<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt; Normal 0 0 1 489 2791 23 5 3427 11.1287 &lt;![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]&gt; 0 0 0 &lt;![endif]-->As each new technology bursts onto the scene, I am always among the last to jump on the bandwagon. Atari? I was the only kid in my class without one. Cell phone? I held off for ages, until my boss insisted I be reachable. I was pretty late getting to know computers and the internet, too. It's not that I'm a technophobe, just a late adopter, and I've taken the same reserved approach when it comes to my children.

My kindergartner, Night Owl, loves nature and inventing her own games, and I love this about her -- but I've long been aware she is drawn to screens like a moth to a flame. Maybe because of this, I've pulled her back from them a bit. Although we don't by any means live in a television- or computer-free household, I've balked at delving deeply into the realm of computers with my kids, for fear that it would somehow impede creativity, imagination, and real, hands-on interaction with the world. I figured there would be plenty of time for them to explore computers later on. Also, because Night Owl has a learning disability, I've been even more sensitive about the effects a lot of computer exposure might have on her developing cognitive skills and attention span.

But the other day, one of the teachers in her CTT classroom approached me after school to say: "she's really into the computer. It could be a great learning tool for her." The classroom has two computers, which the children can use during choice time to play learning games, and apparently she has been jockeying for a monitor lately. Her teacher suggested that at home we try Starfall, an educational web site geared toward kindergarten-aged kids.<!--more-->

So we've given it a go, guardedly at first, and have watched with awe how confidently she's able to navigate her way through the activities, mastering skills that escape her in everyday lessons. While her hands fumble with putting on socks or forming numbers on paper, they nimbly maneuver a mouse or tracking pad. And, she seems to have no problem focusing when there's a screen involved -- a fact that both inspires and scares me.

Edutainment web sites abound, and media outlets from PBS Kids to Scholastic tout interactive games on their home pages. Search BabyCenter and you'll find articles advising the best way to introduce computers to your 3-year-old. Anyone with an iPhone is familiar with the candy store of kid-friendly apps designed to keep children occupied (i.e., quiet). Part of me wants to shelter my daughters from this electronic world and the dangers that lurk on the internet for as long as possible -- but I also want to find the best ways for my five-year-old to "get" concepts that otherwise elude and frustrate her.

Computers are ubiquitous, and kindergarten is a more academic place than it used to be. As long as those two things are true, it makes sense that the former can assist with the latter. I'm glad I held back on the computer for a while, but now that I've seen what a valuable tool it can be for my daughter, I'm all for a sprinkling of technology – in balance with social time, exercise, getting muddy, and all those other great childhood things computers can never replace.

Readers: when does your school introduce computers in the classroom? What do you think is an appropriate age for kids to start using computers?