What age is the RIGHT age to introduce technology?

BY: J. Seif

Someone recently asked me at what age had I introduced my son to technology and video games.  I realized in that moment that my son was introduced to video games at the age of three.  I now understand that these games had a purpose and I was not taking my home reading responsibilities lightly.  My son was introduced to LEAP Frog games at the age of five because he required additional support with his reading.  The LEAP Frog CD’s offered a series of interactive, colourful and engaging activities that could be completed using a desktop computer.  Their activities supported his reading by visually representing the relationships between the letters and sounds that he struggled with.  This interactive kindergarten-reading program became a learning tool in our home as it broke up the monotony of the traditional method of studying sight words, letter blends and sounds through memorization.

Hssina et al (2014) states that, “serious games can provide a suitable cadre for learning through interactive tasks”. LEAP Frog in my opinion is a serious game as it is designed with the purpose of promoting “learning” through a variety of interactive activities.  The entertainment element adds to the motivational factors that encourage young children to continue to play as they develop and reinforce a particular skill required for reading. 

Based on my own personal experience with using LEAP Frog and other Educational Games, I see how important it is to ensure that the right game is selected to meet the need(s) of the individual student.  Education.com (2019), offers a variety of games that can be incorporated into lesson plans.  Prior to selecting a game, it would be valuable to assess the impact that the game will have on learning.  According to DiCerbo (2015), your selection should be vetted for,

1.       a clear topic,  

2.       a good review, and

3.       purposeful player engagement ideology that nurtures knowledge development.

Is there a particular skill that you would like to develop in your young learner? Maybe it is the skill of problem solving.  LittleBigPlanet 2 is an Educational Game that provides young learners with the opportunity to find solutions to problems that occur on the earth. 

Are you interested in obtaining reputable resources? GRAPHITE assists educators with finding the best Educational Games by providing access to individual reviews of games that are evaluated based on the students learning potential while using the game. 

I realize through my own experience that picking the coolest game is the priority.  Offering challenging experiences supported through educational play should be my guiding principle.

References:

DiCerbo, K. (2015, October 16). 3 Steps for Choosing Learning Games for Children. Retrieved from https://www.gettingsmart.com/2015/10/3-steps-for-choosing-learning-games-for-children/

Hssina, B., Erritali, M., Bouikhalene, B., & Merbouha, A. (2014). Edugame an Android game for teaching children. International Journal of Innovation and Applied Studies,9(4), 1531-1540. Retrieved from http://www.ijias.issr-journals.org/

Shapiro, J. (2014, August 22). How To Choose A Learning Game. Retrieved from https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/37413/how-to-choose-a-learning-game

Steyer, J. (2013, June 23). Teachers, Meet Graphite. Retrieved from https://www.commonsense.org/education/articles/teachers-meet-graphite