The answer to the question “How confident do you feel about ...

Read text I and answer questions 41 to 55:

Text I

Technology for children in the classroom

Attitudes to technology

Many people are afraid of new technology, and, with the

increasing presence of the Internet and computers, the term

technophobe has appeared to refer to those of us who might

5 be wary of these new developments. More recently, the term

digital native has been invented to refer to someone who

grows up using technology, and who therefore feels

comfortable and confident with it – typically today’s children.

Their parents, on the other hand, tend to be digital

10 immigrants, who have come late to the world of technology, if

at all. In many cases, teachers are the digital immigrants and

our younger students are the digital natives.

What about you? How confident do you feel about using

the Internet and computers? Although there is a tendency to

15 call computer users either technophobes or technogeeks (a

term for a technology enthusiast), the truth is that most of us

probably fall somewhere between the two extremes.

Technology and young learners

Modern technologies are very powerful because they rely

20 on one of the most powerful genetic biases we have — the

preference for visually presented information. Television,

movies, videos, and most computer programs are very visually

oriented and therefore attract and maintain the attention of

young children.

25 The problem with this is that many of the modern

technologies are very passive. Because of this they do not

provide children with the quality and quantity of crucial

emotional, social, cognitive, or physical experiences they

require when they are young.

30 On the other hand, there are many positive qualities to

modern technologies. The technologies that benefit young

children the greatest are those that are interactive and allow

the child to develop their curiosity, problem solving and

independent thinking skills.

35 Computers allow interaction. Children can control the pace

and activity and make things happen on computers. They can

also repeat an activity again and again if they choose.

In practice, computers supplement and do not replace highly

valued early childhood activities and materials, such as art,

40 blocks, sand, water, books, exploration with writing materials,

and dramatic play. Research indicates that computers can be

used in developmentally appropriate ways beneficial to

children and also can be misused, just as any tool can.

Developmentally appropriate software offers opportunities for

45 collaborative play, learning, and creation. Educators must use

professional judgment in evaluating and using this learning tool

appropriately, applying the same criteria they would to any

other learning tool or experience.

Char Soucy (a primary school teacher) mentions: "Reading

50 books, handling real books, learning to take care of books,

turning pages, and interacting with human beings about

literature are still vital for learning to read." There are

electronic books, but they are really not the same thing as real

books. There must be a balance between the two. Computers

55 are highly motivating to today's students, who come to school

with plenty of visual stimulation from TV, video games, and

other technological sources, but it is not a good idea to go all

electronic or to let technology replace what teachers have

done for a long time with learning how to read or write.

(Retrieved and adapted from http://pearsonclassroomlink.com /articles/0711/0711_0102.htm on June 10th, 2014)