Computer as Paintbrush: Technology, Play, and the Creative Society

In recent years, a growing number of educators and psychologists have expressed concern that computers are stifling children’s learning and creativity, engaging children in mindless interaction and passive consumption (Cordes and Miller, 2000; Oppenheimer, 2003). They have a point: today, many computers are used in that way. But that needn’t be the case. This paper presents an alternate vision of how children might use computers, in which children use computers more like paintbrushes and less like televisions, opening new opportunities for children to playfully explore, experiment, design, and invent. My goal in this paper is not to provide conclusive evidence but rather, through illustrative examples, to provoke a rethinking of the roles that computers can play in children’s lives.

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