December 2004

Are we applying enough critical thinking to how technology is playing a role in our children’s development and education?

I used to think, It’s good that my kids get on the computer. After all, becoming familiar with this technology prepares them for the world ahead, where computers are going to be ubiquitous in every field of study and work. Having computer skills will help them stay ahead and do well in school and beyond. Therefore, I threw educational computer games at my two kids as soon as they could click a mouse. They enjoyed the games and would spend an hour or two a day, or even longer sometimes. It also gave Mom and Dad some freedom to get things accomplished around the house too. I did not even consider that there might be a downside to computer use.

The Alliance for Childhood is working to get parents, educators and policy makers to consider the consequences of unchecked use of computers in our children’s lives: repetitive stress injuries, eyestrain, obesity, social isolation, and, for some, long-term damage to physical, emotional, or intellectual development.

On the Alliance’s web site, you will find some well-written reports that give concerned parents a lot to contemplate. Not just about computer use, but also about the importance of play, creative activities, forming relationships and not rushing a child’s development. A variety of experts in technology, education, mental health and others have contributed to the reports. Aside from the reports written by the Alliance members, you can find a long list of other resources to help you to make intelligent choices for the benefit of your kids.

Now that my kids are a little older, and even more drawn to computers, TV and the Internet, I’m paying a lot more attention and making sure that their screen time is limited and I’m trying to ensure that they spend more time outdoors, reading, and being involved in other activities. But I shouldn’t have been so zealous about technology in their earlier years. Thankfully, it’s never to late to make a positive change.

Their web site is: www.allianceforchildhood.org.

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In an article by The Christian Science Monitor, the debate of whether computers are helpful or hurtful to learning continues. Well, computers are just a tool at any rate, it’s how you use them that makes the difference.

As a software developer myself, I encouraged my kids to get on the computer, and play educational games, I let them do it for hours sometimes. But soon they moved into playing some games and would spend a lot of time there. I didn’t consider the negative aspects back then. Hopefully I wised-up in time while they are still relatively young.

From the article:

Computer technology “is used too much and very unwisely in the younger years, and not wisely enough in the older years”

“The mere availability of computers at home seems to distract students from learning.”

You can go read the whole article here.

UPDATE: Another article on the study at BBC NEWS

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I recently read Dr. Jane M. Healy’s book Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds — and What We Can Do About It. If you’re interested in reading the results of our society’s (somewhat failed) attempt at using technology in education, I would highly recommend Dr. Healy’s book. Her background makes her well qualified to write on this topic with more than 35 years as an educational psychologist and professional educator as a classroom teacher, college professor, reading and learning specialist, and elementary school administrator.

Dr. Healy provides great insight into how the educational system in the United States has thrust technology into the classroom, not always with positive results. She describes her visits to a variety of schools throughout the US with varying social and economic backgrounds. She describes the success, or unfortunate failures, she observes regarding technology in the classroom at these schools. For example, she talks about a private school that spent well over $300,000 on technology. In one class she monitored at this school, most students did nothing more than surf the web for topics unrelated to their studies.

One of her points in the book really hit home for me personally. Dr. Healy writes about how many school systems dump buckets of money into computer hardware and software, but neglect to train teachers. Not long ago, I chaired the technology committee at my children’s school. Our task was bringing computers into the school. The committee went around in circles discussing what type of computer hardware we should buy, while I was trying to focus discussions on the more important issues: What educational goals were we trying to accomplish with the new technology and how the teachers would be trained.

Dr. Healy offers her professional advice regarding the introduction of technology into the lives of children. She gives age specific advice on how much time, and what kind of technology, is appropriate for the proper development of children.

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