The good stuff
kids can do with popular tech
For years, the
parental adage was simple: The less time spent with screens, the better. That thinking stems from, among other things,
reports about the rise of cyber bullying and sexual predators, as well as the
fact that social media- specifically the sight in photos-can make kids feel
depressed and insecure.
There’s also a
fundamental aversion to sitting kids in front of screens, thanks to decades of
studies proving that watching too much TV can lead to obesity, violence and
attention-deficit/hyper activity disorder.
In that vein,..
“connect children to nature” and “ignite passion for lifelong learning.’ You
could say some computer games develop creativity, “ but I don't see any
benefit..
But its not that
simple. While there are dangers inherent in access to Facebook, new research
suggest that social networking sites also offer unprecedented learning
opportunities. ?Online, kids can engage with specialized communities of
interest,” says.. One girl she spoke with, for example, was able to discover an
interest in writing only after she joined a community of bloggers who wrote fan
fiction about their favorite wrestlers. Similar communities exist for
coding….Early tech use has cognitive benefits as well. Although parenting
experts have questioned the value of educational games-as Jim Taylor, author of
Raising Generation Tech, puts it, “they’re a load of crap.. meant to make money”-
new studies have show they can add real value. In a recent study by SRI..kids
who played games like Samorost (solving puzzles) did 12% better on logic tests
than those who did not. And at MIT’s Ed
arcade, playing the empire-building game Civilization piqued students’ interest
in history and was directly linked to an improvement in the quality of their
history-class reports.
The reason:
engagement. On average, according to research cited by MIT, students can …but
when they’re actually doing something themselves-in the virtual worlds on Ipads
or laptops-that retention rate skyrockets to 90%.
This is the main
reason researchers like Ito say they recommendation of a two-hour screen-time
limit is n outdated concepts: actively browsing pages on a computer or tablet
is way more brain-stimulating than vegging out in front of the TV.
The most
convincing argument for early-age tech fluency, however, is more basic: staying
competitive. “If you look at applying
for college or a job, that’s on the computer,” says.. Ditto the essential
skills for jobs in fast growing sectors such as programming, engineering and
biotechnology.” If we are not exposing our students to this stuff early,
Jackson continues, “ they are going to be left behind” We had a virtual
Olympics where they came and utilized our virtual wii and xbox gyms, he says
“that rally made them see the value”
None of this
means kids deserve unfettered access to the gadget of their choice-sepecially
if, as Mcgrath notes, they’ve already
been caught abusing it. As with any childhood privilege, monitoring is key. But
parents should keep and open mind about the benefits of tech fluency- and even,
when possible, work with their kids to make it useful. Kids are going to learn
more engaging with adults on these media than using them independently.
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Cultivating interest
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Streamline homework
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Get creative: game like minecraft allow kids to
crate whole worlds from scratch, honing problem solving and cirtial thinking
skills. (down load stay focus plug in on chrome if you are worried.
