In the last half of the 20th century it was President Kennedy who took up the gauntlet of outlining a national directive focusing on science and technology. The course that the United States chartered then propelled America into the space age. No longer was man confined to this planet alone. We reached for the stars and did the impossible. We put a man on the moon, built the International Space Station, launched the Hubble Telescope which opened up the universe for all of mankind, and sent the Voyager on a never ending quest to "boldly go where no man has gone before." This all came about because a sitting President had the courage and took the leadership to lay the groundwork for the United States to act on a decisive plan of direction which open up so many windows of opportunity for millions of Americans. Some how for the past five decades the United States lost the exuberance that prevailed when President Kennedy pointed this country in a new direction. Sure, there h...
Are young children well suited to the use of technology? Modern technologies are very powerful because they rely on one of the most powerful genetic biases we do have - the preference for visually presented information. The human brain has a tremendous bias 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. When young children sit in front of television for hours, they fail to develop other perceptions. But 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. Technology plays a key role in all aspects of American life which will only increase in the future. As technology has become more easy to use, the usage of it by children has simultaneously increased. Early childhood educators have a responsibility to critically e...