Spot on. Not to imply computers are for programming only. I am perplexed at how to best make a computer/laptop useful to a kid. The issue I see are: too many options, too many passive activities, or too complex creative applications.
> A young child (0 to ~3 years) does not understand electronics.
On the other hand, my 2 year old niece can easily take an iPad, unlock it, swipe through the pages and folders, find YouTube, and watch videos. And in an ever-increasing electronics-driven world, I don't think it's bad to learn some of those skills at that age. (Though her screentime is limited and she also plays with wooden toys etc.)
Ofcourse explaining a battery or 'the internet' would be too complex at that age, but apparently the 'input output response from a battery device can be easily guessed'.
> > don't force anything on him. ... Just let him use a computer in a completely natural way.
> This is absolutely true.
I disagree, sort of. I have a 5 yo and an 8 yo. If you let kids use a computer without guidance, they will learn how to use a computer from their friends at school. And what they learn is to fire up a browser (chrome if you've got it, otherwise Firefox) type "<some word> games" into Google and play thousands of really mind-numbing flash games. Go ahead. Try it.
I totally get that I just think there is a lot of value to the tinkering being possible on the device they use for everything else.
How many kids got a PC to play games on but while bored found QBasic and Gorillas.bas.
How many kids on MySpace or NeoPets learnt HTML/CSS as a way to customize their profiles.
This all used to be a reality when kids grew up using a general purpose computing platform, now the choices are a Tablet that works as a general purpose platform you can't tinker with or a board you can only tinker on but not use as a computer.
Play with their peers, construction toys like Lego, 3D puzzles (physical, not computer based), gardening, painting (using paint & brush, not an app), music, swimming, take kid out in nature or to zoo / musea / maker fairs & such... there's so much to discover & do in this world.
Electronics & computers have been in my life like 'forever', but I didn't start with that until ~8y.
Have your kid enjoy the "physical" world as long as (s)he can. Screen devices will come soon enough through other routes like school.
Sorry, I'm not sure if that came off as an insult("the kid won't use that computer"), but just that the kid will probably use the computer to the extent that it is useful or interesting to her, and have an easier time putting it aside, which is different from traditional computing these days where everything is designed to suck you in regardless of what your interests are.
> when is it appropriate to introduce kids to a computer at all.
A question that I've been struggling with since my first was born a decade and a half ago.
I've decided on this: The computer is a tool. As soon as they could use a hammer, or a computer, or a match safely - and demonstrate that they know - then they could use them. My two daughters never got the hammer, my son got it at 5. And he knows why we call it the "thumb seeker".
The "computer" tool I allow for _creating_ content at about 3 to 5, I don't remember exactly. They were all able to create content (or write in VIM, yes, VIM) by 5 I think. And they were able to stop when I tell them to... So I generally didn't have to tell them to.
The "computer" tool I allow for _consuming_ content started at about 8 or 9 I think for the girls, when they demonstrated - and continue to demonstrate - that they can occupy themselves without the computer and that they can stop when asked. The stopping when asked was already reinforced in them from the _creation_ of content. My son, unfortunately, is allowed by his mother to consume far too much content and he has not developed the limits that his older sisters have. And I'm having a very hard time getting him away from it, especially as she encourages it!
But sometimes I can persuade him with the hammer, some new nails, and some nice scraps of planks! He's already built a cage for the rabbit (with his father's help of course).
I know a lot of people who can't use a computer or a smartphone, which is also very sad. They never learned to explore and experiment with the user interface. If you explain something to them, they write down every step. When the next software update changes a little thing, they are lost again. That's very similar to your "just turn it by 90°" example.
Do you have elderly parents you support with their computers? Then maybe you know what I am talking about.
I am not saying kids shouldn't play with bricks. The whole premise of the article seems silly. Nobody claims kids should play with computers instead of bricks.
As for becoming computer savvy, I've seen kids pick up quite a lot from playing with computers. They quickly figure out how to find and launch the games they like, for example. And they also experiment, for example rearranging the UI. Then there is Minecraft.
I think his point was that this would be a very bad end result. If there are no desktops or laptops in a household it becomes very hard for a kid to be immersed in development from a young age as tablets and phones are almost exclusively meant for consumption.
"I Raised My Kids On the Command Line...and They Love It" - no they don't, most kids just want to play with their paint or chat app or some game. OP's kids haven't actually learned anything other than they had to go through some irrelevant ceremony to get to play with their favourite app. You don't make your kids break out ICE's or hardware debug tools just so they can boot the lounge flatscreen so they can watch Postman Pat.
I wish people would stop pretending this is educational for children at this age, it's not. All the kids are doing is spending a bit of time with their Dad, who I'm sure they love, to get to the end result which is to play with TuxPaint.
Can't speak for the parent, but I have similar thoughts with my kids. My reasoning is pretty simple: technology that's already finely packaged and integrated might as well be magic, and it really makes it hard to want to open the hood and tinker with stuff. Personally, I think tinkering with computers had a big impact on me because it revealed that computers are just another kind of machine, subject to tweaking and understanding. I don't think of them as inscrutable monoliths as a result. I'd like my kids to have that same attitude toward technology in general, so the more they can build for themselves, the better.
Regarding why it might be the only hardware, I'm probably not as extreme on that front, but I think I can understand the motivation. With a choice between the slick user experience of a well-integrated touch device or the hacked together experience of roll-your-own Linux on roll-your-own hardware, I'm not sure how many kids would voluntarily choose the harder (but ultimately more rewarding) road. A certain amount of struggle and adversity seems to be important for making knowledge seem worthwhile and for pushing kids to explore. My own kids are most proud of themselves when they do something that's not easy for them, even though they usually complain the whole time they're doing it.
The 4 yo was excited about getting a computer, but didn't care at all about using it. She just didn't 'get' the steam locomotive. She was willing to participate (and was interested) in typing characters on the screen and having something happen, but I just didn't have enough at an appropriate level to maintain her interest. I had hoped to work up to the gui and tuxpaint, but we didn't get that far before she completely gave up. I think there would've been (general) merit in this approach, but there's just not enough command line apps that are suited to this age group. The 2yo could also make the train go, but he didn't recognize it as a train. It was probably too fast to decipher the ascii art.
Somewhat strangely, starting the following day, the 4yo started calling her fake baby cell phone a 'computer' and is really in to pretending to do things on it. Crazy stuff like talking about how well she's doing at playing videos games. We don't play any video games in our house. It's as though I unlocked some possibility of having her own computer and her mind is running with it.
Sounds like you agree with me. Smart phones are poor computers but they sell well because they're designed to be easy to use devices for media consumption and data collection. I've written programs on a cell phone (perhaps that's just a much less popular type of slot machine) but I wouldn't recommend it, or expect a kid to develop a love of coding by handing them a cell phone. A PC on the other hand could easily spark that interest in them.
I think kids naturally want to fiddle with things and learn something new. Maybe most grow out it eventually, but it's innate to them. We can't expect kids to know or care about the massive amounts of data collection in smart phones or the sophisticated types of manipulation they'll be subjected to on social media, but as adults we should know better and be very careful about giving kids access to either. Giving a kid an old computer or laptop instead of a cell phone seems like a much better option. Having one set up and available to them in a shared space like an office or living room makes it easy to keep an eye on them while they explore and monitor their usage.
I've never seen an iPhone that didn't have social media apps on it, but I've never seen one at factory defaults either, so I'll have to accept that you're right about pre-loaded garbage being an android specific problem.
It's important for everyone, but especially kids, to use computers in a way that lends itself to creativity rather than consumption. There are ways to be creative with a phone, but the reality is that they have been engineered specifically to cater to consumption.
I already own my last smartphone. I wouldn't let my kids have one either. I would encourage them to use computers in creative ways though.
Recently, at the age of seven, my son discovered how the remote control works. He was proud that he figured it all by himself.
And I was proud that my son discovered that at the age of seven and not at the age of two or three.
When my children wakes up in the morning they don't switch the tv on or any other screen.
They play.
They build stuff with Lego or wood game. They draw. They go in the garden to play with the dog or with their bikes.
Of course they sometimes play a game on my tablet or telephone, it's not 20th century anymore.
But they don't own any. And they don't choose when they can watch a screen. (Steve Jobs did the same with his children after all [0])
Despite that, I will start to teach them programming next school year, I've bought a PI for each, and I welcome the article ! It's just I think this is important, but not a priority for youngs.
The existence of computers, and increasingly realistic behavior of hardware and software, does not deprive anyone of anything. Rather, raising children entirely on Surface and TV, or with no technology at all, leaves them ill-prepared for the real world.
I'm hoping to expose my children to all kinds of technology. I hope they come away from these experiences with the same sense of wonder and awe as I do. But I'm still planning on cleaning finger paint off the walls.
People don't usually suggest a lamp as an introductory computing device for children.
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