Should Young Children be Exposed to More Technology in Education?
At the rate our society’s utilization of technology is advancing, it’s no surprise that children growing up with it will quickly become adept to it. Children can easily navigate their way through technologies such as smartphones, tablets, iPads, etc, because that’s what they are growing up with now. Sure, around the year I was born, computers were a thing. In fact, they actually started to become more widespread in homes and schools back in the 1970s. On one of our home videos, you can hear my mom asking my grandpa where my older sister (2 years old at the time) is at, to which he responds “Oh, Jayci is on the internet again.” Probably referring to a computer game such as Pajama Sam, Spy Fox, or Freddi Fish that was won in a cereal box. Fast forward 17 years, and you see toddlers swiping, unlocking, and locating different features on touch screen devices with ease. When I babysit for my backdoor neighbors, the kids fight over who’s going to use the tablet; for me at their age, it was always the Gamecube controller my sister and I fought over.The point is that with each generation, technology is becoming more and more advanced. Just as toddlers today are exposed to more technology than kids growing up in the 90s, children 10 years from now will grow up in an even further technologically advanced society. But how much technology is too much? Technology is a very versatile tool, but as a society we are headed in
As far back as I can remember I have had a happy childhood. I didn’t grow up depending on technology to teach me the alphabet or learning to draw pictures on an iPad. Instead I played outside for hours in my tree house inventing new ways to climb the tree in my backyard, and learning to color inside the lines of my coloring book that I bought with the quarters I earned with my lemonade stand at the end of my drive way. Families that make up our society and individuals are affected by different aspects of technology everyday. The digital age that we have rapidly approached since the 2000’s has effected minds of young children teaching them to play a digital game in a computer
In the article Attached to Technology and Paying a Price, they show the story of of Kord Campbell who is a often user of technology. For which states, “Even after he unplugs, he craves the stimulation he gets from electronic devices. He forgets things like dinner plans, and has trouble focusing on his family. This is your brain on computers” (Richtel, Matt) Here is a pure example on the effects that technology has on an individual, how it changes one’s behavior. Imagine a student who was once a focused student but then was introduced to electronic devices. Overtime they begin to separate from friends or family and just spend time on the web. If a family member threatens to take their devices away they can become aggressive. One can see the change in behavior and see the negative effects. In the article, The Toll on Children stated that, “Researchers worry that constant digital stimulation...creates attention problems for children with brains that are still developing, who are already struggle to set priorities and resist impulses.” (The Toll on Children) Teenagers are passing through a great change in hormones and many other factors, which makes them vulnerable to digital stimulation. Many begin to change by what the web has to offer as well from many other things. If schools participate students can be able to take a break and rethink things to make their lives not revolve around
This technology revolution sparked a debate on children’s use of technology. Children are constantly using iPads, iPhones, tablets, and other computerized devices. By over exposing children to technology, they are being robbed of the mental stimulation that comes from doing real, non computerized, activities. It has gotten to the point where one can see a two-year-old navigate an iPhone with ease but struggle to speak. Sixty-nine percent of children aged two to five can use a computer mouse, but only eleven percent can tie their own shoelaces (Generation Tech More Kids Can Play Computer Games than Ride a Bike). Also, children are at an all time low in the creativity department
New technology is going to be added everyday and it is only going to keep moving forward. If technology is moving forward shouldn't we aspire for our children to move forward as well and have a firm grasp on technology and not fall behind. Technology is being implied upon every professional field therefore we need to start preparing the younger generations coming up for this widespread of technology. This would be teaching the younger ages more about real life situations
In these modern times it is no secret that computer technology has become part of our everyday lives. Being an 18 year old kid now I still remember when I was in grade school I didnt have half of the technology these kids have now. It is almost getting out of hand what 10 year old kid needs a iphone and a smart watch. My own nephews are 3 and 4 and they wont put down there tablets ever. They go into screaming fits if you take it away from them.
In today’s society we are overwhelmed with technology. Technology is changing everyday, and will forever be a staple in our lives. The effect that technology has on our children has brought on some concerns and some praises. Children these days have no choice but to some how be influenced by the ever growing technology in our societies. Our common concern has been that although digital technology has boosted children’s talent for multitasking, their ability to process information deeply may be deteriorating (Carpenter, 2010). Many people have a wide range of opinions on if technology is having a positive influence on our children or a negative, there is a vast amount of evidence to support both of these arguments. Technology can refer to
Technology is taking over our society. Our children have an attachment bond with their electronic devices such as: the computer, cellular phones, IPods and television. These devices are taking over our children minds. Have we ever wonder what this world would be like if everything was robotic? Have we ever wondered what these electronic devices are doing to our children? In today’s society, every child, from a two year old to an adult, has a cellular phone or IPod or some kind of electronic devices. Our technological industries have shown a drastic increased since 1945 after World War II. Technological advancement is evident in most of the industrial countries,
Many parents nowadays don’t even second guess handing their kid an tablet or phone to occupy them while they are running errands or eating. This is likely because the most convenient way to get a kid’s undivided attention for a prolonged period of time- no matter how young or old they are- is to put a screen in front of them. It has been said by the older generations that we are too consumed with technology, but in a world that is fast becoming technology dependent, the question ‘how early is too early to introduce technology to kids?’ arises. Some say that it is never too early- to start right off the bat and incorporate it in their everyday lives. Others disagree and say that technology should not be used until after the age of two due to
Included below is a summary about the article titled “How Young is Too Young for Technology,” by Josie Gurney-Read, and published by Telegraph. This article talks about the positive and negative impacts when exposing young children to technology. First, Read opens up the article explaining that by the time children start school, 70% are already confident in using a laptop, tablet or smart phone. Read also notes, that 17% of children under the age of three have their own device. The article then discusses that the American Academy of Pediatrics says that children under the age of two should be discouraged from using technology and that preschool kids shouldn’t be using devices for more than two hours per day (Read). Professor Manfred Spitzer
It is explained that past studies were conducted in a time when only video games and TV where the norm and that the advent of smartphones and tablets requires further research. The researchers thus conduct a self-reported survey on 2,620 children from ages 8 to 16 asking their use time regarding common devices including iPads and laptops. The finding was that children ages 8-16 are for the most part exceeding the limit time but the use of the devices and type of use differed depending on the sex, age and even grade of the child. The study also goes into great detail on the fact that schools are more and more embracing technology. This source may be somewhat useful for my paper. My research is supposed to be focused on very young children, 8 – 16 years old is not exactly a toddler. However, the article serves as a reminder that technology use is already very prevalent in older children and becoming a part of standard education. I can use this information to tie it with all my other findings about importance of adopting
The current generation of children is completely different than the preceding ones. They are living in the digital age. “Technology has blended in with daily activity to become a way of life and children today take for granted all of which is automated. It is hard for kids nowadays to imagine a world that existed without all of the gadgets, electronics and seamless operations that computer technology provides.” (3) “Children in the United States devote some 40 hours a week to television, video games and the Internet.” (12) Many psychologists and researchers are concerned about the impact that technology has on children. Children, tomorrow’s future parents and leaders, are being consumed by the negative effects that technology had on their
Today’s technology has greatly impacted the young children’s everyday lives. Phones, tablets, and computers are all a form of technology that impact the way kids are influenced. Some children get phones or computers at young ages and it can cause kids to depend on it to entertain them. Eventually they will allow the technology to take over and have it become the form of communication between friend and family instead of face to face. As parents continue to buy their children new technology they don’t monitor the amount of time their children spend on the Internet. Technology is becoming more advanced overtime which causes children to become more attached and unable to function without it near by.
Over the years, technology has increased in usage within many ways and has caused successful changes in a person’s lively routine. However, technology has evolved since the very beginning which concern has grown over the negative effects of its excessive use. Nicholas Carr’s article “Is Google Making Us Stupid” addresses the tendency of technology to create a sort of mental laziness where people look for instant answers rather than thinking for themselves. Daphne Bavelier, C. Shawn Green, and Matthew W.G. Dye have written in “Children, Wired: For Better and for Worse” on the transient and persistent effects of technology on children, particularly in terms of media exposure of television, movies, and video games. Additionally, Matt Richtel, writer for The New York Times, states in “Attached to Technology and Paying a Price” that the tendency of the brain to respond to immediate stimuli has a negative impact on the average user, ranging from disinterest to daily tasks to the risky behavior of texting and driving. Ultimately, these three articles agree that regardless of potential conveniences of heavy technology use, the tradeoff is something to be strongly considered.
Another source of the overdependence of technology in children is school. At school, they are introduced to technology at a very young age, sometimes even in preschool. Children are introduced to calculators at a very young age, helping them with math problems they should be able to do in their heads. The teachers are encouraging it so the students don’t take the time to learn how to do it out and then struggle when they have no calculator. Also, children today are proven to have much worse handwriting than in the past. They are now expected to type English essays and in elementary school; many aren’t taught cursive but rather how to use computers. For example, in 2009, 97 percent of teachers had at least one computer in their room, and out of that, 93 percent of the computers were connected to the Internet (Gray, Thomas, Lewis). Intelligence is continuously decreasing due to all of the shortcuts children now are able to take advantage of. In some aspects, the advancements are really aiding students. They have almost any information they can imagine wherever they go, just by going to Google. Typing is neat and
Whether we decide to use it, or not is entirely up to us, but blaming technology and science for our societal problems is not the answer. I believe that parents should put in an extra effort to learn about the new technological advancements of the day because not only does that allow them to be better informed, but it is a great tool for parenting. So much negativity about computers and its effects on people, particularly children, causes adults to stay out of the "loop". Bishop also mentions in his article that people fear things they do not know. When the majority of people do not understand more than half the things they need to know about computers, it is difficult for them, that is when they start fearing these things that are ultimately foreign to them.