Overview

* When should children start using computers? * How should schools incorporate computer use into their curriculum? * Which types of computer software programs should be avoided? * Are children who don't have computers in class and at home doomed to fall behind their peers? Few parents and educators stop to consider that computers, used incorrectly, may do far more harm than good to a child's growing brain and social/emotional development. In this comprehensive and practical guide to kids and computers, Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., author of the groundbreaking bestseller Endangered Minds, examines the advantages and drawbacks of computer use for kids at home and school, exploring its effects on their health, mental development, and creativity. In addition, this timely and ey-opening book presents: * Concrete examples of how to develop a technology plan and use computers successfully with children of different age groups as supplements to classroom curricula, as research tools, or in family projects * Resources for reliable reviews of child-oriented software * Questions parents should ask when their children are using computers in school * Advice on how to manage computer use at home

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Reviews

Dr. Dorothy Rich Founder and President, the Home and School Institute, and author of MegaSkills: Building Children's Achievement for the Information Age Jane Healy knows what she is talking about. I strongly urge all educators, as well as parents, to read this new book now...before it's too late.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi author of Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience and Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discover and Invention If Jefferson, Bach, and Einstein had been reared on PCs, would we now have the Declaration of Independence, The Passion According to St. Matthew, and the theory of relativity? Not likely, if the arguments marshalled by Jane Healy are correct. Failure to Connect sounds a wake-up call for teachers and parents who believe that computers alone will solve our educational problems. The bottom line: Adult attention rather than gigabytes is what makes children grow.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyiauthor of Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience and Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and InventionFailure to Connect sounds a wake-up call for teachers and parents who believe that computers alone will solve our educational problems. The bottom line: Adult attention rather than gigabytes is what makes children grow.

Dr. Dorothy Rich Founder and President, the Home and School Institute, and author of MegaSkills: Building Children's Achievement for the Information Age Jane Healy knows what she is talking about. I strongly urge all educators, as well as parents, to read this new book now...before it's too late. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi author of Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience and Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention Failure to Connect sounds a wake-up call for teachers and parents who believe that computers alone will solve our educational problems. The bottom line: Adult attention rather than gigabytes is what makes children grow.

A crisp critique of the impact of computers on children's minds by educator Healy (Your Child's Growing Mind, 1990. etc.), who contends that, in our fervor to embrace computers, we have overlooked their potential to harm youth, particularly young children. Drawing on extensive interviews with school administrators, teachers, parents, and children themselves, Healy concludes that the problems caused by excessive computer use are staggering: Among regular users, for example, visual impairment is now the norm, and hard-core cyberchildren, lacking sufficient physical exercise, as a result also grow up less fit mentally than their parents. Even more disturbing is the potential impact on brain development, since the processes of thinking aloud, questioning, creative problem-solving, and communicating will be inevitably downplayed by those who rely on computers to process data. Despite the shrill alarm she sounds, Healy doesn't dismiss computers outright, and she maintains that, used moderately and guardedly, they can enrich young people's lives: When 125 at-risk students in New York City were given home computers with online hookups, for example, Internet-research began to substitute for television viewing and severely withdrawn pupils began to communicate with one another online. For in-school use, the perfect model, in Healy's view, is the Gold River Discovery School outside Sacramento, Calif. Here, students who use computers are continually coached on how to take responsibility and reflect on their learning. Hands-on learning always precedes computer use, and virtual reality is never allowed to take the place of genuine experience. Throughout, Healy intersperses her assessment with practical advice: She urges parents and educators to be wary of software that is overly stimulating to the senses alone, to avoid programs that give rewards for completing tasks, and to be on guard that children don't avoid playing with friends in favor of spending more time interacting with their computers. A timely and sensible challenge to the prevalent notion that computers necessarily enhance mental development and learning. (Kirkus Reviews)

A challenge to all those who think that computer literacy is vital for a child's education and future prospects. The author, a US-educational psychologist, makes her overall assessment clear from the title. She's concerned not just with the much-vaunted dangers of missing out on real play, forming friendships and social interactions. Healy also questions the value of even so-called 'educational' programmes, and explains how computers may actually impair acquisition of vital skills during crucial stages in a child's brain development. She includes multiple tips for parents (and teachers) no how to choose, monitor and promote the best computer experiences. But 'don't ever forget that the best multimedia, interactive environment is the real world.' Highly recommended. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

Jane M. Healy, Ph.D. is a teacher and educational psychologist who has worked with young people of all ages, from pre-school to graduate school. She has been a classroom teacher, reading and learning specialist, school administrator, and clinician. She is currently a lecturer and consultant, and the author of three books about how children do (and don’t) learn, Your Child’s Growing Mind, Endangered Minds, and Failure to Connect. She and her work have been featured in national media such as CNN and NPR. She has twice been named “Educator of the Year” by Delta Kappa Gamma, the professional honor society of women educators.  Jane and her husband claim they have learned most of what they know from raising three sons and enjoying six grandchildren.

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