From: miguel, berkstrom
Email: titan@cats.ucsc.edu
Course: psych 100k, dev. of thought and language
College: ucsc, oakes
Instructor: eugene matusov
ClassWeb: http://www.ematusov.com/psych100K
ChildrenObservations:
Date: 14 Apr 1997
Time: 22:03:19
Remote Name: mingong-pc12.ucsc.edu
During the past ten weeks a class of college students, including myself have been observing children at a local youth center. Our observations, have primarily focused on collaborative learning at the site. This collaborative learning was facilitated through computer software, board games, art projects, and occasionally homework. We would record our observations in a database for our peers to view later. In the field notes, most students made note of three areas of collaborative learning. These were child-child, child-adult, and child-environment. However, I wanted to find evidence of another kind of collaboration. I wanted to see how children collaborated with the computers they were using. I was also interested in knowing if this was helping the children develop cognitively.
Introduction
When children use computer software, are they gaining knowledge and developing cognitively? Or is it similar to watching mindless television. A group of college students have observed that they do grow and develop cognitively. As well, the research on the subject points in the same direction. The proceeding paragraphs will illustrate why this is true.
When children are introduced to computer software, they are having doors opened for them. The games that are available to them, give them the opportunity to learn cognitive skills such as problem-solving and strategic planning. These games also offer the kids the access to facts and information, that will be useful to them in other areas of their lives. This point is illustrated in research as well,
“A Fifth Dimension site has software for about 40 games…these consist of educational software in the form of games that teach children about certain content areas(e.g., history, geography, or music) while simultaneously promoting the development of cognitive skills(e.g., general problem-solving, strategic thinking, and logical reasoning). Some even introduce the children to simple computer languages such as Logo and Logowriter.”(Nicolopoulo, A. & Cole,M., 1993)
At the site, these games spoken of consist of trial and error, where the children do not always succeed. One of these games is Mystery House, “…what makes Mystery House so useful for our purposes is that it is a complex game with a number of steps, each with its own intellectual puzzles and pitfalls. To advance in the game requires trial and error, a great deal of thought and effort, and (usually) effective teamwork.”( E.A. Forman, N. Minick, & C.A. Stone, Eds.) All of these features of the game create great situations for cognitive growth and greater self-esteem, through accomplishments. These are important skills to develop in children at a young age. Another game that is wonderful at facilitating collaborative learning is Carmen San Diego. This game supplies the children with clues about a suspect that the children must interpret. These clues teach them everything from geography, to visual identification. As one undergraduate states, “ Justin began asking where places were less and less, quite probably because he was remembering past geography clues the game had given him…” (V.B., 1997).
Another important feature on the computer is the unseen voice of the wizard who the children communicate with on the computer. The wizard is key for the children as a electronic friend and a source of help on the games. As one researcher states, “…the Wizard, the creator and benevolent overseer of the Fifth Dimension, with whom the children are in constant communication through electronic mail. Children report regularly to the Wizard about their success or difficulties with different games and reflect on the strategies they used to master them.”( E.A. Forman, N. Minick, & C.A. Stone, Eds.).The wizard anonymity makes him that much more intriugungn to the children. As well, once the children master the game they can become Wizards Assistants. Once a child reaches this level then their “…responsibilities as members of the Wizards Assistant required the children to be more than players. They were now being asked to be helpers, in essence to take on the role of the undergraduates.”(Vasquez, O., 1994). This sense of accomplishment and elevation is key to helping these children stay motivated, and it gives them a sense of empowerment.
Conclusion
In using computers children can grow in many ways. They have access to information that can help them grow cognitively, while also absorbing facts and information that will be useful to them later in life. All children should be offered the chance to use software that collaborates with them and challenges them to surpass limits they once thought existed.
References
1. Nicolopoulou, A. & Cole M. (1993). Generation and Transmission of Shared Knowledge in the Culture of Collaborative Learning: The Fifth Dimension, It’s Play-World, and Its institutional Contexts.
2. Vasquez, O. (1994). The Magic of La Clase Magica: Enhancing the learning potential of bilingual children. The Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 17(2): 120-128.
3. E. A. Forman, N. Minick, & C. A. Stone (eds.), Contexts for Learning: Sociocultural Dynamics in children’s development. New York: Oxford University Press.