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Learning 2 Count

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Some researchers believe that learning begins while the fetus is still in the womb. Playing music or reading to an unborn child is believed to stimulate brain development in the earliest stages of life. Once the child is born, the race is on to not only provide objects and toys that stimulate learning but also to place those tools into a context that allows the infant to “construct” understanding of the world around them. The challenge is the early introduction of basic and fundamental learning concepts beginning from infancy onward to young adulthood.

ABC’s of Learning
Disney’s Baby Einstein and Your Baby Can Read learning products seek to do just that. A collection of DVDs and flash cards make claims of increased intellectual abilities as a result of exposure to and experience with them. Exposure is a key ingredient of the success of these products, so active participation by an engaged parent is fundamental to any achievements made by the child.

Other learning products like Leapfrog and VTech are interactive and geared for children up to 18 years old. They operate via handheld video consoles. They too have wonderful developmental and teaching attributes that again are most successful when the parent supervises the child’s interaction with the device, especially younger children.

The forerunners of these high-tech learning gadgets were the PBS television shows Sesame Street, Between the Lions and the Electric Company. Millions of children grew up – learning to count and read – watching these free TV shows. As our society becomes more and more technologically-driven, increasingly parents are bombarded with high-tech and costly options for accelerating early childhood development and education. Buying decisions can be confusing unless you know some basic facts.

123’s of Discerning
There are two main categories for children’s learning products that you should be aware of as a consumer – they are Edutainment and Entertainment.

Edutainment products are designed with a focus on education. There are specific educational goals to be achieved (reading, math, critical thinking) with the product and its instruction is presented in an entertaining manner. The PBS television shows fall into the “edutainment” arena. These shows seek to educate using US Department of Education sanctioned, research-based practices which they present in an entertaining way. Millions of children have been excited by and self-taught through these passively presented TV series by singing along to “Conjunction Junction”.

Entertainment on the other hand, is just that, designed for entertaining. While there may be educational content sprinkled in to support a storyline or add interesting filler, the goal is not to educate but to merely entertain. An example of this is a video game like Sid Meier’s Civilization. This popular game which uses history as its basis does impart certain historical information during play and has even been used by corporate America to teach business management practices, but it was not designed for that. At its core, it’s a game, created to be fun and entertaining.

Likewise there are many television programs that seem to have some educational benefit but have actually been created solely to fill the idle time of young TV viewers. Parents must be careful to discern what’s providing quality learning versus the quasi-learning that characterizes most popular kids TV shows and trendy techno-video games.

The costs of techno-toys like Nintendo’s Wii, Sony’s PlayStation, and Microsoft’s Xbox approach $400 just for the video player. With game software accessories costing on average $18 each, parents should weigh the value of these devices for their ability to teach as well as entertain. Entertainment alone does not and should not share the same value quotient as education.

As parents, we must do all that we can to insure our children get the best education early. The head start propels them through their primary and secondary school years whether a baby Einstein or just a good scholar. By doing so, you set up a pattern that directs them toward a lifelong love of learning.

As consumers, we can purchase products that facilitate childhood learning but they are useless if we neglect our role as Facilitator. The education of our children starts with us and it starts early. High tech gadgetry, popular children’s shows and even kid cable TV channels can be wonderful resources. But they should not be so relied upon that parents lose their sense of discretion, or neglect their role as instigator and guardian of their child’s education – whatever the source.

Edward A. Hill, Jr. is an education and technology specialist and media content developer. He is currently the Ohio Director for the MATRIX Learning project where he explores innovative technology uses. Contact - gehill50@gmail.com

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