Technology Is Common, New Thinking Is Rare

As the number of technological devices increases dramatically in the U.S. so does the arguments for and against these devices being placed in little kids hands (Hanes). Even if these iPads and Tablets have “educational apps” the impact they make on children shouldn’t be praised. UCLA scientists found that sixth-graders who went five days without a digital screen did tremendously better at reading human emotions than sixth-graders who continued to spend hours each day looking at their

Children use a lot of technology. They use technology whether they are using social media, using a learning program, or reading an electronic book. The truth is, that there are more positives than negatives when children use technology. There is fear that if children use too much technology they will not have proper development especially cognitively. This paper will show how technology can benefit a child’s cognitive development.

Modern Technology is good for the developing brain of a child.When using any modern technology like Ipad, Iphone, Ipod, laptop computer anything, when using these amazing their brains are constantly being used. Each icon they click each word they read each picture or color they see is all recorded in their brains. When a child is on a application, that child zooms in on the activity which causes a chain reaction to the brain keeping the brain active, and exercising. “The impact of heavy media and technology use on kids are social, emotional and cognitive development is only beginning to be studied, and the emergent results are serious.” This quote proves of my statement because it says that a child’s emotional and cognitive development are being affected by technology. There are a lot of brain exercises on the internet. Just for a kid going on the computer and seeing screen light up and reading the words to guide them to a activity is exercising because you’re using your brain to use the computer, and reading the word google or yahoo or even the startup menu.”Children now rely on technology for the majority of their play, grossly limiting challenges to their creativity and imaginations,

Technology is taking over the classroom, so students and teachers need to be up to date on the latest improvements. If toddlers have experience with these games and how they all work, they should be up to speed or ahead when they come to school. “Kindergarten and first grade students were able to improve on word-reading skills, vocabulary knowledge, and phonological awareness when given digital text. Older students who have used e-reading technology have seen improvements with fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension” (“4 Ways the Internet is Making Kids Smarter”). Students who start using an e-reader or digital text at a young age will be able to improve greatly compared to those who do not use them at

Looking to the past for help understanding the children of today is no longer a useful tool. As technology advances, it begins to play a bigger role in the lives and development of children. Technology’s impact on the families of today is breaking down the core values that held them together. These advances affect the attention span of children, their social skills, and their brain development. In the 21st century, technology has become the focal point of society. More advances have been made in this day and age than any other, and while some of them have changed the world for the better, not every effect has been a positive one.

Learning methods have also been transformed by technology. Before technology was incorporated in schools, essay writing was hand written, regardless of how long the essay was. Mathematical problems were solved mentally or calculated on paper until the solution was found. Handwriting skills in children was good, because of the amount of practice they had using it everyday in their school work. Furthermore, children developed a vast amount of book knowledge by using library resources from actual books. However, today it is not the norm. Almost every school issues students with devices like iPads or tablets from as early as kindergarten. It is important to realize that with the use of technological devices, children would prefer the quick action of iPads and tablets in contrast to handwriting or reading a book to find reference points. To put it another way, children will end up using mobile devices both in and out of school, leaving no room for outdoor forms of recreation. A Northlines article, “Information Technology and Children”, mentions that the availability of Internet connection on mobile devices is harmful, because they can use it negatively, giving children an uncontrolled source of entertainment and connectivity. Similarly, the availability of

Technology has always been a human fascination, from the way it promotes rapid communication to the simple fact that it entertains, and connects people worldwide. As more and more technology-based education systems are being set up in classrooms, we have seen an era when smartphones overpower people, interpersonal communicaiton, and even minds. Personally, after reading these articles, I feel more compelled to quit the use of technology, whether it be the smartphone, laptops, or tablets, in a classroom setting. As the West Point Academy study showed, students tended to score better when any use of technological device was strictly banned. Further demonstrating that technology is a burden on effective learning, the Ereader study made me become aware that the mind is stimulated through actions,

The first image from a new report on Today.com helps support this. When the student says, “PSST. How do you turn this thing on?” it shows how technology impacted his ability to understand simple topics. Most technological devices have an on/off switch, which is why the student asks the other student how to turn it on. This proves that this student is so used to technology that he doesn’t even know how to open a book. Additionally, the boy’s facial express next to him shows his difficulty with the book as well. His face is puzzled. He is confused with what to do with the book. It is as if the cover of the book is a screen on an iPad or a Kindle. Lastly, the teacher in the image, Miss Idler, is showing no concern for her students’ confusion. This is showing that even adults do not fully comprehend how much technology is impacting their children. Adults need to be aware the too much technology is causing harm to children. All three of these examples show that technology has impacted the way in which the students are able to do simple activities in the

The students in school all the way to university level that are currently studying are considered the “Digital Native” generation (Prensky 1-6). This is the generation that was born into technology and have always had computers, video games, cameras and mobile phones as part of their lives. They have grown up playing computer or video games, emailing, instant messaging and browsing the internet. They have always had a plethora of information at their fingertips and this has shaped their ways of thinking and processing data, as compared to the previous generations. While some speculate as to whether their early exposure to digital technology has affected their physical brain structure and patterns of thought, it is agreed that they definitely approach the world differently. (Prensky 1).

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

With new technology and advances in education it is no wonder the use of computers, iPads, and other devices are trickling into the daily life of our younger generations. Perhaps these advances could be doing more harm than providing the enriching education parents and schools think they are. There are now elementary schools where every child has their own iPad and middle schools with Chrome Books the students can take home. Even paper textbooks are being replaced with electronic versions. The use of technology moving forward with education needs to be balanced with critical factors involving a child’s development. Children must be separated from constant attachment to screens to properly learn and develop necessary social skills to become adults who are able to interact and communicate.

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.

In a world of twenty-four hour hour news, iPhones, touch screens, and laptops, it is not surprising that each year there are more and more children being exposed to, and welcomed into this technologically advanced society. It is not uncommon to see seven year olds using the newest gadgets with surprising efficiency, however, one must ask themselves what effects this new technology driven world is going to have on the younger generations? Are these kids going to become the most efficient multi-taskers to be seen, or is this boom in technological advance, and the societal pressure to be adept at even the newest technologies going to create a generation of youth who do not know how to get through the day without constant internet feeds and the connectedness to the entirety of the technological world? The effects of this increase in technological use by the younger generations of today’s society must be evaluated, and a few main areas where this change seems to have an influence include the youth’s changing sense of morality, children’s social skill development, and the use of these technological advances to provide more efficient and effective means of learning to children. These areas have all been studied rigorously in the past few years as technology has continued to advance, and work to provide insight into the effects of technology on early childhood development and learning.

There have been many changes in the technological scene in the last few years. This has prompted the argument on what people stand to benefit from these advancements. This is why there have been many studies and researches that are all intended to show how the electronic media assists in learning amongst children. However, there has been little attention as to what the electronic media does to the same children. The electronic media has become a favorite amongst the learners and in particular children. It is imperative to note that the learning process is not passive. This is because the children do not just heed to the instructions and assume that anything is learnt. The process of learning is active and cognitive. Therefore, the environment under which a child is in has a significant influence on the learning process. It is vivid from this argument that the media has a significant role in the shaping of the children. Electronic media is very beneficial in the learning process but it is imperative that there are regulations because it has a dominant role in cognitive development of children.

Furthermore, as communication and writing skills diminish our school performance begins to be affected. The entertainment of mobile devices distracts nearly every student in the classroom whether it is texting, or playing games, or surfing the net. Mobile devices also play a big role in communication by making it possible for students to easily communicate with each other when they should not be. The power to communicate with virtually anyone is a major distraction. Some teens are so attached to their technological devices they sleep with phones on and wake up to answer text messages they get at night. When kids have cell phones in their classrooms they are extremely distracted from what is actually being taught. They are looking down and playing their games or going on social networking sites instead of listening to their teachers. With the constant distraction of technology and teens short attention spans reading and writing skills have suffered significantly and vocabularies are shrinking. This relates to their education and their ability to do well in school. Another problem is that technology provides students with the ability to explore numerous search engines for any problem they come across and copy them word for word. It seems that students don’t spend time thinking; they are simply repeating information instead of learning concepts and ideas. When students do this, they do not actually learn the