Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Age or Ability Specific Forums Pre-school Computer for almost-3 year old?

I'm with ultramarina on this. We have an iphone, ipad and computer all of which DS 5 is allowed to use - but they aren't his. And he knows this. He knows he has to ask to use it and that the apps he is allowed to use are chosen by me. However, he has never been addicted and unwilling to stop so this hasn't been too hard to manage. When he asks we rarely say no because its only one option among many.

He also has never chosen to surf youtube or online by himself. I have not forbidden it but I have not encouraged it either. He knows there are a ton of bookmarked webpages for him to go to. We also get websites from his teacher occasionally which have been enjoyable. I have treated it like TV, he isn't allowed to go an turn it on and just plop down in front of it - he has to ask. Conversely, everything in his room he can use whenever he wants, no restrictions.

So I am not worried about him being net-illiterate - he gets some of it in school too - I am more concerned with him thinking its the only way to get new information. At this point I would say his focus is much more on books as a source of information, he might place apps as a higher source of fun, but he might not.

And we started this with him using Starfall at 2.5 - he loved it and sometimes would not want to get off - so we decided how we wanted to approach it then and have pretty much stuck with it.

DeHe

I actually block YouTube on my son's computer. Just a personal choice - not making a judgment on anyone else's choice. Because of the crowdsourced viral content, I don't like being dependent on YouTube to remove offending content, so it's easier to block it and let him view it when I log my password and can see what he's viewing. I have Hulu, Netflix, etc. blocked as well so that we can discuss what he wants to watch and whether his homework, etc is finished before he gets bonafide vegetable time.

My son spends the majority of his time on Garageband and Scratch.

And, you know, it's really about personal parenting style. For us, computer time is a part of the family rhythm and doesn't replace sports, music, or family time. For others, screen time is a disruption. Our kids are gifted, so not being exposed to a computer in the early years isn't going to necessarily mean they're behind on skill sets when they enter school. By the same token, I'm pretty sure my kids weren't damaged from their time on the computer when they were little - and I'm pretty sure the break of them exploring and learning on their own was a massive gift to me. With three gifted kids, their drive and inquisitiveness completely exhausted me some days. When they could play games like Nancy Drew, etc., and have fun together, it was a gift to all of us.

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies!

One of the happiest days of my life was when my son was about 3.5 and learned to use google! No more incessant questions 24/7. He could look it up, then ask for further explanations if he needed them. DS8 is VERY time consuming. That hasn't changed. The difference is that he now looks things up then explains them to me. I have learned so much from him about things I never would have even considered.

There's a tremendous amount of free stuff that's educational and appropriate for a gifted 3-yr-old on the Internet.

http://watchknowlearn.org/default.aspx - offers free educational videos from ages 3-18 with a filtering tool to avoid inappropriate content, comments, or ads on YouTube.

www.livebinders.com - offers you to share or post resources from preschool+ on nearly anything educational (free ebooks to read or write, videos, activities, games). It is aimed at teachers, librarians, etc., but it's got HUGE potential for gifted children.

To start, last night I actually created a livebinder.com folder on free books for kids to create on their own; I haven't made it public yet. I wanted to make a folder so I can find these resources for myself and my son.

Children born 2005ish or later are digital natives; my eg/pg son was born in 2005. It's going to be an entirely different world for them as I'm discovering.

There's so much free, interactive immersive Web 2.0 stuff now that the way we learn, retrieve, think, or process information will change tremendously. Children who learn faster from visual information or by doing will especially benefit from the Web 2.0 tools.

Well...because there are some issues/problems associated with excess screen time that are not associated with those things. Now, do the problems (obesity, delayed language learning, disturbed sleep, attentional issues) happen for GT kids using screens at the same rate as for typical kids? I have no idea. But it's worth keeping in mind, unless you feel a fair weight of science (correlational, yes, but a fair weight) is to be discarded.

I am not anti-computers at all. But I don't consider them 100% benign, anymore than I consider TV 100% benign. I don't think we have evidence yet that computer use is any better or worse for young minds and bodies than TV. It may be better--but nothing is showing that so far.

Television viewing is completely different than using Web 2.0 tools online. Television viewing is a passive activity; creating your own online book for free is an active activity.

With television viewing or watching a video, users cannot physically change the content or what's presented (unless you switch it off). With Web 2.0 tools, users create the content (your own virtual book, newsletter, cartoon, binder, video, game, computer program, etc.). It's totally different.

The world is about to take a great leap from the current static Internet where websites are fixed to an interactive, immersive Web 2.0 Internet, which is more conducive to learning.

There are some studies on digital technology with young people.
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0016/001631/163170e.pdf
http://www.pearsonfoundation.org/downloads/EmergentLiteracy-WhitePaper.pdf

Digital technology is providing learning for children who are unable to attend school, have learning disabilities or attention issues, are gifted, or for many others who would benefit from them. For some kids, digital technology engages their minds in way books or television cannot.

Active minds learn better with exercise (this includes physical exercise) but kids also need limits. Everything in moderation, but Web 2.0 can really help some kids find their passion and be a gateway to lifelong learning.

And, of course, there is this study which says we literally love our iPhones even if we're not addicted to them. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/o...r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=thab1

Love it!!!

I don't think that it's helpful to extrapolate from statistics related to TV viewing habits of children who are likely somewhat educationally neglected by their parents, when one is considering the effect of educational use of computers. I've never seen any statistics showing a negative impact of educational computer use (have you)? It seems to me that error may lurk in the aggregation.