“It's Like a Giant Brain With a Keyboard”: Children's Understandings About How Computers Work

Abstract

In a qualitative study, a follow up to a similar study conducted 30 year previously, we asked children aged between 5 and 8 about their knowledge and beliefs about computers. Although the children were insightful in their answers about the activities for which it might be appropriate to use technology, and willingly engaged with the thorny question of whether computers can think, their responses indicated a lack of a factual understanding of how computers work. Consequently, this paper argues that children should be taught basic information about how computers work because they will not become aware of this through regular exposure to technology. The paper offers some simple explanations of how computers work, and whether computers could think, which we hope will be of use to practitioners who wish to cover these topics in their classrooms.

Young children’s perceptions of ubiquitous computing and the Internet of Things

“…Providing detailed verbal accounts on functional principles of digital technologies is sometimes difficult for young children (Robertson et al , ). Thus, they should be offered alternative mediums for self‐expression for ensuring rich data.…”

“Computer what's your favourite colour?” children's information‐seeking strategies in the classroom

“…Kodama, Jean, Subramaniam, & Taylor, 2017;Subramaniam et al, 2015) where young people's digital literacy and their information-credibility and quality decisions have been explored. Similarly recent investigations explored children's mental models of information seeking interfaces and computers (Robertson, Manches, & Pain, 2017;Taylor, 2018).…”

Investigating the Use of TUIs and GUIs for 6- to 7-Year-Old Programming Learning

“…Starting early has advantages, as children are often eager to learn. In a recent study, [12] Integrating CS with their school or everyday teaching materials and curricula, for example, is vital. One of the famous studies done in this area is that of [13].…”

“…CT has been adopted in the primary computer curricula such as in the UK, allowing potential for engaging with the basic computer concepts without the need to tackle the often complex syntax of the programming language, for example, to ask students to decompose a big task like organizing a school trip, which can be decomposed into smaller pieces such as booking coach, staffing, checking weather, etc. [21] Young children from 5 to 7 need to learn how to develop and debug a simple programming project and understand simple algorithms and how they can operate and implement them [12].…”

“…It is thus important for children to know the advantages and the disadvantages of being technology dependent(Robertson, Manches & Pain, 2017). In addition, children need to use technology in a way that is suitable for their cognitive development and that allows them to engage with their environments.…”