has been in finding practical applications of current brain research for teachers and parents.  A graduate of Smith College, she holds a MA from John Carroll University, a PhD from Case Western Reserve University, and post-doctoral work in developmental neuropsychology.  She has served on the faculty of Cleveland State University. Her many years of experience include: parent, classroom teacher, reading/learning specialist, elementary administrator, and clinician.  She is recognized internationally as an author, lecturer, and consultant. She has received international media coverage, including Nightline, Good Morning America, the Today Show, CNN and NPR, for her ideas about the impact of technology, media and culture on children's brain development and learning.

Although Jane has received many honors, including being twice named the "Educator of the Year" by Delta Kappa Gamma, she claims that she and her husband have learned most of what they know from the process of raising three sons (and now their six grandchildren).

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