Computer Literacy:

Let’s face it: Our children need computer skills to succeed in life. Starting to use the computer at a young age can be very positive. However, as with all technology — from television, to DVD watching, to video games — a healthy dose of parental involvement and supervision is critical.

Is there an age at which it is too young to start your child on the road to acquiring computer skills?

The answer really depends on three other questions: • What can be gained by computer use? • What might your child miss out on if over-exposed to computer use? • And, when are you — the parent — ready to take on the responsibility of monitoring and supervising computer use?

What do children need to know?

Clearly, learning to use a computer is an important skill in its own right. It presents the opportunity for a child to work independently. It also can be a tool for reinforcing basic skills — to a point. If your child needs to practice spelling, math problems or other skills, there are excellent programs that make these drills fun. But if he has not yet mastered a concept, it won’t be the computer, but the teacher, who teaches the fundamental lesson.

Initially, you’ll want your child to develop a level of comfort with technology. An understanding of how the mouse and keys work is the first level of learning. As your child becomes comfortable writing on paper, word processing skills become an important next step.

As your toddler acquires the dexterity to manipulate the mouse and the keyboard, you can consider introducing age-appropriate software. Young children love repetition, a need that computers are happy to fulfill, and this offers them a sense of mastery. Sit with your toddler just as you would sit with her as she plays with blocks or puzzles. The computer is an appropriate and important learning and teaching tool, but it cannot replace human interaction.

By the time your child gets to high school, she should be a technologically literate teen, having mastered using the computer and Internet for research, and having gained an understanding of how to select keywords from a search engine for meaningful results. Your high school student should be able to assemble information, transcribe the information to note cards, and write a cohesive research paper. But the computer can’t and ought not to replace brainstorming, writing, drafting or even editing of a paper. In the end, it is only a tool for facilitating the process.

Watch out for computer addiction

Computer use can be habit forming. Our children don’t need daily doses of computer use — though my teenager would like me to believe otherwise. To assess if your child is over-exposed to the computer, ask yourself these questions: