MYTH: Kids who use technology miss out on 'good old fashioned' play.TRUTH: Kids who use technology still have ample time for tea parties, hide and seek, and tag. Parents must be the ones who encourage balance. Just as you would want an avid reader to sometimes put the book down and go out and play, the same applies to the child on the computer. Children need balance between independent activities and social activities, and between quiet activities and physical activities. Parents must help them manage their time and achieve that balance.
MYTH: Technology prevents children from having the social interactions they need.TRUTH: Technology connects us! Children see that at an early age. They see they can communicate with others by emailing, texting, skyping... If the concern is too much texting or screen time, then limits need to be set by parents to achieve the proper balance. Children can learn at an early age how to use technology as a tool to communicate and collaborate with others--anywhere in the world! That is something they will need to know to be successful in their future.
MYTH: Technology and multi-tasking hurt children's ability to focus.TRUTH: Technology is not what affects focus. Content and method of delivery affect focus. When content is made fun and interesting, children focus better. A child in a classroom might focus better on a hands-on experiment versus a boring lecture on the same topic. Technology creates a multimedia experience that reaches children through multiple senses - sound, touch, and sight. Studies have shown that engaging multiple senses can help children learn and better retain what they have learned. Multi-tasking is a great skill when performed effectively. Knowing how and when to give something more focus and attention over another distraction is a useful skill. Children are developing these higher capabilities at a younger age. What is described as "lack of focus" can simply be a sign of boredom and the failure to challenge their growing minds.
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Great post! I have to work on that balance, myself! ;)
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading your posts...The other day during the ice storm in PA I had a few of my daughters friends over and I hosted a little free class at my house since we were all a little stir crazy! What fun the children had and after about an hour on the computer each child drew there favorite puterbug, colored it and we had a tea party with pretend green microchips. I love the imagination and how children take what they have learned and apply it through play to the real world. It was great to hear I'm a flying puterbug, I'm a jumper, I'm a crawler...It was a great Icy Day! Balance accomplished...
ReplyDeleteLove reading your posts and how you foster creativity...judy
ReplyDeleteI am new to Imagine tomorrow, but I am so grateful that I found it! It feels as though you have been reading my mind! I too agree that children display boredom through many different behaviors. As I continue to see children in the urban neighborhoods focus more on texting and talking on cell phones, I feel sad that this is how many think the digital divide is lessening! I hope to bring Imagine Tomorrow to the earliest learners in the urban areas in my town as soon as I can. Poverty can be a mindset that has never been challenged to use all of the senses and body and brain!
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