Do you think all children need a computer at home?

I do not know as far as homework is concerned however I think by the time they get to high school they POSSIBLY need one.
However, I do not know what happens if the family cannot afford a computer! I would imagine the majority can be done at school, however am only guessing as cannot quite relate to children HAVING to use a computer for school as we all went through without a computer ever having been invented yet!

What will the next generation be like!!

by Finy

They probably won't be able to survive any kind of "real" cataclysm or a war. (00)

Finy, at our kids school, they were in the midst of setting up some kind of scheme to help with the costs of buying a computer. In some schools, the schools buy them in bulk and then sell them to parents at reduced cost. Some schools have 'Rent to Buy' schemes. There is much that can be done to help the underprivileged to get computers

Good Lluxi!

Um, I'm really not seeing how owning a computer affects one's ability to survive cataclysms, Rice. They don't magically suck all the life skills out of a person. In fact, they can be pretty useful for learning some (I can, for example, look up a video on Youtube that shows me how to do a new kind of braid in my daughter's hair that nobody I knew in person knew how to teach me).

For families that can't afford them they might be able to use one for free at a library (I know you can at my local one, and all the Brisbane City Council libraries). I used to use those to access the internet before I had one at home.

When I was at school I did not have my own personal computer; if homework needed doing then I did it on the family computer and even that was not until my teens. I was 14 when we got the Internet, and that was only so I could do my homework more easily.

When I went to sixth form (16) I was given a laptop for to help with my studies, which I travelled with to school and also used at home.

Nowadays is very different. I still don't think primary school children need their own computer, but secondary school kids definitely do. They do not need one for school and home though. One laptop that they can travel with and use both places is more than sufficient. Alternatively, I would say a large sophisticated tablet such as Microsoft Surface (which you can use a word document on) would also be good. I think a tablet and a laptop would be a helpful combination, but not essential. Kids can still achieve without lots of technology.

by Bryony Harrison

Yes, probably. However, the ones "with" are likely to have "nerd brain" smarts (for want of a better analogy) and the ones "without" are likely to have the "survival of the fittest" smarts. Perhaps we should have stopped at calculators. Grand Theft Auto and World of Warcraft are probably as useful as Candy Crush or Farmville in a volcanic eruption, earthquake or tsunami.

by Rice

Rice, I have to say that GTF is absolute rubbish. Absolute rubbish. Candy Crush may not be helpful, but GTA is destructive...quite besides the point, but I had to put in my two bob's worth.

I have never played/seen any of these games - I just pulled their names out of my memory banks. LOL. I don't like the way any of these games suck kids into sitting mindlessly in front of a screen.

Re, your final answer, Rice: Our eldest granddaughter is nearly 8, & I don't think she's uses any sort of laptop/computer/tablet at home. She loves to read real books, she has choir lessons on Wednesday after school, swimming lessons on Thursdays, after school, Circus Oz lessons on Saturday mornings, & she loves being taken to the park, by us! I don't know is she uses them at school or not.

YES...
And I guess a lot of people don't think like I do.

I have seen little kids playing on a tablet , in their prams.
I think it helps the brain to grow, even at age 2yrs.
Time needs to be strictly regulated by the parents, but a great learning tool for any child.

It's going to increase more in younger school, so no need to have a child left behind.

We can not stop computers, or slow it down.

Best advice is to get on board even if it's just for the short trips a child takes now and then at home or in the car.

I also will go far as to say people in their 50's and early 60's should be taught computer.

Reason is that they can have something to keep their minds active, and never be as lonely as they have been over the years.

They also have peace of mind buying their food on-line if unwell..

But! I still maintain reading books a must and writing a must by hand with a pen.

One day, if we do get that long awaited EMP, computers will be of no use for some time.

by jonaja

Aw heck, I'm bound to be too fat to kiss my butt goodbye :(

LOL Rice your a funny girl :) love it!

I know that in high school they definitely need one, having recently had children of this age. When our kids were at school, an iPad was part of the requirements on the book list. Everything was done on the iPad, and very little was ever written down in a homework book. All homework and assignments were done on the iPad, so I say 'Yes', a computer is a necessity in high school, but not sure about primary school. Our kids would write any homework given, but that may have changed.

by Lluxi

I managed to get through school happily and with excellent results without even a calculator which back then was an item used by cheats.But things now are SO different.I don't think that primary school age kids should be needing to own a computer at home,however once they get to High School,it certainly means that the kids are on an equal footing if they do have access to a computer at home.
Today,computers,and particularly laptops, are very affordable,even for a person like me who has to rely on a disability pension to live.I think that children who are academically inclined definitely benefit from being able to access computers for their homework without having to get to a library.My own son always wanted to be a chef,so having the internet at home was not at all necessary.He did work experience each Wednesday,and on his 5th birthday got an apprenticeship in his chosen field. When he has about 7 or 8 he bought himself a computer,but it was more for games and keeping his recipes, When I became ill,he went and bought a laptop for me,as well as one for himself,and the actual computer has not been used since! Laptops these days are sooooo advanced as well as well-priced, compared to when they first came out at ridiculously high prices for very limited applications! Yes,kids can and do get great opportunities with their learning,if they have even a laptop,and these are generally quite affordable for most..

by Jules

P.S. I mean 17 or 18 years of age....my keyboard's number ONE is sticking!!

He is NOT that much of a genius!Ha ha ha ha ! But he IS a great chef!

Jules, I just read, "He got an apprenticeship on his 5th birthday..." I was thinking, "WOW, how could that happen when he's only in kindergarten?" That's wonderful that he's a chef now. Our 2 daughters have both been chefs. but that didn't happen until their 20s! Sorry, my reply has absolutely nothing to do with this question!

Thank Miro.... I am having such a jolly giggle after re-reading my initial reply!! Thank heavens I DID notice that my 1 key was sticking and thus added my P.S.!!! He WAS cooking advanced style recipes when he was just 9, so I think it was always going to be a career choice for him back then! Like you, I am not really saying anything here which is relevant to the original question! I am definitely having a smile though!!

Definitely they need a computer or laptop at home as well. Teaching in my grandchildrens classes was done visually and for projects in the primary school it was a necessity to do them. High school definitely although laptops are needed now.

by helga

An absolute MUST 4 every child of school age

by jimsw

Sorry Jimsw, I sent your reply via ME! It's at the bottom of all these replies!

yes, they do need a computer at home, when they reach high school they will already be proficient in using one , a big advantage. Upon reaching high school they do need their own laptop, which they take to and fro from school.
A downside to all this, the writing/printing skills are non existent they print, also spelling leaves a lot to be desired.

by flaga

By high school age they definitely at least need access to one, if not actually one of their own. In primary school I don't think they absolutely need to have one at home but they can be very useful. My daughter plays games on mine that help her practice her reading and maths skills and we use it to watch tv shows on together (which can be educational as well as fun) and to look up things she is wondering about. They can also learn some coding, which is good for developing logical thinking.

by Jennifer Muirhead

My daughter is way older than most of your kids and she had access to computers when they were only a business tool and they were very uncommon in the home . . .way back in the X-tree and Singer Assembler, Fortan, Cobol and Basic days. She used it for learning, doing projects and constructing the neighbourhood watch newsletter . . much to the horror of all the adults. We had no games and she learned a lot. She also read and baked and played tennis and more. Now she has two degrees plus a Master's. My point it that all I see kids do now is play games and learn bad language and violence. My stepgrandson is glued to the games on his mother's phone, as are all his friends. They don't seem to have any grasp of the world around them or how to do things or even any enthusiasm for learning. They are mostly impatient, selfish and bad tempered. I think computer use needs to be tempered, that's all.

Jennifer, Our nearly 9 year old granddaughter doesn't have a laptop, tablet or mobile phone. Her parents tv was thrown out to the curb, outside their house, (It was taken y someone 2 or 3 days later,) before she was born. She reads & reads & reads books, & the nearly 5 year old, who starts school next year, also loves 'reading', the way her preschool teacher reads to the class!

It's not an either/or thing. Both of my kids also enjoy reading books, and read every day for pleasure. Having a computer in the house didn't change that.

Jimsw, Our grandchildren don't have any sort of computer at home of their own, but their mother has a laptop & their father has some, for his film making & teaching. The parents haven't had a tv in the house, since before the eldest 1 was born because the parents have always wanted the girls to read books. And whe're always buying them MORE books & taking them down to Melbourne when we visit.

by Miro