Just four months ago, a class of 20 first graders at Monarch Academy, a K-5 charter school in Oakland, California, couldn't operate a mouse, much less log in to and operate a digital program. By February, the kids had become capable computer users, able to tackle a range of activities and the Web and ready for the next new thing their…

This article describes instructional practices with blogs in elementary classrooms. Schools need to prepare students for the new literacies required when reading on the Internet; blogging is an easy way to begin. A theoretical rationale for blogging with elementary students is provided. Learning from the examples of successful blogs by elementary…

The use of computers and the Internet by students has increased rapidly in recent years. In 2001, computer and Internet use was more widespread among school-age children and adolescents than among adults. The now commonplace use of these technologies follows the installation of computers and Internet access in nearly all public schools and in a…

How are first grade classrooms using technology? How are children using technology at home? Does the use of technology really improve academic achievement? An experiment was conducted to determine the effectiveness of using technology to teach a unit in Social Studies to first grade students. The study occurred in a Christian school in Lancaster,…