“Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.” Pablo Picasso
“A study out this week confirms every modern parent’s fears: We’ve raised a whole new generation of gadget addicts. The Kaiser Family Foundation released a study that says young people spend more than 7½ hours every day — or about 53 hours a week — watching TV, playing video games, texting, listening to music and otherwise staying glued to their phones, though not in the usual manner.” …To no one’s surprise, those kids who used media devices a lot less than their peers reported better grades in school.
My concern is that children are plugged in and tuned out. The more they are connected to their devices, the more time they spend in the world of social networking, the less “connected” they seem to be.
Computers do enhance children’s education—the Internet is a valuable research tool but my concern is the over use of technology and how compatible and child-friendly digital technologies are to the growth and development of children.
Another concern is how computers are filling children’s’ minds with information at the expense of teaching them how to think.—children learn through socialization and interaction with peers and teachers and parents.
To make good choices for children, parents need to be informed and have accurate information. The sheer amount of information about the effects of technology on children can feel over whelming. Although there are many very good books that speak to this subject, I highly recommend, “Your Child’s Growing Mind: Brain Development and Learning from Birth to Adolescence” by Jane Healy. Her book is an excellent starting point on a subject—the effects and possible hazards of children spending too much time with technology— that speaks to parental concerns.
A couple of questions to ponder?
How much technology is good for your child?
Who decides how much time your child spends with their devices?
How much time are they spending on social networking?
Children get much of their information from the Internet: Do they trust everything they read on the intent?
Do they stop to find out the source of the information they are getting from the Internet?
On a daily basis, how much time do you spend with technology?
On a daily basis, how much time do they spend reading a book?
On a daily basis, how much time do you spend reading a book?
