Lydia Kantor did a terrific job on our first entry for chapter 5. Here it is:
In chapter 5, Dr. Elkind talks of the new push for infant lapware and other technology that seems to be pressing down on children today. Dr. Elkind gives examples of how technology is ever changing and is changing young children’s lives in today’s age. He compares the first edition of the book to his newest and how much things have changed over the last twenty years. Today the technological advances and marketing media are playing largely on parental guilt. For instance, parents are being made to feel that if they don’t buy this new technology for their child, they won’t turn out as smart as other children whose parents bought their child the newest piece of technology. Parents in today’s society are feeling the ever growing pressure of getting their child ready for life. What we know as child development majors is that children will be ready with adequate time and experiences; there’s no need to rush children through life. Each child will be well-equipped with the experiences their parents have provided them. While providing such technology to an infant may boost the parents’ ego, there is research that “warns of the danger of overstimulation” (p. 103). Dr. Elkind explains that children get enough stimulation in their everyday interactions. Although technology is making amazing advances, it’s also impeding the experiences of young children. Children, in today’s age, are bombarded by new video game systems, computers, and other electronic experiences that are taking away from nature’s experiences.
As a child, I can remember always being outside, playing in the yard and experiencing what nature provided us. Whether it was climbing in trees or making mud pies, my brother and I were always outside. When we had to stay indoors, due to weather, I remember we would either play a board game or we would play separately in our rooms. While growing up, my brother and I didn’t need television or video games to entertain us; we were content to find our own entertainment. We did have a Nintendo game system, with I think three games, but it wasn’t on as much as today’s game systems. I can remember a time when my family would visit my Aunt, who lives in the Bay Area, and my little cousin would be on his Play Station the whole time we were at the house. If we went out to dinner, he would have to save his game and my aunt would have to pry him away from the console. By the time my cousin was in junior high, he had the latest game system and games. I can remember thinking to myself that this kid is addicted to these games. Whenever we would go outside, it seemed as though my cousin didn’t know how to pretend or engage in what nature was providing around us. They had a swing set, tire swing, and vast nature around them; their house sat on a hill with vegetation all around. My brother and I would go and make forts, play war, and have awesome games of hide-and-go-seek. We had a blast, but had a difficult time getting my cousin to come out with us.
I fully agree that technology is a great resource, but it should be monitored by parents with a set time limit to accompany it. I also believe that each set of parents should sit down and discuss how long their child can play video games, and what type of games they’ll allow in the house. I believe too, that they should weigh the pros and cons of exposing their children to such technology at an early age. When exposing infants and young children to the technology of today, parents should move slowly and with care, especially when considering the effects of overstimulation on infants. I believe that it is the parents’ full responsibility to discuss technological advances, when they will be introduced to the child, and at what age. Yes, technology is a great tool and good for keeping children occupied, but when is it too much? I was just talking to my friends who have a 2 year-old daughter and went on their first big car trip with her. They were the parents who said they wouldn’t use television or videos as a babysitter, but on their way to Las Vegas with a screaming 2 year-old, they would try anything to calm her down. They found that it worked and kept her entertained. However, they mentioned something to me the other day: Whenever they get in the car, they plug in a video for her. In this day and age, in every car at a stop light, it seems that every child is parked in front of a video screen with some sort of cartoon playing. I completely understand the video for a long distance trip, but around town? I feel that real meaningful conversations should take place with one’s child instead.
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Lydia, I completely agree with you about so many ideas you had from this chapter. First off I have to admit that this chapter and your blog helped me feel a lot of relief. As an expecting parent I get bombarded with people telling me what the best things are for my child, and what I need to do and buy. So many of these things are simply too expensive and didn't seem necessary to me. It was so refreshing to read and be reassured that not giving into what is popular is the best approach.
ReplyDeleteA particular event in my childhood is one of the main reasons why I feel that technology does not necessarily create healthy productive children. When I was growing up my mom filled our house with books, when we couldn't afford to buy them we went to the library and checked them out. When I was in the 2nd or 3rd grade my mom put our tv in the closet and said we were going to be spending more time as a family. Like you mentioned time in the car can be a very special time to talk, I wholeheartedly agree. My mom felt that dinner time being spent in front of the television was wasteful. (Also when my sister and I would come home from school instead of doing chores around the house or our homework we would turn on the tv first thing). So in order to help us communicate more as a family our tv was put into the closet. The cool thing about this was that we didn't really miss it. We would read the books we had checked out, we did our homework, our grades improved and we spent a lot of time playing outside.
I am not sure if I will go to the extreme of taking our tv and putting it in the closet, like my mom did. However, I do know that so many good things can come from not having the latest technologies, and I hope to teach my children the same lessons.
Lydia, I couldn’t agree with you more! This is a topic that has been much debated since ipods, portable DVD players and even the Nano Pets have been introduced to America.
ReplyDeleteI once heard about a study that reported --and I am sorry I can’t remember the exact number --that children waste their time by watching TV an average of 6 hours per day. How is this possible?
I am a nanny for an 11 year old, Aaron, and he is constantly glued to a gaming device, the television or the internet. His parents even send a CD player to school in his backpack to entertain him during recess! His older sister is also a technology fiend, with Myspace, Facebook and Twitter.
Well, my point is, where is the physical activity?
I have made up rules to reverse the damage done and get those kids up and moving! Aaron, at first, wasn’t happy with the rules, but has grown to accept them. The first rule has become one he loves: for half an hour we turn everything off and leave everything behind. No TV, radio, gaming systems or any means of technology. We all head outside and play. They take turns shooting hoops, playing soccer, swinging on their tree swing or playing hide and seek. We explore pretty much any activity that has them off the couch and outside enjoying the nice spring weather!
Aaron has discovered that he loves basketball and soccer, imagine that! He is even playing in the Special Olympics basketball league!
-Brittany Slaven
Wow! I like what you wrote and your opinion on the damaging effects of the technology today.
ReplyDeleteBaby Einstein, flash cards and other numerous products are what parents buy and think are educational for their children. It is sad to see that educating your child has become a competition for who has the smartest child. Parents are also thinking that if someone else’s child is more advanced that their child, “Why isn’t my child like that?” It puts pressure on the parents as well as the children for expectations that are not always reached. This is again setting your child up for failure and not setting the standards based on their own INDEPENDENT stage and learning level. Parents and educators sometimes forget that not every child is the same so they learn things differently, at their pace.
Technology is making a big impact on all of us, and in some aspects I agree it is good and should be monitored like the Internet. As far as the video games go, I am not a big fan, and I don’t believe that when I do become a parent I will ever allow my child to have or play with them. I don’t see the purpose or value in video games, whether they are educational or not.
I grew up in Tulare during the 60s and a teenager in the 70s. We didn’t have any computers; it wasn’t till later when the Atari came out (which we never bought anyway) when we first heard of a computer. Now most have PSi, Nintendo DS, Wii, Xbox, Play stations, laptops, and computers. Fortunately, we didn’t have computers, allowing us to play outside from sunup to sundown and without any toys. It was hopscotch, dodge ball, hide and seek, tag, and in the winter we were on the porch making mud pies and paper dolls. The first time I worked on a computer was in 1989 when the company I worked with in Glendale computerized the whole office. We were “moving on up!”
ReplyDeleteNow, my children are growing up with computers. They each started when they were about two with the Reader Rabbit software, to airplane simulators, eventually graduating to power point programs. They both play sports and ride bikes outdoors but, in order for them to be ready and compete with others in their same grade levels they need to have access and be familiar and keep current with the current technology. It would be nice if they played outside like I did when I was a kid, but times have changed. Currently, my daughter is in an Exploring technology class as part of the laptop program and they are training her in all the Microsoft programs because she is required now to do Power Point slide shows in seventh grade and in high school the expectations and requirements will be even more. My son takes his AR (accelerated reading) tests on the computer, type’s two paragraph essays, and plays math games on the computer. Computers are a part of their everyday school curriculum but we as parents have to monitor their computer time and that can be tiresome.
It would be great if they could play outside like we did but, as computers have come into our lives; the feeling of community and safety has left it. It’s a permanent and changing part of the future and we have to deal with what is now in order to prepare them for the competition and all the technology that goes with it.
Lydia, I strongly agree with you. I have two younger brothers who spend a lot of time playing video games and surfing the internet. They refuse to do anything productive and I feel as though they may never learn any real life lessons unless they change their behaviors.
ReplyDeleteMy brothers are ages 16 and 17, but nowadays I see this problem occurring more and more in younger children. My brothers and I are only a couple of years apart in age difference, but I feel as though we are decades apart. They still have a lot to learn about life and I don't want them growing up too fast, but I do however hope that they will experience life outside of their rooms.
-Sharon Vang
Hello, Lydia,
ReplyDeleteAs I read your blog, I really enjoyed it and felt a connection with all of your thoughts. It is amazing how technology is pushed on children and how it’s pretty much taking over. Elkind makes a good point of how technology is consistently advancing and changing as years go by. It makes me sad how it is all about technology now and nothing about playing outside or using your imagination. I believe that technology is a good resource, and as Lydia mentioned, is effective but definitely needs to be supervised. In fact, not only supervised, but limited as well, due to all the bad things that accompany a video game, television or the internet. As we have been learning in child development courses, a child learns by imitation, and the stuff they see in today’s technology is not good. The best way in my opinion is for children to go outside or indoors, but play with stuff that enhances their imagination without technology. An example of this was my favorite thing to do, which Lydia mentioned also, playing on the swings or hide-n-seek, which never gets old.
Technology is being drastically pushed on children and parents fall into buying it, because they want their children to be smarter. Thought it sad to say, most of the time parents buy the latest technology in order to keep their children occupied and out of their way. This is ineffective for the growth of children in my point of view because they are exposed to things too early that are not healthy. I have a good example of how much impact games and technology can make, which has a horrible ending. A teenager was not allowed to play video games, and without his parents knowing, purchased the game known to many as “Grand Theft Auto.” This game made so much of an impact that the teenager came out and asked his parents to close their eyes, because he had a surprise for them. As they did what their son asked, he pulled out a gun he got from a friend and shot both parents, intending to kill them. The mother died instantly and the father survived, and later had to testify against his teenage son. Let me remind you this child had no criminal background and was not a problem child, and later in court testified that he did it because of the game. This is a tragic story that is a good example of how bad technology could be if given to children and not supervised. So is technology good or bad?