Rating: 
Summary: Failure to Properly Review Research (a Better Title)
Review: A careful reading of Jane Healy's Failure to Connect: How Computer's Affect Our Children's Minds-- for Better and Worse reveals many faults in logic, and we can only guess that her rationale for writing this kind of book is to capitalize on a parent's fear of the unknown. For example, Dr. Healy groups all media forms (TV, videogames, the Internet and educational software) into one category called "computers" and then puts the whole mix on the level of "mind altering drugs," a possible cause of autism (p. 173) and even a reason for "experimentation with cigarettes and alcohol" (p. 83). She describes software as places where "children flit about in a colorful multimedia world" that can be "a recipe for a disorganized and undisciplined mind" (p. 54). Healy must tell us just what kind of software experience she thinks will have such negative effects on children. Her observations appear to be based on unnamed software titles (is it Tomb Raider or Oregon Trail?) and frightening quotes from anonymous informants like a "suburban mother of a seven-year-old." Most offensive is how she underestimates young children and their own ability to know when they are being asked to use poorly designed software, or have simply been sitting too long and want to go outside to play in the backyard. Healy seems to think that children are little puppets, with rigid, fragile minds. She implies that this makes children easy prey for powerful, devious electronic multimedia wizards motivated by vast profits. At times her desire to frighten the reader is so great that she is plainly inaccurate. In addition to her interesting discussion of autism, she makes the causal link between her own nearsightedness and her time at the computer and what can happen to young children. She cited evidence from one "developmental optometrist." Healy didn't see the report from the American Academy of Ophthalmology (the folks with medical degrees) that find "no convincing experimental or epidemiologic evidence of any organic damage to the eye" ...despite the millions of children who have been spending way too much time sitting inches from TVs and videogames. Her coverage of this very well researched issue helps the reader understand how weak Healy's argument is throughout her book. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has been watching this topic for years, and has released a position statement on the use of computers with young children. This is a much more balanced, rational perspective discredits most of Healy's book, and is useful for bringing this issue back into perspective. I urge you to also consider this body of research if you decide to read this book. Warren Buckleitner, Editor Children's Software Revue
Rating: 
Summary: educational
Review: 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.)
Rating: 
Summary: Failure to Connect - Failure to Explain
Review: 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.)
Rating:
Summary: The Glass is Half Empty
Review: Although Healy seems to be in support of technology in education, she chooses to present only the worst case scenarios in her book and takes a very pessimistic view of educational technology. She visits several schools, both in low and high economic areas, and seems to find all of the worst examples of computers being used with students. For example, she observes a group of students using 2 computers to do writing, and tells only of those who appear to be wasting time, not of those who are being successful. She criticizes the activity and calls it a waste of time. At the same time, she quotes teachers saying things like "Isn't it great what they can do with the computer?" which then makes the teacher look like she doesn't know what is going on. It is true that often times parents and teachers don't use computers to their fullest potential, but spending an entire book pointing out all of the faults is not the way to change people's ways. The problem essentially falls on the software manufacturers who see a profitable market in "edutainment" software. To Healy's credit, she gives several different suggestions for parents when they are buying software for their children at home and suggests ways to use the techonolgy as a tool, not as a substitute for the television. Instead of pointing out everything that is wrong with technology in schools, Healy and others like her would be better served looking for what is right and working to make these good practices available to those who need it most.
Rating:
Summary: Fair Warning to Parents-Failure to Connect
Review: As a parent and public librarian interested in child development I often recommend this book to the parents of young children. The frequent comments from parents, teachers, professors, children and industry experts that appear throughout each chapter add to the evidence and personal examples of the dangers of over-exposure to computers for pre-schoolers and young children.
Rating: 
Summary: Well researched but end data not well interpreted.
Review: As an info tech student I was very interested in this subject. As I read this book I found myself repeatedly unhappy with the conclusions being drawn from the data presented. While Ms Healy is obviously well educated and knowledgable in her field, the fact that she is of a generation where this technology was NOT available to her children in the home tends to lead me to believe that monitoring children living with computers, who regularly use their computers is not the same as interviewing these children and their care-givers to obtain reference material. There is no difference in children using computers today than there was in little girls only having barbie dolls, and the stereotypes created by that, or little boys having toy guns and mock wars. What IS important to note, is that in all areas of education, and in all generations past, advances made were only as good as the people who presented them, and much of the negative comments I derived from this book stem more from a lack of adequate TEACHERS, or teachers who actually know what they are doing and care about their own performance, than a lack or genuine value in the products. If schools are buying poor software, that is an issue of ignorance in the school system, not a reflection that computers are bad. My children have both used computers from a very early age, both are bright and intelligent, able to think in abstract terms, cope well with problem solving and interact well with their peers. The have both had access to a wide range of software, some excellent, some of the early stuff quite poor, but at least the computer games and learning tools I provide for then don't EVER promote violence, unkindness or dishonesty. If Ms Healy is concerned that lower socio-economic areas are going overboard on technology , perhaps she should think of what these children would be doing with the poor teaching that they are obviously presented with should they not have the computers. Perhaps she would rather see them on the streets robbing, killing and doing drugs. I think Ms Healy is showing a narrowmindedness in her opinion that reminds me of many people of an older generation, who can't help but denigrate new technology, whilst maintaining a stand of neutrality. Computers are not bad, it is the lack of quality teaching that is at fault. The sooner Governments see that teaching standards are shockingly poor across much of the globe and address that issue, it won't matter what medium is presented, the result will be the same. Technology is not bad, it is the people who are inadequate to teach it that are. Let's see a book focusing on poor education standards next please!
Rating:
Summary: personal opinion masquerading as science
Review: Despite Dr. Healy claim that she is in favor of technology, she is clearly biased against computers. There are several reports on the negative impacts This appears to be an attempt to use technology as a smokescreen for all the problems in the educational system. Dr. Healy writes There are several examples of very poor research in this book , first of all, The book reports a lot of anecdotes which are from dubious sources(e.g. a suburban mother). Her coverage of the subject is very selective - there is very little discussion of any positive results for educational technology. It is clear that Dr. Healy is part of the educational establishment and has no desire to confront the real problems in the school system- computers are a convenient scapegoat. The most amazing thing is that despite what one would think is overwhelming evidence against the use of computers in the classroom , Dr, Healy does not even conduct a single experimental study. At the end of the book , it has the impression of just being a report Dr. Healy's personal anti-computer biases. Unfortunately This is a deeply flawed book, because the subject is both interesting and importantand needs to be studied in an evenhanded and scientific manner.
Rating: 
Summary: computers and children
Review: Do computers have a place in our homes and schools for young children? Is it wise to encourage such use by youngsters? This is a debate that is getting a lot of attention. Jane Healy, Ph.D., has been an educator for more than 35 years, including experience as a classroom teacher, elementary school administrator, and college professor. She begins her book with a discussion of how the whole technological revolution is almost of a religious fervor. To research her book, she spent hundreds of hours visiting classrooms and homes to watch kids interact with their computers. Healy maintains that parents who purchase software for their babies have been sold a bill of goods. She says that there is no evidence that computers and software will make kids smarter. Rather, it may be doing them more harm than good. In Chapter One, Healy expresses concern about how technology is shaping children's growing brains, saying "The younger the mind, the more malleable it is. The younger the technology is, the more unproven it is." She believes educators - and parents - should carefully consider the potential- and irrevocable - effects of this new electronic technology. She calls this exposing of young children- generally, babies - age seven or eight -, a "vast and optimistic experiment," and that "It is well financed and enthusiasticlly supported by major corporations, the public at large, and government officials around the world." She says that there is no proof- or even convincing evidence- that it will be successful in enriching our youngster's minds and lives, or that society will benefit and education will be permanently changed for the better. Far from being a "techno-phobe," Healy was, at one time, a big believer in the benefits of children using computers. But, after her hundreds of hours in the field, "picking the brains" of leaders in the field, and research, she has now come to the conclusion that we are rushing into something with "far too much money with too little thought," saying "It is past time to pause, reflect, and ask some probing questions." She answers many questions in her book about computer use by children, such as how and when a child should begin using a computer, what kind of software is appropriate for different ages, which ones may be harmful, and why, and how do we balance education and entertainment. Too often, Healy says, parents are seduced by "the glitz and novelty of this wondrous equipment." She adds that "Experience suggests we should temper our enchantment with a critical look at whether anything educational is really being accomplished." This is a fascinating look at the effects computers have on children. While she acknowledges that there may be times when computers could be useful, they are seldom as helpful as many believe. She encourages parents and educators to take a long, hard look at what is passing for computer "learning," and to not be beguiled in thinking that our children are are really learning by merely "pressing some buttons." For parents who are interested, there is a study guide in the back of the book that is helpful for those who wish to have a study group using this book, or to just get more out of it themselves.
Rating:
Summary: It's What You Don't Say
Review: Every enlightened parent and teacher knows that seeing and reading about seashells will not substitute for actually taking a child to the beach. There, obviously, they can have a personal one on one experience with shells, oceans, and nature. The computer can then expand on the child's experience with endless information that could perhaps spark a life long interest. While Dr. Healy's book is informative in many instances, I find it rather condescending at times. I also would like to know more about the author and her background. On the book's jacket it mentioned that she has been in education for 35 years, yet I wondered why there was no mention of where she received her Ph.D. We know bad software exists. Teachers often use horrible study guides, work sheets, and cookie cutter assignments in classes. They flick on videos (especially when there are substitutes) and put kids in fron of TV's. Where is her book about that? She lamented about young adults being involved in high tech on a Sat. evening in NY. She projects her attitude about that as a negative thing, not knowing the situation or anything about them. Where would SHE want them to be? Some people do love their work. Didn't she ever work late on Sat. evening when she was studying for her Ph.D? Maybe not.
Rating:
Summary: Most information on computers for learning in one great book
Review: FAILURE TO CONNECT explores learning with computers within the foundations of learning. Most innovators including computer innovators have forgotten the role of linear subject matter texts, expository writing, sequential order, structure, order, organization, systematic instruction, group recitations, time for reflection and deep processing, discipline, and hard work have played in their own education. These innovators think of grade school from their graduate school days -- even in those graduate days, they were not as UNORGANIZED, FRAGMENTED DISCONTINUOUS, and FREE WHEELING as the gimmicks and gadgets they want for learners today. Janet Healy recognizes this and warns parents, schoolpeople, and the general public that BRAINBUILDING needs an implement of learning that enables learners to embrace and wrestle down the meaning of the words-in-a -row that they are supposed to understand. This will not happen by clicking and clacking those keys as there is noit enough deep processing of relevant and orderly material found in that flickering text . Also, learners must receive a basic head of facts and ideas before going forth into the hobby of surfing the net. They will not learn from the dibs and dabs of fragmentary knowledge that they get from HUNTING AND PECKING around the net. Children must use their time more wisely than by CLICKING AT FLICKERING IMAGES AND TEXTS. FAILURE TO CONNECT has the wisdom of experience with this new toy that is trying to tell us that learning is fun and because this is the attitude of software manufacturers, ther is little that is useful in learning especially for the billions spent on this venture when there are learners in many schools without a book. You must read Janet Healy's book on computers to be convinced that computers stillhave along way to go befre we can call them a good learning implement-- especially when comopared with a book. All these reflections come from 30 years of teaching high school history -- I am sure glad that I did not learn history through clicking at flickers as I would not call that fun.
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