Hat tip to friend/mentor Sean Branagan for sending this HLNTV.com piece along while I was away on vacation that asks the question, “When Should we Expose Toddlers to Technology?”
A good read with lots of relevant links.
Fantastic op-ed in Sunday’s NY Times about using technology for education vs. fun that I highly recommend every parent read.
Here’s my takeaway from the piece:
“Let children play games that are not educational in their free time. Personally, I’d rather my children played Cookie Doodle or Cut the Rope on my iPhone while waiting for the subway to school than do multiplication tables to a beep-driven soundtrack. Then, once they’re in the classroom, they can challenge themselves. Deliberate practice of less-than-exhilarating rote work isn’t necessarily fun but they need to get used to it – and learn to derive from it meaningful reward, a pleasure far greater than the record high score.”
Great piece last week in the Boston Globe magazine on parenting in the digital age.
In my opinion, the most important takeaway, according to the author of the piece, Neil Swidey, was this:
“I no longer believe that we have to choose between ceding the high-tech ground to our digital-native children or feigning and straining to control all aspects of it. There can be a third way. And while it’s true that technology often puts up thick walls between parents and their kids, if used the right way, it can also be surprisingly good at helping to break them down.”
Amen, brother!
From the PC Mag article –
In order to have patented technology, however, you have to have technology smarts. When Fried later asked the president if he thinks high schools should have a computer programming requirement similar to a foreign language requirement, Obama said he “thinks it makes sense.”
Ultimately, Obama said he wants to make sure the high school experience is “relevant.” Vocational schools “got a bad rap,” he said, because the perception was that people were being fast tracked into blue-collar jobs.
But Obama pointed to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who told the president that he’d taught himself to code, primarily because he was interested in gaming. There’s a whole generation of kids who could benefit from getting a head start on similar high-tech learning. It “engages kids,” Obama said.
“Given how pervasive computers and the Internet is now, I want to make sure they know how to actually produce stuff using computers and not simply consume stuff,” he said.
Check out this video on Pixel Academy, which is looking to raise money to find a permanent home in NYC. Give! Give! Give!
One question though – what’s with the random breakdancing at the end?
Very interesting article in today’s NY Times which reports there is a widespread belief among teachers that digital technology is hampering students’ attention spans and ability to persevere, according to two surveys released today.
One survey was conducted by the Pew Internet Project, a division of the Pew Research Center that focuses on technology-related research. The other was from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that advises parents on media use by children.
As an adjunct professor, I can see where teachers are coming from on this. Conversely, I say to these teachers…EVOLVE OR DIE! Embrace the technology and use it to your advantage to engage students.
In fact, many teachers in the study said technology could be a useful educational tool. For example, they cite that access to the Internet and search engines had made students more self-sufficient researchers.
According to this NY Times article, President Obama’s kids, 14 and 11 years old, are only allowed to use technology on weekends. During the week, computers may only be brought out for homework use.
This was surprising, especially for a President who is way more tech savvy than his predecessors. However, when I thought about it from POTUS’ point of view, there is something to be said about shielding his kids from the harsh glare of the political spotlight. After all, it’s much harder to see the negative feedback about your parents if you aren’t constantly on Twitter.
What do you think?
To plug or unplug on vacation – that is the question
Wanted to share this article from the Sunday Boston Globe about taking technology on vacation with the kids. It resonated with me on so many levels. This passage really hit home:
“Technology, having transformed the rest of life, is going after the family vacation. Parents and kids are equally guilty of clinging to their mobile devices, though for anyone who has learned about the night sky from an app — or answered a work e-mail from the beach — technology can enhance a vacation, or make it possible for some adults to get away at all.
Therein lies a conundrum. As parents, do we unplug on vacation to set an example for our kids? Or do we stay connected and risk coming off as hypocrites if we don’t allow our kids “i-time?”
The solution is, like many things in life, MODERATION. As the article states, agree on realistic parameters before you leave for vacation. It’s OK to unplug and interact with the kids when you’re away, just as it’s OK to embrace technology to help enhance your time with the kids.
What do you think?
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