Six Pittsburgh Schools’ Teachers Honored for the benefit of Greatness

Each year teachers across the state of Pennsylvania be undergoing the gamble a accidentally to win scholastic grants. Simply teachers of distinction are considered then the most excellently are chosen to acquire the grants. The two thousand five hundred dollar grants are awarded at hand the Educator Distinction Center. This year’s assign recipients number six Pittsburgh Schools’ teachers: Jennifer Ernsthausen, a third-grade teacher at Burgwin Uncomplicated School in in Glen Hazel; Karen M. Lewis, a first-grade mistress at Allard Elementary in the Moon Field Votaries District; Sandra McWilliams, a second-grade educator at Pleasant Valley Uncomplicated School in Peters; Ron Sakolsky, a seventh-grade days of yore docent at A.E. Oblock Secondary Strong Alma mater in Catch; George Savarese, a 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade yesteryear don at Mt. Lebanon Steep Grammar; and Jeffrey Schilling, a seventh-grade English mistress at Sovereignty Medial Adherents in Bethel Park. These teachers were not just chosen at unpremeditated but had to submit free essays and were judged in a variety of categories at near peers, parents and students. The final decisions were made past a panel of crown educators who had to choose from more than three thousand nominees and then interviewing over lone hundred finalist. In addition to the $2,500 furnish, each teacher was awarded a meadow misstep notwithstanding their classes to the Carnegie Subject Center, the Pittsburgh Madhouse & PPG Aquarium or the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center.

Ten Pittsburgh Schools’ Teachers Gain Federal Certification

In the teaching specialty the highest teaching certification that a professor can hold is that of National Board in the interest Masterly Teaching Standards Certification. This is a much more rigorous method than that of state certification. Ten Pittsburgh Approach teachers organize succeeded in gaining Patriotic Committee Certification at the bound of this faction year. Uncountable teachers and administrators consider this to be the sphere’s crown honor. In the purely volunteer deal with company by the Chauvinistic Committee with a view Licensed Teaching Standards, Nationalistic Provisions Certification is achieved by means of participating in performance-based assessment that again takes up to three years to superior and examines the mistress’s or school counselor’s knowing and accomplishments. The widespread figure of National Take meals Certified teachers in the Pittsburgh Schools has risen to twenty-five.

Pittsburgh Women’s Servicing Cudgel Announces Scholarships

The Zonta Stick of Pittsburgh, a adept women’s
assignment structure, in assistance with Pittsburgh Schools inclination furnish thirteen female students with scholarships. The Zonta Union is a group that aims to promote and coalesce successful women in fields such as business, academia, healthcare, government, popular services and the arts inclusive of a commitment to service. The Pittsburgh chapter was chartered in 1934. Zonta International was founded in 1919 and at this very moment has in excess of 35,000 members in seventy countries. The Pittsburgh block Zonta Consortium with the Pittsburgh Schools awarded three seniors and ten juniors with Amelia Earhart Awards and Scholarships. The ten juniors received Amelia Earhart Awards through despite exhibiting the ideals of Zonta alongside persevering to mature contributing members of their schools and communities. Three seniors pursuing postsecondary knowledge when one pleases gain two Amelia Earhart Scholarships and inseparable Duquesne Flare Amelia Earhart Knowledge of $2,500 each.

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Induction into an Ivy Fraternity public school, or equally competitive college, is a sublime goal. It requires years of fixedness from both parents and students. These high-powered, significant institutions receive thousands of applications each year notwithstanding reject more than 85 percent of candidates. While there is no modus operandi for gaining identical of the coveted places, there are a calculate of strategies, techniques, and hints that give applicants an edge.

Students determined to get into a competitive college must begin their preparation understandably preceding their higher- ranking year of lofty school. Fitting for example, peak powered schools look on students that secure completed four years of math, realm, and jargon courses. They expect applicants to preserve straight A’s while irresistible the most difficult definitely fill their junior high school has to offer. Students who embark on above and beyond academically by acing end-of-year Advanced Placement (AP) tests not exclusive gather college credits but favor with acknowledging boards as well.

All college-bound students are required to think the SAT I and II and submit the results to their selected schools. To whatever manner, those applying to Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Brown, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Dartmouth, Yale, and the like should wish in place of higher than 1400 on the SATs to halt competitive. There are a discrepancy of investigation preparation classes and materials available in bookstores and on the Net to streamline the studying process – a get ready that should rip off class proficiently before the end of a schoolgirl’s chief year.

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The formal appeal method takes luck out a fitting during chief year and requires a large stock of planning and forethought. Applications be obliged be filled out completely and describe the applicant as a unimpaired himself, not perfectly as an athlete or a top banana student. Commemorate, top-tier colleges after the most wonderfully rounded individuals. Students should stock up letters of recommendation and make up a disparaging free essay that illustrates their capacity to finger the hard pace of Ivy Alliance individual while augmenting campus variety.

If a observer is indeed counting on their key flower votaries, they are encouraged to administer through beginning fight or antique decision programs. These programs require the industriousness to be sent in months in ahead of time and consequence in a much higher share of acceptance. Some programs guarantee that students may solely apply to everybody school auspices of the program and make a entrust, while others are not as binding. Research is critical, as each alma mater has a another policy.

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There is a lot of discussion in the news and especially in school districts across the nation about per student spending rates. As noted in the Business Journal of Phoenix, these rates have doubled over the past 30 years, yet test scores and graduation rates have remained the same.

The Phoenix schools would not know what doubling the per student spending rate might do for the achievement of their students. They, along with the rest of the state’s schools, rank 49th in per student spending &ndash next to the bottom! This is according to the Quality Counts 2004 study by Education Week.

Currently, the Arizona legislators have the opportunity to correct this grossly unjust oversight but are still in debate. The state has a $1.2 billion budget surplus to spend. The Phoenix schools and the other schools in Arizona are in dire need of this money, which is a nationally known fact. The state is becoming a laughing stock over its neglected educational system. Yet, those in the State Capitol are debating between using the surplus for education funding, in support of biosciences, or property tax cuts. All areas are important to the state and in need of funding relief; however, as in the Phoenix schools, if you do not graduate students prepared for college and the workplace, the state’s economy will suffer in the future.

Business groups see education in the Phoenix schools as top priority. They know that to survive in business today, and especially tomorrow, it takes qualified job candidates with college degrees and the skills to succeed. Otherwise, the businesses will not succeed. Historically in such situations, businesses eventually relocate to areas that graduate higher-skilled high school graduates, knowing that many will return to the area after college. Currently, Phoenix schools, along with the remainder of the state, are consistently ranked at the bottom nationally for the number of students who graduate from high school. Is it any wonder that businesses are concerned.

Many parents seek alternatives to the Phoenix schools, unhappy with the school system. Many home school their children. Some move to specific areas in order to enroll their children into better schools. For those parents who can afford it, their children attend private schools. The majority, however, are stuck in the Phoenix schools, because they cannot afford to do otherwise.

The legislature will definitely increase spending for education this year for K-12, of which the Phoenix schools will receive their portion. With all the attention on per student spending, how can they do otherwise? Yet, will the allocated increase be enough? Without quality education in the Phoenix schools, many of the youth of Phoenix will be destined to low-wage, dead-end jobs with little opportunity to succeed. Very few will even consider college, let alone fulfilling such a dream.

On November 8th, the voters of who live in the Los Angeles schools district will be faced with their fourth proposition, called Measure Y. The $3.985 bond measure, which will be paid by property taxes, is for more planned expansion within the Los Angeles schools, allowing them to add another 25 elementary schools to the current list of 160 schools that are scheduled to be constructed by year 2012. Some of the money also is slated for other needs, such as new school buses, repairs and charter schools.

The other three bond measures were passed for Los Angeles schools new construction and repairs that were long overdue. Classrooms were literally falling apart, and classes were excessively overcrowded with year-round schedules for many schools. The previously passed measures underwrote the current 160 schools on the list for construction.

Many people, however, are asking if this fourth measure is truly needed. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, the traditional Los Angeles schools are slowly but steadily losing students from their rolls. Since the 2002-2003 school year, the traditional Los Angeles schools have lost 4,471 students. According to Los Angeles schools officials, they expect another 4,304 to be dropped this year. There are several reasons for these drops in enrollment.

First, one in every 20 students is choosing to attend a charter or private school, rather than attend traditional Los Angeles schools. The 88 charter schools within the state now enroll about three percent (about 200,000) of the public school students. About 35,000 of these students attend charter schools within the Los Angeles schools. The number of charter schools within the state continues to increase, with another 20 new charter schools planned for this fall.

The California Charter Schools Association predicts that ten percent of public school students within the state will attend charter schools by the year 2014, with perhaps an even higher percentage in the Los Angeles schools area. They cite that the number of charter schools would need to triple in order to accommodate all of the students currently on waiting lists. With the smaller size and flexibility of charter schools, they can be created and implemented in a very short time, as compared to the large, traditional Los Angeles schools that take years to construct.

The second reason for the drastic drop in enrollment at the Los Angeles schools is birth and lifestyle trends:

• Los Angeles County statistics have shown that hundreds of fewer babies are being born in the county each year. The trend is expected to continue through to the end of the decade.

• Upper income singles and couples with few children have replaced neighborhoods that were once inhabited by large immigrant families. With the rising housing prices in the Los Angeles schools area, most young families or families with many children can no longer afford to live there, opting to move to areas with lower costs of living.

• Additionally, according to researchers at the Public Policy Institute of California, another trend is smaller immigrant families. In their 2002 report, they show that after the first generation, immigrant families successively have smaller families.

Glenn Gritzner, special assistant to the Los Angeles schools, says that the Los Angeles schools have taken the changes in demographics into consideration, but they are not critical enough to change the school building plans. Gritzner states that, if school plans and trends/statistics remain on course through 2012, there still will be 200,000 Los Angeles schools students in portable classrooms and plenty of overcrowded Los Angeles schools remaining. Plus, trends are only current patterns that are subject to change. Measure Y definitely is warranted.

Technology is revolutionizing the way Americans communicate and conduct business; yet, it has been slow to really take foot in our schools’ curriculums. Up until recently, technology has been introduced to students as an elective versus a complete integration and redefining of the way students are taught. The fact of the matter is, today, children are growing up in a world much different from what their parents and grandparents experienced. It is a world of computers, software, and wireless access to information on-the-fly. It is a world that requires a different set of skills to succeed; thus, it may be worth your while to investigate the role technology plays in your child’s schooling.

Studies show that the use of technology in the classroom is highly beneficial to students and teachers. Not only does it prepare students for the “real world,” it improves many skills that might not otherwise be fully cultivated. Because technology is so highly valued in America, students that become familiar and quite good at using it feel a sense of accomplishment, which improves self-esteem. When using technology, students are more likely to share their experiences with other students, promoting peer-to-peer tutoring and reducing the pressure teachers feel when being the only source of student assistance. In addition, students learn that there are numerous ways to solve problems and identify with how what they are learning actually applies to life outside of school.

Of course schools are limited by time and money, making it difficult to introduce anything new, especially expensive technologies that need constant maintenance and upgrades. However, if schools look at their overall program and revaluate how to accomplish the same tasks while utilizing technology, there may be more room to maneuver than originally thought. A parent’s best bet is to figure out how open the school is to change and how actively they are perusing these changes. Thus, when the opportunities arise to incorporate technology, the school will be more likely to embrace them.

Following are a list of questions that may be helpful in evaluating the technology initiatives at your child’s school:

• Is the use of technology in the classroom a school policy or an individual decision made by the teacher?

• What computer and technology skills are teachers expected to know?

• Are teachers provided training on popular and new technologies on a regular basis?

• What type of projects will my child be required to complete that promote the use of technology?

• Does the school have a computer lab or does each class have a single computer students are expected to share?

• What precautions are taken to ensure student safety when surfing the Web?

While it is important for schools to have an open mind about the use of technology in the classroom, parents need to support the efforts made by the school. Ask your child’s teacher and principal about the roadblocks and challenges they face in implementing the changes that would encourage the use of technology. There may be some things you can do on your end to spread up the process, be it educating other parents on the issue, donating money, or expressing your concerns to the school superintendent. Whatever you do, stay realistic about your expectations and keep the lines of communication open.

Acknowledgements

teacher.scholastic.com/professional/bruceperry/using_technology.htm

.ed.gov/pubs/EdReformStudies/EdTech/reasons.html

All states across the United States require standards that must be met in different subjects by specific grades, especially in reading and math. End of year testing is required for specific grades to ensure schools and students are meeting these standards.

The concern is that states, including the Arizona schools, are trying to teach everything at once to students, with teachers losing the ability to teach the important math concepts in depth. Otherwise, students are learning a little about everything (just enough to pass state tests) but not enough to actually use in the real world.

Many educators in the Arizona schools are concerned that they are being forced to teach for testing, rather than real in-depth learning that is needed in higher grades and college.

For example, the Arizona schools require second graders to know 77 math concepts by the end of that grade. That is a lot of concepts, and teachers are given no guidance from the Arizona schools on which concepts are the most important. That means that equal importance is given to all, and all must be sufficiently taught. In order to do this, Arizona schools would need to create mandatory day-by-day lesson plans, which they have not done.

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is a highly influential organization, whose recommendations are followed by most educators. Almost all math textbooks for kindergarten through eighth grade reference the council, also aligning with their recommendations.

In a report released in September, the council agrees with many Arizona schools educators that the state is trying to cover too much within one year, noting that some states require even more.

Council Executive Director Jim Rubillo points out that too many mandatory math concepts taught means very little in-depth learning by the students. They may be able to pass a test at the end of the year, but it is doubtful that many students will carry the concepts into higher learning without the repetition and in-depth instruction required. Too many concepts to teach leaves no time for in-depth instruction.

The council also released new recommendations for curriculum focal points. The recommendations narrow the focus to just three math concepts at each grade level with all instruction for each grade built around them. The council hopes states will enter into a discussion on this issue and consider their recommendations.

The Arizona schools begin revision of their math standards next spring and are considering the council’s recommendations, according to Mary Knuck, state director of standards for the Arizona schools. If the Arizona schools follow the council’s recommendations, it would mean a major overhaul of their current standards and testing methods.

The real challenge for Arizona schools teachers currently is not the vast array of standards that must be taught; however, the real challenge is to teach math for both real world applications and standardized testing. It must make sense in the real world, or it is wasted. Yet, Arizona schools students must be able to have instant recall in order to answer state test questions correctly. Hopefully, the council and the Arizona schools can together make more sense of the crucial math standards for the Arizona schools.

As the San Diego schools graduating class of 2007 begin their senior year, school district superintendents across San Diego County are celebrating. The San Diego County Schools announced in September that, as of the class of 2006, the gap in passing the crucial math portion of the state exit exam is nearly closed between black/Latino and white/Asian students.

The county school report represented three years worth of student testing. The results break a long-standing pattern of lagging scores for black and Latino students.

Across the nation, as well as in the San Diego schools, gaps have long been evident between races in many academic measures, such as SAT scores, dropout rates, and college prep course enrollment.

There are many theories as to why the gap exists. Some believe high-achieving minority students are condemned by their peers as “acting white”, while others believe that racism is built into the institution to discourage minorities from enrolling in rigorous courses. It is even believed that predominantly low-income, minority schools generally employ inexperienced or uncredentialed teachers.

Whatever the problem, it seems the San Diego schools and other districts in the county are resolving it. About three years ago, 42 school district superintendents, including the San Diego schools, pledged to help black and Latino students bring their math skills up to par. The Superintendents’ Achievement Gap Task Force closed the gap by using teacher training, prep courses, increased teaching time for struggling students, and a symposia for county educators to share techniques and results. A variety of methods were employed to ensure students had every opportunity to succeed.

By class of 2006 graduation day, 92.3 percent of blacks and Latinos had passed the test, and 98.5 percent of whites and Asians had passed. When the class of 2006 first took the exam two years ago, 65 percent of blacks and Latinos passed the math portion, with 90 percent of whites and Asians passing it.

The math portion of the California High School Exit Exam covers middle school math and some algebra. A score of at least 55 percent must be achieved to pass the exam. Students first take the exam in their sophomore year and have numerous chances in their junior and senior years to retake the exam. The test was first administered in 2001, but the requirement to pass or not receive a high school diploma was implemented with the class of 2006.

Passing the math portion is of particular concern to the San Diego schools, where 43 percent of its students fall into this lagging behind category. Latino children represent its largest racial or ethnic group.

San Diego schools Superintendent Carl Cohn pointed out the importance of this test. He said it means the difference between a lifetime of unemployment and/or incarceration and a successful lifestyle for San Diego schools students. “It makes all the difference in the world,” stated Cohn. “The test is genuinely high stakes.”

The National Center for Education Statistics underscores the San Diego schools superintendent’s remarks. It reports that, if a student enrolls in algebra in the eighth grade, the chances that student will apply to a four-year college almost doubles.

With all the good results for the county’s class of 2006, 1,207 students were denied diplomas, because they did not pass the math portion of the exit exam. Thus, for the San Diego schools, a gap is still a gap. San Diego schools officials acknowledge that more work needs to be done to bring blacks and Latinos’ pass rates up within the San Diego schools.

Admission into an Ivy League school, or equally competitive college, is a lofty goal. It requires years of dedication from both parents and students. These high-powered, historic institutions receive thousands of applications each year yet reject more than 85 percent of candidates. While there is no formula for gaining one of the coveted places, there are a number of strategies, techniques, and hints that give applicants an edge.

Students determined to get into a competitive college must begin their preparation well before their senior year of high school. For example, high powered schools look for students that have completed four years of math, science, and language courses. They expect applicants to maintain straight A’s while taking the most difficult course load their school has to offer. Students who go above and beyond academically by acing end-of-year Advanced Placement (AP) tests not only gain college credits but favor with admission boards as well.

All college-bound students are required to take the SAT I and II and submit the results to their selected schools. However, those applying to Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Brown, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton, Dartmouth, Yale, and the like should aim for higher than 1400 on the SATs to stay competitive. There are a variety of test preparation classes and materials available in bookstores and on the Web to streamline the studying process &ndash a process that should take place well before the end of a student’s senior year.

Because top-flight universities strive to create an atmosphere of diversity on their campuses, they are interested in students that are academically gifted but mature, confident, and motivated as well. They review applicants’ extra-curricular pursuits, particularly those that showcase a unique ability or leadership position. These activities set applicants apart from the crowd and are not necessarily limited to school sponsored sports. Initiating a food drive, becoming class president, or getting a part-time job can go a long way in illustrating strong ethics, enthusiasm, and perseverance.

The formal application process takes place during senior year and requires a great deal of planning and forethought. Applications must be filled out completely and define the applicant as a whole person, not just as an athlete or a star student. Remember, top-tier colleges want the most well rounded individuals. Students should provide letters of recommendation and write a personal essay that illustrates their ability to handle the strenuous pace of Ivy League life while augmenting campus variety.

If a student is really counting on their first choice school, they are encouraged to apply through early action or early decision programs. These programs require the application to be sent in months in advance and result in a much higher percentage of acceptance. Some programs stipulate that students may only apply to one school through the program and require a deposit, while others are not as binding. Research is crucial, as each school has a different policy.

Whatever you do, don’t assume that an Ivy League education is out of reach. Often, high school seniors are discouraged by the overwhelming number of students that don’t get the opportunity to walk the hallowed halls of Harvard; but, admissions committee members are quick to remind students that they stand no chance of admittance unless they try. You never know what an Ivy League school is looking for. It may just be you.

2 years, 3 years, 6, 8, 12, 15, never, when do we start the process of introducing children to computers? Educators, parents, even gray-haired and learned professors cannot agree. The second question that then arises is whether computer based content positively or negatively affects the learning process. I can hear the screams of protest and support in full interactive, multi-media, broadband enhanced detail even as I write. Meanwhile millions of dollars are being spent to bring computers and the Internet to elementary schools around the globe. The only area all agree on, well maybe, is that all students should be taught how to use computers and the Internet eventually. As all will need an understanding of technology to enjoy the products of technology and in many cases within the future work environment. In this article I will try to summarize some of the arguments for and against technology in early education and finally to make a synopsis of how I believe we should address this vital issue. Firstly lets take a look at the arguments for early introduction.

Pros

Future Needs: The use of computers and an understanding of how to use the Internet are already critical to modern society today in manifest directions. These include, the work environment, information gathering for work orpleasure, shopping, communications etc. and if true today, how much moretomorrow. The Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment predicts thatthe computer industry will continue to show the greatest growth of any industry in the USA. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), more than half of all workers used a computer on the job in September 2001. And nearly three-fourths of those workers connected to the Internet or used e-mail.

Early Skills Acquisition: As with all fundamental skills, the earlier the education system allows students to become familiar with technology the greater will be their depth of understanding and effectiveness in using it. It is immaterial to argue that skills acquired today by a five year old will not be relevant later in life because technology will develop beyond comprehension. This is because skills acquired can focus on an understanding of what computers can do rather than just how to interact with today’s computers. In addition, once the initial ground work has been obtained the potential for adaptation to a dynamic system can be incrementally updated in the same way as adults have to adapt to new technology.

Personalization: Computer based content allows a level of individual engagement and interactivity that comparative learning systems fail to deliver. By its nature learning with the computer is a one-on-one experience or at worst, small groups. This alleviates the paradigm of large classes with minimal personal intervention.

Learning Levels: Computers allow users to individualize their speed of attainment to suite their personal needs and capabilities. The speedy are not held back and those that need greater repetition are not passed over. Additionally special groupings can be more easily and effectively catered for.

Wide Distribution of Quality Teaching: Computer based learning allows the maximum effectiveness and distribution of the best quality teaching and content. A great teacher is not limited by the classroom but can reach out across the Internet to thousands either through building digital lessons or distance learning software and programs. Most distance learning systems today can be configured as live broadcasts with high levels of interactivity with the teacher. Now, here are the equally strong arguments against.

Con’s

Accessibility and Suitability: If an individual does not have access to a computer or does not understand the content through a language deficiency or cultural differences, they will be relegated to the digitally divided, 44 million at the last count just in the USA according to Professor Howard Besser, The Next Digital Divides.

Interfering with Natural Development: Young children should be utilizingtheir natural propensity for physically based activity rather than be ‘stuck’ infront of a computer. They already spend damaging amounts of time glued to televisions, as researchers have discovered, that impairs development. Our children, the Surgeon General warns, are the most sedentary generation ever.

Lack of Depth: Computer based content is a long way from offering the depth, flexibility and tried and tested results that a trained, dedicated and experienced teacher can offer children. In addition, the interaction with a sophisticated adult allows critical advanced vocabulary and personalization skills.

Quality of Content: Most digital content is overly simplistic in its structure. For example, a sum can only be wrong or right. The content will not explain to the student why the sum was wrong. A real teacher will mark a piece of work and offer the essential logic reasoning for the decision that will enable the student to gain a fundamental understanding of the system behind what constitutes correct/incorrect.

Health Hazards: Computers pose health hazards to children. The risks include repetitive stress injuries, eyestrain, obesity, social isolation, and, forsome, long-term physical, emotional, or intellectual developmental damage.

Safety: Children must be protected from the dangers of the Internet, stalkers, adult content, hate and violence. Filtering software is notoriously inefficient.

By no means am I attempting to articulate all the arguments or cover them inreal depth but just to raise some of the issues we all face. In my opinion both the Pros and Cons are very strong arguments all of which need serious consideration and answers.

Now to put this in to an importance perspective, digital technology is invading virtually every aspect of modern society and its impact is becoming fundamental to how we work, play and learn. Technology within education also has a huge role to play but its’ effectiveness and impact has not been studied in the depth and breadth that such a fundamental development requires.

In the work environment, mistakes in the use of technology are paid for inmonetary terms. How much less can we afford to make mistakes with introducing technology to our children, mistakes made here cost far more than damaged business, with education we are talking damaged lives. At the moment we just seem to be ‘throwing’ computers and the Internet at teachers and children, as I state above, without any real understanding of what we are actually doing to the children or should I call them ‘guinea pigs’.

The logic seems to be, at least on the governmental level, that we cannot afford for the coming generation not to be computer enabled, as this ability will be critical for a country to be economically competitive. In fact every country is being driven to ensure it’s digital competitiveness. At a governmental level this logic is difficult to fault but it is our job as educators and parents to ensure thatthe effectiveness of the headlong plunge is in the best interests of all the children.

My opinion is that large-scale research in to the issues needs to be carried out. Not on the scale of a few dozen subjects over weeks as many examples of current research do, but thousands or even tens of thousands of subjects over years.

These subjects need to be from 2 years to 8 years old. They need to bewidely dispersed geographically. Come from all levels of the social andattainment spectrum. In fact technology and the Internet is a perfect platform to carry out this type of research. I founded the Internet based Kindersite Project to enable researchers to accomplish this type of wide-scale program.

I believe that only significant research that studies thousands of subjectchildren over a long-term, years probably, will allow the educational community to really gain full and meaningful answers to the questions such as:

Does the early introduction of digital content positively or negatively affectyoung children?

What should be the parameters of the introduction (if any)?

What content types should be employed within the introductory process?

What constitutes ‘good’ or ‘bad’ content and why?

What parameters define ‘good’ or ‘bad’ content?

As a result of sustained and profound research, guidelines should be drawn. These guidelines should offer teachers and parents tried and tested parameters for the use of computers for their children at each age level. It should include areas such as; how long should a child use a computer over a period, maximum and minimum attainment levels to be expected for each age group based on set proficiency standards, how digital content should be integrated in to standard lesson plans in a similar way that other media isused.

Most importantly, set standards for educational content providers must be laid down that they must adhere to if they wish to produce educational content utilizable by educationalists.

In addition all young childrens’ content, educational or leisure should be labeled with its appropriateness for each age group. These standards should be defined by the research.

In conclusion, it is fairly obvious that computer based educational content is becoming a feature of schools, whether we like it or not. In the home we see increasing evidence that even the smallest children are gaining access to computers either with parents or through watching older siblings. It is unreasonable to expect to turn back the clock and bar children below a certain age from computers, this is unenforceable and ineffective.

It is our duty to ensure that clear usage standards are set, content guidelines are drawn and sites rated at a governmental level so that children, parents, caregivers and educators have a clear and safe basis for using computers and the Internet with their charges. Anything less is an abrogation of all our responsibility.