PARENTS' CORNER | Technology for Learning: A Family’s Journey Begins with a Single Red Squiggle

It’s said that all journeys begin with a single step. For Edward and Marie* and their 8-year-old daughter Caroline, the technology odyssey they’ve recently embarked on began with a red squiggle—the kind Microsoft Word uses to indicate a spelling error.

Caroline, a third grader in Alexandria, Virginia, struggles with reading comprehension and spelling. Although she’s strong in other subjects, she reads below grade level, shows signs of dyslexia, and her handwriting skills lag behind those of her classmates.

At the end of second grade, during a meeting to set Caroline’s Individual Education Plan (IEP)—which outlines the learning goals and approach for students who receive special services—one of her teachers suggested that she start using a computer to improve her reading comprehension, spelling and grammar. 

“She turned to us and said, ‘Since she’s learning typing next year, let’s incorporate that into the IEP next year,’” says Marie. “We had no idea that third graders would start to learn typing.” 

Typing class is part of the school district’s formal technology integration plan, designed to introduce students to the technology they will likely need as adults—and it set Caroline and her family on their own version of a technology integration plan.

Since starting third grade, Caroline has been using Microsoft Word to do her homework. She uses it with the auto-correction function turned off, so misspelled words are highlighted and underlined, but not automatically fixed. When she finishes a thought or paragraph, she can go back and look at the words she misspelled, and focus on those.

She practices for spelling tests by typing in her spelling words and then checking to see which are underlined with the familiar red squiggle indicating a misspelling.

“I think it’s a good idea, partly because she learns in a visual fashion; if she can see it or hear it, it’s mentally digestible, especially with abstract concepts like decoding words. Having it represented on a screen will speed up the process,” says Edward, who knows his daughter’s struggles first-hand: he labored for years with what he suspects is undiagnosed dyslexia.

Like many students, Caroline’s reading delays have taken a toll on her confidence. “She constantly compares herself with her friends and finds herself lacking, saying things like, ‘Amanda’s the smartest girl in class because she can read a chapter book.’ She never compares herself to anyone in math class, never worries about science or social studies or math because she’s succeeding in them,” says Marie.

Marie and Edward think that e-mail—the next stop on their technology journey—could help. “We’re looking for more opportunities to have a clear incentive to read, and a message from a friend or her grandparents seems like a good reward for doing the work,” says Edward.

Safety Considerations

Now that they’ve opened the door to computers and technology, Caroline’s parents are exploring ways to help her stay safer online. They’ve already begun talking about whether she should have her own email address, rather than use her Mom’s—she’s not pushing for her own yet, because few of her friends have email accounts—and whether to tell her that they’ll read her messages.

For now, Caroline doesn’t have a wireless phone, but when she reaches middle school, they may get her one so they can coordinate rides to and from school and activities. They’re already looking into renewing their plan as a family plan, to add a line for Caroline.

In fact, Edward and Marie are beginning to have a whole series of discussions about keeping Caroline safer online. They let us sit in on one of their talks—see the accompanying conversation.

Preparing for the Future: Edward and Marie’s Checklist

• Slowly introduce new technologies to their children, and help familiarize them with the uses and risks

• Talk with other parents about tech safety

• Look into Web and email filters, and discuss each other’s philosophies about what and how to monitor online activities

• Check out child-friendly search engines, such as KidsClick, a site used by librarians
  

• Set up the free key logger program to track computer activity and record IMs

• Keep the computer in the living room, where it’s visible, laptops are off limits to the kids
  

• Wireless phones are like “walking computers”—explore family plans and phone feature controls, so that’s ready to go when Caroline needs a phone

• Investigate supplemental parental control services for wireless phones, such as DisneyMobile, RADAR: Your Kids' Mobile Watchdog, or Verizon’s Chaperone Service, to name just a few; these typically cost $10 a month and can limit and track activity
  

*To respect their daughter’s privacy, they asked to use only their middle names.

Related Article:

• How Much, and How Soon? A Parents' Discussion