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A fascinating introduction to the dramatic history of the ancient Greeks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

World Book - Ancient Greece
An interactive fact explorer of ancient Greece, book &accompanying CD. This is filled with puzzles, activities andgames.

Published by WorldBook - Encyclopedia - The series of interactive books & CDs is a slice of research for young minds, while having fun.

You will learn great facts, and may want to look up additional information on Ancient Greece in another encyclopedia, or other books on this topic.What a nice way to get young minds interested in new topics.

There are over one dozen topics included such as: Land & Climate, People, Food, Clothing, Mythology, Language & learning, Theater & writing - includes the Greek alphabet.Plus a handy glossary of key words. ... Read more

Product Description

* When should children start using computers?
* How should schools incorporate computer use into their curriculum?
* Which types of computer software programs should be avoided?
* Are children who don't have computers in class and at home doomed to fall behind their peers?

Few parents and educators stop to consider that computers, used incorrectly, may do far more harm than good to a child's growing brain and social/emotional development. In this comprehensive and practical guide to kids and computers, Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., author of the groundbreaking bestseller Endangered Minds, examines the advantages and drawbacks of computer use for kids at home and school, exploring its effects on their health, mental development, and creativity.

In addition, this timely and ey-opening book presents:

* Concrete examples of how to develop a technology plan and use computers successfully with children of different age groups as supplements to classroom curricula, as research tools, or in family projects
* Resources for reliable reviews of child-oriented software
* Questions parents should ask when their children are using computers in school
* Advice on how to manage computer use at homeAmazon.com Review
This important book is a welcome addition to the growing (andlong overdue) debate about how much of a good thing it is to mixcomputers and children.

Healy is a professional educator of wide experience, and a recoveringtechno-fundamentalist. She is scrupulously fair about the evidencepresented in various studies on the ways computers help or hinderlearning, and quick to offer positive anecdotes where there arepositive ones to be had. (She freely notes, for example, what amiracle computers have been for some handicapped children.) But herconclusions about the routine use of computer technology in theclassroom are overwhelmingly--and persuasively--negative.

A major theme of Failure to Connect is the federal government'sculpable idiocy (not her term, but she implies as much) in jumpinguncritically, to the tune of $4 billion a year, on the "computerin every classroom" bandwagon. As she shows, there is scantevidence that computers teach basic skills any better than traditionalmethods, or that children who don't have computers are somehow"left behind." Conversely, there is abundant evidence thatan uncritical infatuation with computers as an educational panacea isreplacing skill building and learning with formless play while forcingart and music lessons, and in some cases math textbooks, off manyschool budgets.

Healy writes lucidly, neatly balancing her discussion of the issueswith practical, undogmatic advice for parents and educators. A soberand sobering read about a crucial issue. --Richard Farr ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Still important twelve years after publication
I was twelve years late in hearing about Dr. Healy's FAILURE TO CONNECT, but ordered it immediately and read it, constantly thinking how an update would read now.If the hints at the effects of too much computer use to early in childhood were already present in 1998, certainly there is research now to confirm the concerns back then.But the book raises our awareness of how these electronic communicators can take over our lives, and while they are amazingly helpful, addiction and physical stress from over-use can be harmful.If young children are using computers at a time when their minds need to be learning from direct rather than virtual experience, their brains miss out on a developmental stage and are hampered later in life.That's scary! Parents and teachers can benefit from the lists of what to look for, what to avoid, how to set up computer desks for children and family use, what makes a good educational piece of software, etc.Dr. Healy writes in a conversational style that is highly readable and accessible.

Forced to buy this book for class.
The book came to me in good condition.That is the best thing I can say about it.

Failure to Connect - My Thoughts.
Failure to Connect is a book that discusses the implications of technology as it relates to the academic and social development of children.I believe this book raises some very important questions for both parents and educators when considering technological tools for children's use.This book poses tough questions that should be addressed to ensure that children are protected and correctly guided while using a computer.Dr. Healy expresses concern that too little time has been spent studying the effects of educational technology, which consequently, can cause greater harm than good.

Dr. Healy addresses the misconception that computers and educational software is the "key to successful student achievement".After countless hours in classrooms observing and talking to teachers and students, Dr. Healy suggests that perhaps many parents and educators "want to believe that technology is the `magic bullet' that will take care of problems in our education system that previously failed to be addressed" (p. 18).Consequently, she believes too much emphasis is placed on technology, taking away from the development of basic reading, math and problem solving skills.

The underlying question that surfaces throughout this book is "do computers and technology truly improve student learning and achievement?"According to the author, there is little evidence to support the use of technology as a necessity or benefit to student success (pp. 105-106).The author goes on to suggest that students, especially younger students, should be carefully monitored and limited in their computer use (p. 110).In her research, Dr. Healy found that students who spent large quantities of time on the computer: (1) did little work of educational value, (2)interacted minimally with others,and (3) reduced their attention, listening and problem solving skills (p. 40).Dr. Healy offers parents and educators guidelines to use that address the potentially damaging effect of prolonged computer use by children (p. 66).

Many of the questions about technology and learning, which parents and educators may not have contemplated, are addressed in this book.The examples provided by the author are relevant and provide insights and perspectives of parents, teachers and students.The author's passion and support for teaching and learning is evident as she encourages adults to attend to the intellectual and social needs of children as opposed to allowing technology to take over this role.

Dr. Healy provides a thorough, thought-provoking review of technology and its impact on learning.It is evident that more research is necessary in this field to establish best practices and standards for the use of technology for academic purposes.Based on this valuable information, the school community will likely have a different perspective of technology use in education.I strongly recommend this book to any parent or educator who wants to learn more about the implications of technology and the academic and social development of children.

educational
Great book.Very counter-culteral.Computers are attractive because they mean children need less one-on-one, and because companies can make money off of them.Healy tackles the important question, are they good for children?

Yes, it would be good if there were more research.As Healy points out, there is not much profit motivation in showing computers do not help children.

Failure to Connect - Failure to Explain
All right, all right.I get the point."Computers are bad.They keep our children from learning.Yet adults keep buying them.Therefore adults are stupid."I've read almost this entire book and I am really getting the feeling that Healy is beating a dead horse - she keeps pushing the same points over and over.Her arguments have some credibility, and her examples are generally valid.However, as critical readers we need to examine her basic premises for validity.I think that her basic premises are over-stated and somewhat simplistic.

Although she wavers a bit, the basic premise of "Failure to Connect" is a genuine concern that computers have become an integral part of children's education without regard for their usefulness, educational value, or potential harm to children.These are real concerns.However she addresses these concerns anecdotally, rather than citing real vigorous research.This book is mainly a string of stories of her visits to this school and that school (lots of tax-deductible traveling - even to Hawaii!) with stories of little Susie or Brandon not learning from a computer, while clueless teachers, administrators, and parents hover nearby.Any effective software, or research showing benefits of computer-aided learning, is dismissed as "from the software companies".However, I had a tough time finding many references to valid academic research.

Also, over and over computers are blamed for not only preventing learning, but physically damaging our children.For example, in Chapter 4 "Computers and Our Children's Health" she bemoans the physical damage computers do to our children, while longing for the good old days of book-learning.However, couldn't the same arguments be made that reading books physically damages our children?Our bodies and minds have evolved to make us efficient hunters-gatherers.In nature, we focus most of our sight and energy to distant objects, hunting with an intense focus to any subtle sounds, smells, and sights that might show food or an enemy.However, with the introduction of reading and books children spend time alone (social deprivation) in quiet (deafness) artificially lighted rooms (blindness) huddled over (weakness) a book crammed against their faces.That is why so many children have poor vision, bad hearing, and are fat and weak.C'mon! Dr. Healy!Change is not necessarily bad.Humans are marvelous creatures who can ADAPT to change.And Adapt we will, because whether you like it or not computers are here to stay!

Here is another interesting thought.Take every argument, every horror story, and every warning in this book and transport it all back fifty years.Also, instead of "computers" substitute "slide rules".You will come to the conclusion that introducing slide rules into schools will prevent any real learning, while turning our children into mindless anti-social creatures.

However, I see some value to this book.As Educators who specialize in Information Technology, we MUST look at all innovations, technologies, software and hardware with a critical eye.We cannot accept ANY Educational Technology product at face value.We MUST look at a Product long and hard to determine if it has real educational value for our children, to see if it actually aids education, to see if it has any deleterious effect on these young and growing children, to determine if it is appealing to our vanity or a desire to take "the easy way out" of the difficult work of education, and to ascertain if it is money well spent.On this, I agree with Dr. Healy and her book "Failure to Connect".

(Forgive the tone of this piece.Reading this book - which its flabby lack of intellectual rigor - is making me cranky.) ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual, published by Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) on January 1, 2002. The length of the article is 7573 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Online assistants in children's hypermedia software.
Author: Penny Ann Garcia
Publication: Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2002
Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)
Page: 103(19)

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual, published by Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) on January 1, 1999. The length of the article is 3647 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The State of Children's Software Evaluation--Yesterday, Today, and in the 21st Century.
Author: Warren Buckleitner
Publication: Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 1999
Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)
Page: 211

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This digital document is an article from Journal of Research in Childhood Education, published by Association for Childhood Education International on March 22, 2009. The length of the article is 5722 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Enhancing children's conceptual understanding of mathematics through Chartworld software.(Report)
Author: Don Ploger
Publication: Journal of Research in Childhood Education (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2009
Publisher: Association for Childhood Education International
Volume: 23Issue: 3Page: 267(11)

Article Type: Report

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education), published by T.H.E. Journal, LLC on November 1, 1999. The length of the article is 1671 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Software that teach children humanities are discussed. The products are designed to enrich the academic curriculum and benefit the character of the pupil for years to come. The products discussed are Arts Attack, CLEARVUE/eav's MasterStrokes, Adventus' Piano Suite, Yamaha's Music in Education, Jump! Software's Piano Discovery, Coda Music Technology's SmartMusic Studio, Scholastic's Literary Place and New Intelligence's Outstanding African-Americans.

Citation Details
Title: Focus on humanities.(children's educational software)(Buyers Guide)
Author: Alessandra Lee
Publication: T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education) (Refereed)
Date: November 1, 1999
Publisher: T.H.E. Journal, LLC
Volume: 27Issue: 4Page: 72

Article Type: Buyers Guide

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This digital document is an article from Exceptional Children, published by Council for Exceptional Children on October 1, 1994. The length of the article is 6603 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the author: ABSTRACT: This article describes the development and validation of Ecobehavioral Assessment Systems Software (EBASS), a computer-assisted observational system for school practitioners. EBASS contains three instruments widely used in special education research - CISSAR, ESCAPE, and MS-CISSAR. The theoretical and empirical bases for these systems are presented in the context of the need for quality information on student behavior and the teaching environment in special education. Portable computers, used to support observational assessment, vastly improve the quality of data entry, case management, data analysis, and observer training. The article describes the background, instruments, supporting technology, validation research, and barriers to the use of computer-assisted observational assessment.

Citation Details
Title: Development and validation of standard classroom observation systems for school practitioners: Ecobehavioral Assessment Systems Software (EBASS). (Special Issue: Technology-Based Assessment Within Special Education)
Author: Charles R. Greenwood
Publication: Exceptional Children (Refereed)
Date: October 1, 1994
Publisher: Council for Exceptional Children
Volume: v61Issue: n2Page: p197(14)

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual, published by Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) on January 1, 2002. The length of the article is 2170 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Early childhood teacher candidates evaluate computer software for young children.
Author: Jennifer Aldrich
Publication: Information Technology in Childhood Education Annual (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2002
Publisher: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)
Page: 295(6)

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education), published by T.H.E. Journal, LLC on March 1, 1994. The length of the article is 872 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Toby Epstein, a former fifth-grade teacher and founder of The Computer Tutor, an educational tutoring company, uses educational software to help students with diverse learning styles to understand math, reading and computers. She believes the careful selection of software is critical to successful tutoring and only chooses programs that are both educational and entertaining. Epstein enthusiastically endorses Nordic Software's Jungle Quest for developing math, reading and reasoning skills in youngsters. The software allows problem sets to be customized for each student. Epstein has her students write papers about their adventures with Jungle Quest and then helps them to edit their reports on the computer. She finds that students who use spell checkers become better spellers. Epstein works with a broad range of students, including preschool, adult, learning disabled and gifted students.

Citation Details
Title: Children inspired by tutor and adventure SW. (tutoring company uses educational software to help students with diverse learning styles)
Publication: T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education) (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 1994
Publisher: T.H.E. Journal, LLC
Volume: v21Issue: n8Page: p59(1)

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Product Description
The Complete Sourcebook on Children's Software (1999 Vol. 7) is an annual publication of Children's Software Revue, a magazine that provides critical reviews on children's educational software. This sourcebook is designed to provide complete coverage of the entire software market, with 3700 reviews (over 2457 with ratings) released as late as Dec. 31, 1998, and special listings for each subject, grade level, and computer platform. New to this volume are special listings of the best software for each subject and grade, plus the results of an expanded survey of children's software. The final section, with a directory of over 800 companies and 40+ catalogs, makes it easy to locate hard-to-find titles. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Language, Learning & Technology, published by University of Hawaii, National Foreign Language Resource Center on May 1, 2002. The length of the article is 5000 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: FABULA: A BILINGUAL MULTIMEDIA AUTHORING ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN EXPLORING MINORITY LANGUAGES.(computer software helps children learn minority languages in Europe)
Author: Viv Edwards
Publication: Language, Learning & Technology (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 2002
Publisher: University of Hawaii, National Foreign Language Resource Center
Volume: 6Issue: 2Page: 59

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How do parents select the best software for children? Now there is a definitive source--Newsweek's Parent's Guide to Children's Software 96 includes evaluations and reviews of 250 products selected as the Top 50 children's software products overall. These unique multimedia reviews will allow parents to see and experience these titles before making a purchasing decision. System Requirements: (Windows) 486/25MHz or better processor; Windows 3.1 or higher; 4MB RAM (8MB RAM recommended); SVGA color monitor, 256 colors; double speed CD-ROM drive; MPC-compatible sound card. (Macintosh) 68040 processor or Power PC; System 7.0 or higher; 4MB RAM (8MB RAM recommended, required for System 7.5); 256 color monitor; double-speed CD-ROM drive. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Software Industry Report, published by Millin Publishing, Inc. on February 7, 1994. The length of the article is 1690 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Micrografx and Crayola new partners in market for children's software. (Hallmark Cards Inc.'s Crayola brand)
Publication: Software Industry Report (Newsletter)
Date: February 7, 1994
Publisher: Millin Publishing, Inc.
Volume: v26Issue: n3Page: p2(2)

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