[Shared by The Boy and Me]
I’m writing this during an INSET where the speaker has introduced her session on challenging More Able and Talented children by showing a photograph of four nursery age children who were playing on iPods and not communicating, thus illustrating her concerns about the use of technology by children. This angered me slightly; it was shown out of context with little information about the children’s task, what they were doing immediately before or after.
It’s started me thinking about the technology that The Boy uses, and why.
On a daily basis, The Boy can help unload the dishwasher, turn on the television, select channel 614, play puzzles on the iPad, take photos on his camera, turn on the washing machine and play on one of his preschool games on the laptop. Don’t get me wrong here, we also do art and craft, jigsaws, book reading and general playing. However my point is, that The Boy uses a lot of technology, and with a father who’s a software developer and a mother who’s an ICT coordinator then it’s difficult for him to avoid it.
It started when he was 20 months old and I would give him a bubble-popping app on the iPod; not for a distraction but to help him develop his hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. I would load the app for him and he’d play for just a few minutes, it was amazing to see the tracking in his vision. One day I nipped out to the kitchen to get a drink and came back in to discover him switching between the apps and playing a matching pairs game. I’d never shown him that, he’d worked it out for himself.
Children are innately curious, technology is an amazing tool for encouraging this.
We have made a conscious decision to provide The Boy with a range of technology so that we ignite within him the curiosity needed to investigate further technological innovations…
“The advance of technology is based on making it fit in so that you don’t really even notice it, so it’s part of everyday life.” – Bill Gates
This is true. The technology that our children will use in the future is inconceivable: who would have thought five years ago that I’d be carrying a high powered computer around in my handbag with tens of books on it, access to the Internet, a camera, ‘board’ games and films on it, let alone that I’d be able to access all of that within seconds of reaching for it.
Technology has its place and is a valuable tool as a platform for learning; it is not a demon to be criticised at teacher training days, and children using it is not something that should be frowned upon. Of course there are going to be those parents who use it as a babysitter or pacifier (and in some situations it’s needed), but it’s also an amazing and innovative device for developing so many skills.
So here’s my question to you: what is your stance on technology in your children’s lives?
I think balanced use of technology is a good thing. After all our children are growing up in a different world where technology is permanently at their finger tips. In fact in some ways, to keep children away from technology would be more damaging to their future prospects than giving them access to it.
I wouldn’t let my children play on technology all day, but balanced with imaginative play and time outdoors I think it’s great. Everything in moderation as they say.
I think you see it as I do, a fellow teacher, and realise how good it can be combined with other forms of play? Thanks for your comment.
I will be absolutely honest and say that for me, technology has little role in the lives of young children. My daughter had no access to technology in the pre-school years – no television, no computer, no iPad. I know – I’m THAT evil.
I think it’s important for people to learn to do things manually before they move on to doing those same things electronically. I tend to think children have so many important skills to develop during those years, and they have their whole lives to learn about technology, that it just didn’t seem important to me – and I tend to think it can often be the opposite.
No television at all? Wow! Not even a sneaky Mr. Tumble in your hour of need?
I completely agree with you about learning to do thing manually, but for some children using technology opens up the world to them, especially children on the ASD spectrum.
Nope, no TV – it’s funny how quickly you don’t ‘need’ TV if it’s never introduced – I suspect Flea learned independent, imaginative play earlier than her peers because she learned to make her own games.
TV isn’t banned in our house, and never has been, but because Flea’s never been a habitual watcher, she simply doesn’t ask – there are lots of other things she’d rather do.