The Outstanding Developmental Software and Web Sites for 2001

Abstract

This article focuses on the best developmentally apputers is more important than if they use them at all. propriate software and web sites that have been pubComputers can have a significant impact on learning lished during the past year. Publishers from across the when children use developmental software. In contrast, United States were invited to participate in the yearly when children use nondevelopmental software comput- developmental software awards. They sent as many ers have no positive impact on learning and appear to products as they desired and then the review process cause significant losses in children’s creativity (Haug- began. The software and web sites were evaluated using land, 1992). the Haugland Developmental Software Scale (1999) and During the past year a controversial study was pub- the Haugland/Gerzog Developmental Scale for Web lished by the Alliance for Childhood (2000) entitled, Sites (1999). All software and web sites that score 7 Fool’s Gold: A Critical Look at Children and Comput- and above are considered developmentally appropriate. ers. The study focused on the negative impact technol- Software and web sites that scored 7 and above on a ogy can have on young children. All of the dangers cited scale of 10 were field-tested in classrooms and homes. in the study are true, if computers are used in develop- Teachers completed a 1-page questionnaire providing mentally inappropriate ways with young children. The feedback on how children responded to the products. study emphasizes to all of us the importance of using Scores were adjusted based on field-testing. Awards computers in developmentally appropriate ways. were then selected for the software in two age groups, What makes computer experiences developmen- 3–7 and 8–12, and in seven curricular areas. Children’s tally appropriate? The most important factor is the soft- web sites were selected for four categories. Descriptions ware and web sites children utilize. Developmentally ap- of the 2001 Developmental Software and Web Sitepropriate software and web sites facilitate children’s Awards follow. learning and growth in diverse areas. Children are active learners, discoverers of knowledge. Children have opportunities to build knowledge and skills. The computer DEVELOPMENTAL SOFTWARE AWARDS AGES 3–8 serves as a scaffold assisting children to accomplish a skill or task and then allowing the children to become more and more independent and proficient. Develop- Creativity mentally appropriate computer experiences allow chil- Bear’s Imagine That (see Fig. 1) dren to have the opportunities to explore, experiment, and reflect on their experiences and collaborate with