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My husband and I have both done work in the technology industry, and we have definitely seen the pluses and minuses of technology. Partly because of this, we seem to handle this issue differently than a number of other parents.
For computers, nearly all safety experts recommend that kids only use computers in a central location in a household, not in their rooms. Among other things, this reduces the likelihood of cyberbullying, online correspondence with child predators etc. It also reduces the chance that they will give out too much personal information online. (even child sites sometimes ask for too much information).
Therefore, our kids share a family computer. We may need to purchase another one because of growing homework needs, but they are not getting their "own." They are using ones that we will monitor until they are older.
For writing, there are also studies that show that putting a pen to paper is not only good for small motor development, but it is also is good for brain development. Likewise, writing errors are much more common on screens than on paper. So there are benefits to having kids learn to write the old fashioned way when they are young.
There also are a number of studies on how television and now other technology is limiting the attention spans of children. There is definitely mental benefit to just sitting in car and daydreaming (rather than playing on a ds, fooling around with a phone, ipod etc.). This is not to mention the addictive factor of some technology.
On the career front, as a few other people mentioned, it really takes very little time to learn things like texting and basic computing. It drives my husband nuts when he increasingly runs into people who think they are tech savvy because they can use technology, but they really don't understand how technology works at all. He sees this a lot in the younger generations coming up as well (not just middle age to older folks). Therefore, having your child learn to use some devices at a young age will not necessarily give them any edge. It mainly ends up giving an edge to kids who are more interested in computers than their peers. If a child is like this, then he/she can benefit from some of the great computer camps etc. out there.
I guess in the long run what I think is that technology has some benefits, but I think some parents and schools overvalue the ability of technology to help kids learn and prosper. My oldest child went to a tech-crazy school when she was in first grade and learned nothing from the computers. In second grade she had an old fashioned teacher who made my daughter sit down and write things manually. Her learning literally took off. The difference was night and day. Technology is not the holy grail, and can have a number of negative consequences for young children if you are not careful; so like everything else, I think all things are best in moderation.
Interesting. I wish I could find the video to post. Have you seen the commercial where the daughter *makes* her mom sign up for facebook and all the clips are of the mom and dad out with friends doing active things like riding bikes. The daughter ends by saying she has 200 friends and then something about "that's not a real cat." The daughter is spending her time on social networks while her parents are out in the real world.
No, I haven't seen it. I don't think social networking should take the place of activities or real life interactions. I was really referring to people who were otherwise reclusive or incapacitated.
I thought it was WAY cool how after the London riots people used social networking to gather together to clean up their streets.
(Of course... the rioters also used social networking to organize the rioting, too. And I'm sure we've all heard about the flash mobbing gone bad. Hmmm.)
I thought it was WAY cool how after the London riots people used social networking to gather together to clean up their streets.
We did that after the riots in L.A. We watched Edward James Olmos on TV walk out onto the street and start sweeping. That man single-handedly stopped the riots.
I love Edward James Olmos. I mean I love that man.
Hmmm... Interesting to me. I wonder if a tweet of him sweeping would have had the same power as the visual of him coming into our living rooms. I'll never forget that moment as long as I live. We walked out with our own brooms and saw most of the people on our street out with their brooms.
My husband and I have both done work in the technology industry, and we have definitely seen the pluses and minuses of technology. Partly because of this, we seem to handle this issue differently than a number of other parents.
For computers, nearly all safety experts recommend that kids only use computers in a central location in a household, not in their rooms. Among other things, this reduces the likelihood of cyberbullying, online correspondence with child predators etc. It also reduces the chance that they will give out too much personal information online. (even child sites sometimes ask for too much information).
Therefore, our kids share a family computer. We may need to purchase another one because of growing homework needs, but they are not getting their "own." They are using ones that we will monitor until they are older.
For writing, there are also studies that show that putting a pen to paper is not only good for small motor development, but it is also is good for brain development. Likewise, writing errors are much more common on screens than on paper. So there are benefits to having kids learn to write the old fashioned way when they are young.
There also are a number of studies on how television and now other technology is limiting the attention spans of children. There is definitely mental benefit to just sitting in car and daydreaming (rather than playing on a ds, fooling around with a phone, ipod etc.). This is not to mention the addictive factor of some technology.
On the career front, as a few other people mentioned, it really takes very little time to learn things like texting and basic computing. It drives my husband nuts when he increasingly runs into people who think they are tech savvy because they can use technology, but they really don't understand how technology works at all. He sees this a lot in the younger generations coming up as well (not just middle age to older folks). Therefore, having your child learn to use some devices at a young age will not necessarily give them any edge. It mainly ends up giving an edge to kids who are more interested in computers than their peers. If a child is like this, then he/she can benefit from some of the great computer camps etc. out there.
I guess in the long run what I think is that technology has some benefits, but I think some parents and schools overvalue the ability of technology to help kids learn and prosper. My oldest child went to a tech-crazy school when she was in first grade and learned nothing from the computers. In second grade she had an old fashioned teacher who made my daughter sit down and write things manually. Her learning literally took off. The difference was night and day. Technology is not the holy grail, and can have a number of negative consequences for young children if you are not careful; so like everything else, I think all things are best in moderation.
Rather than looking at studies, I look at my kids, my very real right-here kids and their friends, who are using all kinds of technology, are not "addicted", are still more than able to have long conversations requiring full attention, are still imaginative, able to sit and think and work out problems, and are personable, kind, intelligent caring kids. And I don't limit my kids' "screen time" at all.
As was pointed out earlier, many of those studies are biased against technology - the researchers go in assuming there is some negative affect.
My son's learning also "took off" in second grade, as happens for many, many kids that age. It had nothing to do with technology available or not available, and more to do with being developmentally in a different place than they were in first grade.
I couldn't agree more. It's one of my biggest pet peeves. (And for what it's worth, I'm 21.) When someone calls me while I'm with someone else, I either don't answer or I answer and make it quick. The only time I've been known to talk for a long time on the phone in present company is when I had been trying to get in touch with a doctor for over a week about a medical issue I was having, and in that case I went right ahead and had the conversation there and then. I also hadn't planned on hanging out with a friend--I ran into her by chance. Other than extreme cases like that though, I think there's simply no excuse for blabbering away on your phone or texting away with present company. Yesterday my classes begun and one of my teachers went on for 15 minutes about if she sees people texting, she will kick them out of her class permanently! (And this is at a deaf school--it's not like people can listen to her voice while texting--they need their eyes to look at her signing.) I shudder to think what she put up with before that caused her to become so strict about the issue now.
All that said, I think that's a separate issue from giving your kid an iPad or computer. You can give your kid technology and teach them how to be respectful at the same time. The kids I babysit jump on the iPad all the time but my dad, their mom, and I all make sure they put the iPad away for dinner or if we are about to do something else that requires their full attention.
That's kind of silly for someone calling you when you are with someone else to be a peeve. How are they to know you are with someone else? How are they to know if you are busy or not?
I always answer my phone, I see what the person wants, I explain to them I am hanging out with someone else and if they want to make plans for later I do so and then talk to them more after I am not busy.
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Originally Posted by nana053
Interesting. I wish I could find the video to post. Have you seen the commercial where the daughter *makes* her mom sign up for facebook and all the clips are of the mom and dad out with friends doing active things like riding bikes. The daughter ends by saying she has 200 friends and then something about "that's not a real cat." The daughter is spending her time on social networks while her parents are out in the real world.
I honestly don't know anyone who does nothing but sit on the internet all the time and doesn't go out with people.
I now have a job, I go out with my friends, I spend the night at TG's house, I go and play disc golf and I wouldn't opt to sit at home and just play on facebook instead of going out.
I periodically post through out the day.
Like today posted right before work about it being my first day and being so excited, posted 14 minutes later about getting pulled over. And on my breaks through out the day replied to peoples comments on those posts via my phone.
I was out in the real world, doing real things today but facebooked and texted through out the day.
That's kind of silly for someone calling you when you are with someone else to be a peeve. How are they to know you are with someone else? How are they to know if you are busy or not?
I always answer my phone, I see what the person wants, I explain to them I am hanging out with someone else and if they want to make plans for later I do so and then talk to them more after I am not busy.
Sorry--let me clarify. My peeve is when I am with someone, and they get a phone call and talk on the phone for a very long time. I'm not talking about picking up and making it short and sweet. I don't mind that at all and I do the same. I'm talking about people who pick up the phone and talk for half an hour or more all the while completely ignoring me. Or when they text incessantly when I'm with them and think I don't know just cause I'm blind. (The worst is when I ask "are you texting?" and they say "no?!" defensively and then five seconds later I feel their phone vibrating on the table.) I'm not talking about a few texts, I mean the whole time you're hanging out with them they are texting with another friend. Hope that makes more sense. I know it's normal or not rude for some people but I can't help but feel it is rude.
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I honestly don't know anyone who does nothing but sit on the internet all the time and doesn't go out with people.
I used to do that and know some people who do as well. The Internet was practically made for housebound people. Many people are housebound for legitimate reasons, such as disability. The Internet gives people with minimal or no mobility a window into the social world. It also gives people who are able to get around, but who live in secluded areas, a window into a much wider social world.
Last edited by nimchimpsky; 08-30-2011 at 06:12 PM..
What does she whisper after "my parents are up to nineteen friends now--"? I can't hear it. Thanks.
I can't hear it either. Maybe someone can read her lips? <g>
I just think that is a fun commercial.
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And on my breaks through out the day replied to peoples comments on those posts via my phone. 
