30 January 2001

Text: Study Finds Under-skilled
Teachers Overseeing Computer Instruction

A new analysis of children's computer use finds great potential in how technology may improve the educational process, but also urges caution. The study was conducted by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, and issued January 22 in the biannual publication "The Future of Children."

The publication's statement of purpose, according to a January 22 press release, states, "Children's growing use of computers brings with it both the promise of enriched learning and the risk of possible harm." Compiled by a panel of experts in the field, the study advises a number of steps to avoid potential negative effects the experts foresee in children's computer use.

Though computers and Internet access are widely available in U.S. schools now, "The Future of Children" still finds evidence of the digital divide, a discrepancy between the computer learning opportunities available to socially or economically disadvantaged children as contrasted to privileged children. In part, this discrepancy can be attributed to a cadre of under-skilled teachers overseeing computer instruction in schools of lower soci-economic status.

According to the study, "Teachers need to be trained on how to use computers in new and different ways to open the minds of all young children,".

The report cautions that if children spend excessive leisure time in front of the computer screen they may risk obesity due to inactivity, repetitive motion injuries, hampered social development, depression and loneliness. "The Future of Children" recommends that parents monitor what children are doing on the computer, and how much time they're spending there.

The report concludes that too little is known about the effects of computers on children's long-term physical, cognitive and social development and further research is needed in this area.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is endowed by the estate of David Packard, co-founder of the Hewlett-Packard Company.

The full report is available in PDF format at http://www.futureofchildren.org/cct/index.htm"

Following is the text of the press release on "The Future of Children."

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THE DAVID AND LUCILE PACKARD FOUNDATION

January 22, 2001

NEW COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS SHEDS LIGHT ON HOW COMPUTERS AFFECT KIDS AT SCHOOL AND AT HOME

Inequality for Nation's Children Exists; Teachers Underskilled In Computer Training

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In one of the most comprehensive analyses to date on children and computers, some of the nation's leading experts say that while the computer's promise to help children learn is becoming more of a reality, steps must be taken to ensure that children do not suffer any ill effects in the learning process.

They call upon parents, educators, business leaders and the government to guide children in the effective, safe and creative use of computers. Furthermore, they urge the nation to take steps to ensure that all children have equal access to this powerful technology. Although nearly every school in the nation now has computers and over two-thirds of the country's children have access to a computer at home, the so-called "digital divide" remains significant, especially with access to quality computer programs and creative uses.

Their recommendations, studies and overarching analysis were published today in The Future of Children, a journal of The David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The journal will be released one day prior to a special workshop being conducted by the National Academy of Sciences on children and computer technology. This issue of the journal examines how computer technology affects children in school and at home, and offers specific recommendations for guiding children in their use of computers. In addition to detailing how many children have access to the technology and how they are using it, the journal cautions that without proper guidance, excessive use of the computer could hamper social development and put children at risk for obesity and depression. The journal authors call on both the government and the private sector to devote research dollars to assess the effects of extended computer use and exposure to various types of computer content on children's physical, intellectual, social and psychological development.

"Like advances in genetics, computers have the power to change the world," said Deanna Gomby, Ph.D., acting director, Children, Families and Communities, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation. "We need to make certain that we harness that power for the public good, and avoid the dangers associated with new and dynamic technologies."

According to the journal, the disparity between how low-income children and high-income children use computers is great; the nation's teachers are underskilled for teaching children how to use computers to their greatest potential; parents are unsure about how to regulate computer use at home; and research to determine the long-term effects of computer use on young children is desperately needed.

New Data on The Digital Divide At Home

Home access to computers will be a continued area of inequality in American society, according to Henry Jay Becker of the University of California, Irvine, who published a new analysis of survey data in the journal. The 1998 data, which are the most detailed available, indicate that only about 22 percent of children in families with annual incomes less than $20,000 had access to a home computer, compared to 91 percent of those in families with annual incomes over $75,000. Among children with access, those in low-income families were reported to use the computer less than those in high-income families, perhaps in part because most low-income families with computers lacked connection to the Internet. To increase out-of-school access for children, the journal recommends that government work with industry to expand opportunities for low-income families to acquire home computers and access the Internet, and that public and private funders support efforts by libraries and community centers to include technology programs focused specifically on children.

Schools Could Play Critical Role In Closing The Digital Divide: Teachers' Skills Key

The number of computers in American schools increased from 250,000 in 1983 to 8.6 million in 1998. The Clinton Administration in 1996 launched the nation's first plan to spend billions of dollars to connect children to computers and the Internet, and now virtually every school in the nation is wired. The number of schools with access to the Internet increased from 35 percent in 1994 to 95 percent in 1999. Yet there are great disparities in how individual schools use computers, how well teachers are trained to take advantage of the technology and how students from different socio-economic backgrounds use computers at school.

Schools have a long way to go if they are to play an effective role in ensuring equal opportunity for less-advantaged children. Becker's analysis found that while access to computers has increased rapidly in classrooms, the most frequent and creative uses of computer technology are not yet linked to curricula. He asserts that putting more computers in classrooms is only the first step.

"Efforts to ensure equal access to computer-related learning opportunities at school must move beyond a concern with the numbers of computers in different schools toward an emphasis on how well those computers are being used to help children develop intellectual competencies and technical skills," he writes.

Among Becker's findings:

-- All schools provide about the same access to computers, but schools with a higher socio-economic status (SES) generally use computers in more creative ways.

-- At high-SES schools, teachers focused more on helping students master computer skills to solve real problems and gain a deeper understanding of an area of study. At lower-SES schools, they emphasized word processing and other simple tasks.

"Schools and computers offer a way to close the gap between poor and rich kids," said Becker. "But teachers need to be trained on how to use computers in new and different ways to open the minds of all young children."

In addition, computers can be an especially effective learning tool for children with learning disabilities. Use of computer technology for word processing, communication, research and multimedia projects is clearly helping the three million students with specific learning and emotional disorders keep up with their non-disabled peers, according to authors Ted Hasselbring at the University of Kentucky and Candyce Williams Glaser at Peabody College, Vanderbilt University.

Further research is needed, however, to assess the effectiveness of technology-supported practices in the classroom. The journal recommends that additional public and private support for such research be provided. It also recommends that state and local education agencies refine and adopt age-appropriate guidelines for children's computer use and make certain that all teachers are trained on how to integrate technology effectively into their curricula. Schools should also provide teachers with the time to network and learn more about how to use technology more creatively. And the Department of Education's Web site should facilitate the sharing of teacher-recommended approaches for using computers.

Parents Need to Understand the Impact of Computer Use at Home

Seventy percent of American homes with children ages 2 to 17 have computers, and most of them are wired to the Internet. Like films, radio and television before it, computer technology brings with it great promise for social and educational benefits, but it also raises great concerns about its effect on children, especially those children who appear to spend an inordinate amount of time using the technology.

According to the journal, the amount of time children spend on line may come at the expense of other healthy activities, such as outdoor play and social interaction. On average, children spend approximately 34 minutes per day using a computer, but when combined with use of other "screen technologies," such as television and video games, children with access spend an average of five hours a day in front of a screen. Potential risks associated with excessive use include:

-- risk of obesity -- repetitive strain injuries and harm to vision -- hampered social development -- links to greater depression, loneliness

Lack of quality content -- such as violent video games, commercial sites and sites containing inappropriate content -- as well as lack of supervision, are also areas for concern. Among children ages 8 to 16, 20 percent have computers, and 11 percent have access to the Internet, in their bedrooms. To help protect children from any potential harm and ensure computer use is balanced with other activities needed for healthy development, the journal recommends that:

-- parents limit the amount of time their children spend using computers; -- parents monitor the content of the sites their children visit or computer games they play; -- parents educate themselves about potential creative uses for computers; and -- researchers, industry and government work together to ensure more high quality content for children.

Need For Research Monies To Determine Effects of Computer Technology on Children

The analyses in this issue of the Future of Children make it painfully clear that very little is known about the effects of home computer use on children's physical, cognitive and social development. Limited research exists on the physical and emotional effects of computers on children. And there is also limited research on the positive potential of computers and any links to better academic performance.

"Everything we know suggests that computers have the potential to be a really positive influence in children's lives, but parents and teachers need to help children learn to use computers in effective, responsible and creative ways," said Margie Shields, policy analyst and editor of the Children and Computer Technology issue of the journal. "And children also need to learn when it is time to log off because some other activity or approach would be better."

The Future of Children is published twice a year by The David and Lucile Packard Foundation. The primary purpose of the journal is to disseminate timely information on major issues related to children's well-being, with special emphasis on providing objective analysis and evaluation, translating existing knowledge into effective programs and policies, and promoting constructive change. The Children and Computer Technology issue can be accessed on The Future of Children Web site, www.futureofchildren.org/cct/index.htm.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation is a private family foundation created in 1964 by David Packard (1912-1996), co-founder of the Hewlett-Packard Company and Lucile Salter Packard (1914-1987). The Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations in the following broad program areas: conservation; population; science; children, families, and communities; arts; and organizational effectiveness and philanthropy. The Foundation makes grants at the national and international level, and also has a special focus on the Northern California counties of San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, and Monterey. The Foundation's assets were approximately $9.8 billion as of December 31, 2000. Grant awards totaled approximately $614 million in 2000, and the Foundation expects to make grants of approximately $550 million in 2001.

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