Computers are particularly well-equipped to provide a fast-paced learning experience that can drill basic information and help students practice skills to the point of mastery. Elementary teachers have had particular success teaching basic math facts and pattern recognition through computer programs. As a student works through a set of problems or questions, he also receives immediate and accurate feedback, thanks to the processing speed and information storage capacity of a computer.
Computers are also an integral part of the modern workplace, and incorporating them into an elementary school classroom means that students will get comfortable with this technology earlier in life. A student who can type, navigate the Internet and run basic programs will be better equipped to enter an economy that demands computer literacy. This benefit is particularly meaningful for the children of low-income families, who might not have access to up-to-date technology at home.
Opponents of computer use in elementary classrooms argue that a machine is no substitute for a real, live teacher. It cannot identify students' personal needs and motivate them according to their own learning styles. The computer also is unable to encourage kinds of learning that require creativity and lateral thinking (solving problems from different angles) the way a teacher does. The loss of social interaction in a classroom where every student is glued to a different computer screen is also a cause for concern.
Another concern is that computer access, and in particular the Internet, exposes children to information that they cannot understand or process. Even with age-appropriate settings and blocks, the vast quantity of disjointed information yielded by a single Internet search is difficult for a young brain to transform into a meaningful whole. Traditional instruction in a simplified, linear format is more likely to help a young child build knowledge. Computers have proved to be incredibly powerful learning tools, and have much to offer the elementary school classroom, but they provide only a supplement to certain kinds of instruction.