According to an article in, Science Daily, the answer is “yes!”  The January 24, 2010 article stated that many computer scientists in the United States think that creating computer games, rather than just playing them, can boost skills.  The boost would come in the student’s critical and creative thinking skills, as well as broadening his or her computer skills.  As we know, computer games have a broad appeal that transcends gender, culture, age and socio-economic status.  In the current issue of International Journal of Social and Humanistic Computing, we learn of such a case at Oklahoma State University.  The principal investigators in the study make a case for using rapid computer game creations as an innovative teaching method that has the potential of helping to bridge the digital divide between “those people lacking computer skills and access and those with them.”   

There is an increasing recognition of the digital divide.  “The digital divide refers not only to unequal access to computing resources between groups of people but also to inequalities in their ability to use information technology fully,” explains the evaluative team.

As I read this article, I thought of the digital divide that exists in early childhood.  Another huge problem is the lack of appropriate software for young children.  We are to ensure the efforts in early childhood are made to narrow this divide with solid research findings and make certain best practices in early childhood are not ignored.