The chapters and essays in this book are drawn from the 1988 edition of "Play as a Medium for Learning and Development." The first chapter, "The Challenge of Educational Play," by Bernard Spodek and Olivia N. Saracho, is followed by two essays: (1) "Play and the Origin of Species," (Michael J. Ellis); and (2)…

Describes how children's play contributes to brain development. Details the importance of early experience for brain development, arguing that the optimal learning activities to promote brain development are complex, use many senses simultaneously, and are perceived as relevant, useful, emotionally engaging, and novel. Suggests that informal play…

Analyzes seven characteristics of childhood play and describes way in which current computer technology for young children either allows for, or detracts from, creative play experiences. Argues that refinements are necessary before the computer can approach the effectiveness of more traditional materials in stimulating creative play experiences…

Contradicting advocates' testimonials, the Alliance for Children wants a moratorium on adding more computers in elementary schools until research discovers how computer use affects young children. The alliance claims that computers and their entertaining software stifle creativity and distract children from each other, from adults, and from play.…

Parents of 180 Swedish children (ages 3-19) with different types of disabilities attending Computer Play Centers evaluated the importance of computers for their children within ten different areas of development. Parents had high expectations of the computer and believed computers helped develop their child's self-confidence, coordination,…

Discusses technology with reference to children's play, including how technology mixes with the established connection between children's play and emergent literacy and advantages and disadvantages of the three-way intersection of technology, literacy, and play in early childhood education. Addresses play and computers, software, the Internet, and…

There are many dimensions of play and play's significance for children's development and learning is often emphasized, but how do preschool teachers see children's use of computers in preschool? A qualitative study was done with 13 Swedish preschool teachers that had experience working with computers in preschool. The overall aim of this study was…

This issue of the "Early Childhood Bulletin" explains the developmental and learning implications of play for very young children and outlines ways in which assistive technology can open doors to play for children with disabilities. The importance of incorporating assistive technology into a child's early intervention program through the…

This document contains abstracts of 46 presentations from the first Warwick International Early Years Conference. Presentations included discussions of research studies, program descriptions, and opinion papers on a variety of topics pertaining to child development and early childhood education. Topics covered include: (1) cross-cultural…

These conference proceedings comprise 19 papers and the plenary session presented at the Early Years Schooling Conference held in Melbourne, Australia. The plenary session was "A Developmental Approach to Teaching Young Children" conducted by Lilian Katz. The keynote addresses and breakout sessions were: (1) "Developmental Learning:…