The Digital Parent Trap By Eliana Dockterman Analysis

Since children today have become digital natives; they will never truly know a world that is not touched with technology. This means that the educational paradigm has to shift in order to keep up with the needs of our young learners (Jo, 2016). In the last thirty years, technological advances

In this brief editorial adapted by Eliana Dockterman, "The Digital Parent Trap" portrays the current battle between a child's world with and without technology. As many schools and parents are split between the two decisions, Dockterman finds a way to be the tie breaker through her persuasion and smooth rhetorical devices. Docktermon tries her best to convince the readers that technology is okay in moderation, and builds her argument through word choice. With the formality of her diction and her many reliable sources to persuade the reader, she seems to have everything she needs to get the job done.

In Eliana Dockterman's passionate article "The Digital Parent Trap", the author builds her argument to convincingly persuade her audience that there are benefits to early exposure to technology which will greatly affect future generations. The author effectively employs use of persuasive and argumentative techniques including factual evidence and research, appeals to emotion, and well-supported statements from professionals.

“Growing Up Tethered” by the director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, Sherry Turkle, reviews how today’s technology has negatively molded student development through adolescence and into adulthood. First, Turkles explains that this constant communication is creating a cycle where parents are more worried about their child when they do not respond to calls or messages and creating more dependent students that are not aware that they have no freedom or no skills to

In the section titled The Dumbest Generation, “Digital Nation” lays out a haunting narrative describing technology’s negative impact on students today. This section draws from an interview with Mark Bauerlein, a professor and author of book titled “The Dumbest Generation.” Bauerlein claims that reading, writing and math skills of students have all already began to deteriorate. It seems that constant interruption and attempts to multitask are at the heart of this deterioration. I received my first smart phone just before the beginning of this semester, from my own experience I can only agree with the assertion that technology puts a damper on the educational experience. The issue does not come with the technology itself, rather, the desire for constant connection distracts from the learning experience. As the first generation of persons who grew up with technology become parents, I hope they can teach their children the skill of moderation and the importance of education – skills often not taught to kids today by their parents born before the technology boom. These ideas will solve the deterioration of reading, writing, and math that Bauerlein speaks

According to the article “What’s the Matter with the Kids Today”, many adults believe that new technology is consuming the minds of young people. Amy Goldwasser uses research from Common Core surveys as well as Doris Lessing’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech to create her argument. Goldwasser uses these examples to explain that if parents and teachers better understood the use of technology, students wouldn’t be punished for their overuse of technology today.

Ever since the early 80’s, there has been a rise in technology. From the first Macintosh, to the latest iPhone, technology has evolved to fit nearly any environment. However, not everyone agrees with this rise in the techno age. Psychologist Susan Pinker claims that technology is stripping down student education. She addresses her reasoning in The New York Times editorial entitled: “Can Students Have Too Much Tech?” She argues that, “...mounting evidence shows that showering students, especially those from struggling families,will not shrink the class divide in education. If anything, it will widen it.” Pinker informs parents and educators that having too much technology in and out of the classroom will ruin a child’s education, especially

In response to the argument concerning the benefits to early exposure to technology, author Eliana Dockterman effectively argues in her article “The Digital Parent Trap” that new technology exposes to children having more advantages than disadvantages. The author begins to build credibility through the use of statistical data and acknowledging her counter arguments by providing evidence. Dockterman effectively convinces her audience by using the rhetorical appeals. These appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos to create an effective argument.

The article outlines how the introductions of portable devices in technology have made communication a common norm in today’s society of the 21st century. Ipads, Smart phones, and AAC devices have become socially acceptable. The article discusses how Arizona has made ground breaking attempts to include technology in all grades from k-12. The writer states it best, “What administrators are finding is that non-verbal kids with devices prove they know a lot more than ever they themselves

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.

Technology has become a huge part of our lives; we see it everywhere around us, in our living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, and in the hands of our children. In Eliana Dockterman's article "The digital parent trap", she uses research, logic, and quotes from many experts in the fields of technology, education, and psychology to show the different arguments people have regarding the effects of young adults spending so much time in front of digital screens and persuade the readers into thinking that technology is a useful tool is used right.

In the article “The Digital Parent Trap” the author, Eliana Dockterman, shows the consequences and benefits of early exposure to technology. She supports this claim through the structure of the piece, the fact they use and quotes from reputable sources.

The use of technology in our academia and households is an ever-growing controversial issue in this modern era. There have been many advancements in the area, new ways to access and manipulate it, such as smartphones developed to be as complex as computers. As a society, we are now exposing youth to the vast database of knowledge and information which they might not know how to properly use. In this TIME magazine article, Eliana Dockterman strives to persuade her parental audience that technology is beneficial to children by using her credibility, anecdotal and statistical evidence; however, her bias on this topic diminishes her credibility, leaving the audience in a state of confusion.

Technology and Education has interested me for years, it also plays a big part in our everyday lives. Technology and Education is only a small part of the many opportunities that it brings to one’s life, making it possible for all age groups to per take in a world with the touch of one’s finger tips. Technology has educated our children in more ways than one; by making our children more stimulated in learning, increase one’s self esteem, and open one’s mind to endless possibility. “Public healthcare professionals use computer technology to support public health practice, research, and learning” (Burke. Weill. 2009. P.23) we all must take note and embrace what’s yet to come.