Chapter IV
Children HCl
This chapter explains the Human Computer Interaction or HCl. Its use in todays modern computer world. How people change views regarding the necessity of computer and the powerful contribution it brings to the nation building.
Now, more than ever, “computer proficiency” needs to become a top priority among nation’s parents, teachers, students, businesses and government agencies. Just as literacy has received national attention, computer proficiency, or computer literacy, needs to be addressed with similar high level and grassroots efforts. In fact, the two campaigns share many common platforms and, in the end, achieve many of the same goals. Computer literacy — a familiarity with the use and value that computers, software and related technologies can bring to our everyday lives — can provide individuals of all ages with new opportunities and open new worlds to them. Just as learning to read prepares people to work and live in the “real world,” learning to use a computer as a tool plays a similar role. Computers and software can also play a major role in improving the educational skills of youth and in preparing them for the next century. Work has just begun. With computers, software and people working together, the possibilities are infinite.
Computers offer children highly individualized learning experiences. Increases in student attendance, motivation and attention span have also been reported.” Computers can also be very accommodating — they can reach students at different study levels, any time of the day or night. Additionally, the sense of independence and accomplishment a computer offers children helps fuel their self-confidence. Relying on a computer as a tool may be one of the most effective ways to build both a child’s learning skills and self-esteem.
As children enter the workforce in the coming decades, they will undoubtedly discover that to continue to be effective in their jobs, they need to keep pace with the onslaught of new information. They will need to continue to learn and to take advantage of new technologies that allow them to learn and work more efficiently and productively. Learning does not end once school is over. Now, more than ever, people in the workforce are returning to school or taking courses that will help them learn to use computers and software to think and create in new ways and to access information that was once “out of reach.” Every effort should be made now to introduce children to computers because computers should be a learning, creativity and productivity tool for everyone.
On the economic side, computer equipment and the myriad of software programs beneficial to a child’s educational development cost real dollars. Remember, just fifteen years ago, there were no computers in the schools. Now, imagine if this year, every school in the country had to buy all new textbooks and all new desks and chairs for the more than 45 million students enrolled in elementary and secondary schools in the country. The cost of doing this would be astronomical — literally, out of control. That’s what schools are facing with purchasing computers and software. Slowly, schools are building an inventory of equipment and software and making sufficient quantities available to educators and students. This trend needs to continue if computer proficiency among our youth is to become a reality.
As part of a cross-departmental government review of provision for young children, Oliver et al (1998) reviewed research in the UK and other countries on the effectiveness of a variety of early interventions. The authors concluded that the most effective projects utilize children’s instinct for play and allow them to be physically active, and that this is effective because it increases a child’s receptivity for learning. They also suggest that building self-esteem is a key element in securing positive long-term outcomes for children and point out that some of the most effective early interventions involve parents in their child’s cognitive development, either at home or within a pre-school centre.
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