Guidelines for Using Software:

v Accompany the child as he or she explores the program, letting the child take the lead. Take time out (stop the program briefly if necessary) to talk about it. Ask the child to tell you what is happening and why certain things occur.

v If your child is responding impulsively, remove the mouse (or move him away from the touch screen) and help him explain his thinking.

v Help your child think visually; use pencil and paper to draw the spatial layout of complex programs: maps, charts, diagrams, hand-drawn pictures may help clarify context. Ask a child using a computer drawing program to tell you about the picture before she draws it. Similarly, suggest that the student using a story-writing program briefly summarize the story and describe or draw the picture before going to the computer. This encourages planning, imagination, and imagery, but it also takes more mental effort, so don’t be surprised if your child prefers the ease of selecting rather than generating ideas. (If the child needs the visual stimulation of pictures, you could start with family photos or magazine illustrations.)

v Ask the child to give a critical appraisal of the software’s value. Call attention to criteria for judging the quality of a program. Help children become selective consumers.

v Emphasize “mastery goals” (“You tried hard, you learned something, and you finally did it!”) rather than reward-driven goals (“Let’s see how many you can shoot today.”)

v Ask yourself: What is being learned? What mental habits are being encouraged? Could this same goal be met as well or better with a real-life experience? If so, you may want to go for reality, not the virtual stuff (Healy, 1998, pp, 54-55).

Add at least two others to the class discussion list.