I work at a school as an instructional aid I have been doing this for a year now and I have conversations with the teachers about how they feel technology effects children. One particular Teacher who’s name I will not be using, she developed eyes on my whole face saying when she wanted her kids’ attention according to her ” The children are used to look at screens all day and not use to making eye contact and they are not required to at home”. Another teacher told me the children are dependant on technology, technology has replaced how children used to learn and this is the way for them to want to learn.
What’s the harm in technology? About 63 percent of schools are using some form of technology either through the use of tablets, Chromebooks, or Giant computer screens which for the life of me I cannot remember what they are called. Children’s main learning source is through technology, kids are hardly spending time learning traditionally. Teachers have a 10-minute lesson and it’s on to tablet time and this in no way is taking a shot at teachers it’s just the way the school system is keeping up with the times. Children cannot focus without the use of some sort of technology now. I came from a time (although I’m not that old) where I had to sit in class the old fashion way and listen to the teacher give their lesson plan no matter how long it was I had to sit and listen. Now don’t get me wrong the children are on the devices doing educational stuff but the way the site is set up they do not have to get the answer right to get the answer. Let’s say for example a kid can input in the wrong answer about two times the program will give them the answer and allow them to move on. So what are they learning if the answer is given after a few times of deliberately getting it wrong? Through the use of technology children are dependant on not have to figure out math problems, or have to use their minds it blocks them.
Aside from school according to some research I did 60 percent of children between the ages of 6-11. That may not seem like a lot but it is, technology is everywhere they turn. When children are at home they are hooked up to a television screen barely able to tare their eyes away. Toddlers are watching phone screens and tablets, learning to keep their focus on that and nothing else. Parents even use that as a way to keep their children busy so to speak. Children nowadays have to rely on technology to keep the company because they are no longer being engaged. Again this is not a shot at anyone it is just an eye-opener into what is going on.
When children are wrapped in technology they are disconnected from the world, it affects their social skills and it can have a long-time effect on their mental health. Children can start to suffer from anxiety from their lack of social interactions and they can develop feelings of unhappiness. Although we are in the age of technology children will develop a dependence because they will not know how to function without, they are so attached now if technology stopped working for a day children would not know how to entertain themselves or how to do their homework without it. Children do not know how to go to encyclopedias to find information, children do not know how to go to a dictionary to look up words. Technology enables them to fully learn because computers think for them.
My suggestion to cut down on the use of technology that I got from a Teacher would be to set screentime on the electronic devices. Screentime ables you to set a time where all devices go off at a certain time, I feel that families should try this. Not only should they do screen time but also have family time, get the kids more engaged with the family, have disccusions encourage communication. Now as for school we cannot do anything about the technology in schools, but when children get home we can teach them how to use other sources to do homework. WE CAN NEVER GET RID OF TECHNOLOGY BECAUSE IT’S ALL AROUND US BUT WE CAN TEACH ARE CHILDREN TO NOT BE DEPENDANT. Are you convinced yet ?
Boldly 