She also began to pick up some Spanish from my students. The students also helped each other to recognize letters and sounds. They enjoyed computers so much they looked forward to lab time. They learned to help each other with the basic logistics of running the program. So, my second excuse, about the quality of student interaction during computer lab, would not work.
People question whether children are being rushed out of childhood prematurely.
My students taught me that when given well-organized activities in the computer lab, they look forward to practicing their knowledge. Outside the lab, I continued a generous regimen of literature-based instruction, where books, developmental writing and integrated curriculum instruction were constantly experienced. In the lab, as expected, some students quickly gained proficiency in the practice drills, while others took more time. Little by little, some children began to use the computer as a word processor to write their compositions. I realized that computers were appropriate for my students as long as I kept a respectful distance and allowed them to tell me when they were ready to move to more challenging activities.