Technology And Literacy

Television sets can be found in almost every American’s home. They’re used for news report, daily weather forecast and for pleasure. However, time spent in front of the tube is linked to having adverse affects in the development of children’s brains. Excess screen time can be linked to attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, aggressive behavior, poor mental development, and physical health issues later in life.

Furthermore, children spend more time watching television rather than reading. “A 2007 study published by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reported that the average US household has a television set turned on an average of 8 hours and 11 minutes every single day. Much of that television watching is being done by children” (Preface to 'How Should Television Be Regulated?'). Most children have watched over three school years worth of television. In the article “TV Doesn’t teach,” it is pointed out that the decline in the ability to read in

Technology throughout the past 30-40 years has become more advanced and accessible than ever. The television specifically has developed extremely since its beginning. What started off as a single camera caption, has developed into a full fledge worldwide availability. Within the United States, the TV is a normal everyday object common in households, hotels, schools, and even restaurants. There are approximately 118.4 million household in the United States that own a television set ( The Number of TV Households in the United States from season 2000-2001 to season 2016-2017 (in millions)).However, the increased amount of time spent watching TV has had a tremendous impact on people, especially kids. The differences in generations throughout the development of the TV has led to many questions, all revolving around whether or not the televisions has had a good or negative impact pertaining to children. Time spent watching television affects the brain, ability to learn, and skill levels in different areas (source. In the book “Last Child in The Woods,” Richard Louv discusses how children in the 1940’s would watch out the window at the scenery and have conversations, while children now sit and watch a movie on a flip-down video screen without knowledge to the outside world (Louv 16-17).

Statistics show that screen time negatively affects children’s learning abilities and development. “The effects of so much screen time can include speech delays, aggressive behavior and obesity.” (Lavey) Since parents play a role in how much television their kids can watch, they can minimize the chances of their brains not developing correctly. “The first 2 years of life are considered a critical time for brain development. TV and other electronic media can get in the way of exploring, playing, and interacting with parents and others, which encourages learning and healthy physical and social development.” (Kids Health) Children do

The first chapter gave insight into why the information in the book is important and gave examples of children. The author talked about how the digital age is affecting how children are being raised and how screen time is affecting their development. Examples of this are; lack of empathy, less deep thoughts, uneasiness when left alone, and less communication skills. Although media can help foster skills it can also hinder many developmental tasks, because of this parents need to be aware of the influences and limit exposure.

One of the major concerns surrounding children's exposure to the media is the detriment to their learning and social skills.

Parents have neglected to use it as a privilege or a reward for doing well, which leads to children having the world at their fingertips at all times; a world that is uncensored, unkind, and impressionable on a young child who has yet to truly experience it. Given the rate at which technology is progressing, and how big of a part it plays in our everyday lives, I can’t help but notice the eye-soaring differences in character between children being born in the generation of technology vs. the older crowd who were raised solely on human contact. Children are most likely to spend the majority of their time watching television or playing video games when they are left un-attended but while the television is providing as a daycare, who is monitoring, and censoring what these perceptive susceptible minds are absorbing? This bad habit of constant television and unsupervised programs has long term negative effects in a child’s reasoning skills, and they’re ability to process and digest information without acting with brute force. The parent should be more aware and introduce these young viewers to something different. Together, the guardian and the child can create a reasonably collective environment of mental capacity just by limiting the amount of hours spent watching television and using fun alternatives besides the

Traditional methods of obtaining literacy information have been replaced with new technology such as, Kindles, laptops, cell phones and computers. Technology is the new gateway to collect information for educational purposes or casual reading. Numerous studies have examined the effectiveness of using technology for gathering up-to-date resources. In the past, the method of obtaining information for a school project was from outdated books, this method is still valuable, but for the constant inflow of information, technology is undeniably a quicker and more resourceful means. The variety of online resources a person can use for in, accomplishing tasks such as finding information for learning can be, websites that contain journals, documents

Suzanne McKee-Waddell writes of bridging the gap of the digital age and the writing methods educators currently utilize. In "Digital Literacy: Bridging the Gap with Digital writing Tools," she argues the need for educators to move towards the digital use in writing and meet their students where they are technology wise.

Technology literacy is a powerful tool for success and it has allowed me to teach my mom new ideas and helped her to adopt a fearless attitude towards technology literacy. My journey began when I was in the fifth grade, and my elementary school received a classroom of apple computers. Each week, we had computer class to use this new technology. Since then I have kept up with the evolution of technology. My mom, on the other hand, graduated from college before the use of any technology other than an overhead projector.

In addition, Nyham says that the best solution to this “problem” is a drastic one similar to amputation, meaning a parent should cut off all access to television. (whatever P) This is not only unrealistic, but also would leave a child feeling isolated from their peers. Douglas, on the other hand, is able to suggest a very obtainable solution of using television to teach a child basic media literacy. Nyham also tries to put on an act for the reader by using medical terms and over-exaggerated words throughout the essay. The author tries too hard to sound educated using words like “infernal” (3) or “cynical nattering” (19) and it comes off as a pathetic attempt to sound credible. Douglas embarrasses the Boston Globe columnist in this category. Douglas’ credibility in this subject remains unchallenged by Nyham’s futile attempts to “wow” the reader with a few “SAT” words. Throughout both essays, there is a communal agreement between Nyham and Douglas on the fact that television has the ability to affect this generation’s children in a very negative way; however, Douglas believes if used correctly, television shows can be a tool for parents to use for not only distracting their child for a few minutes, but also for teaching them essential life skills at a young age.

In one year, a child tends to spend more time watching TV than the amount of time spent in the classroom. Beginning in 1927, the first television consisted of nothing more than a very small box that consumed a monstrous amount of energy. As years passed, World War II served as the spark in the age of the TV. Many people in the United States of America became distraught during the war. What’s more settling than buying something to make oneself feel better? As TV’s flew off the shelf, little did America know of the potential harmful effects on education. The TV has been proven to negatively affect our children’s brains. The setbacks of TV far outweigh the The Small Fry Club, Tillstrom 's Kukla, Fran, and Ollie, and Robert E. "Buffalo Bob" Smith 's Howdy Doody Time provided some of the first children’s programs aired. Cartoons became a popular Saturday morning event in the early 1960’s. This ritual benefited both the parents and the child. The kids enjoyed having such consistent entertainment and the parents managed to have some free time to themselves. However, as time passed by, the use of television did not solely rely on entertainment, but also to distract children.

Technology gives students up to date information to work with when doing projects and assignments. Maslin and Nelson’s article Peering into the Future: Students Using Technology to Create Literacy Products the early education classroom in this article formed reading posters of their favorite books and famous figures. These students did research on the computer and put together a book review poster. Students in these classrooms are doing research while using technology to publish these posters. “These activities engage children in reading, writing, and publishing as ways of responding to intermediate level literature and sharing insights, reactions, and the appreciation of books with others”(Maslin and Nelson pg.628). In this article Readingweb

Television in schools have made a major impact on kids learning. It has become more fun and entertaining for kids. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting says, “Students who view a lot of television are more likely to report lower grades.” But 74.7% of the kids say they learn better. And 74.1% say they are more interested in the subject they are learning. At school, kids have watched channel one and it kept them updated about the news & what's going on in the world. (How T.V. impacts kids and learning) But the article “Television and Children” still states that Television can be a distraction to children in

Children with disabilities face a variety of challenges when learning to read. Some students experience processing disorders, some have auditory or visual deficits, still others have gross or fine motor disabilities. Computer technology is adept at addressing all of these issues by the nature of its flexible and extensible application. As a relatively low-cost solution for providing specialized instruction, integrating computer technology is a particularly attractive solution for students with dyslexia and who are at-risk for reading disorders (Torgesen, Wagner, Rashotte, Herron, & Lindamood, 2009). Torgesen, et al. (2009) further examined the methodology for implementing CAI in the