Amanda Echevarria's List: Technology and Literacy Skills

Among the studies Greenfield analyzed was a classroom study showing that students who were given access to the Internet during class and were encouraged to use it during lectures did not process what the speaker said as well as students who did not have Internet access. When students were tested after class lectures, those who did not have Internet access performed better than those who did.

He said: “As far as faulty spelling and grammar may be concerned, the point is whether the viewers of the writer can be understood. Take a look at usage in e-mail and facebook and twitter. It’s a fright if you insist on perfect spelling and grammar. But that, as I see it, is mainly because the people, especially the younger generations, who use those avenues of expression are in a hurry, they have little time for worrying about  typos and grammatical niceties, and they comfortably use multitudes of abbreviations and graphic symbols. So cut them a little slack.”

slack

According to Susan Haugland of the Educations Resource Information Center Clearinghouse (ERIC) on Elementary and Early Childhood Education, children younger than the age of three benefit the most from hands-on play.

Since children this age learn through their bodies, they respond best to activities requiring the use of their eyes, mouths, hands, and legs. Haugland feels that computers are not helpful in teaching the developmental skills that children this age need to master: crawling, walking, talking, and making friends.