My husband and I are computer people. Scratch that. We’re tech people. We use a myriad of items for work, correspondence, music, sources of information, and for play. Why does this matter? Our daughter is likely going to be a computer person, too.
In fact, I would argue that she already is. At age two, she can activate most of the features on my smartphone much better than I can, turn the TV on and off with the remote, scroll through pictures, take photos with my digital camera, and figure out how to switch games on my iPad.
I can guarantee at least one of you readers read that last sentence and thought something along the lines of, “Why is she letting her two-year-old play with all of that?” I know a large community of parents think exposing young children to these things is tantamount to committing a crime. I’ve read several blog posts and Facebook comments criminalizing parents for introducing technology at all.
Before I go any further, let me say that I am not about to advocate technology 24/7. Kids should be out running around, experiencing nature and life first-hand, playing with their friends face-to-face, and using their imagination in physical ways. But it’s a bit antiquated to think technology is something kids should completely avoid and be shielded from.
We live in a world that is plugged in – for good and bad. As adults, can you put a value on the ease of paying bills online, shopping without leaving your homes, or reading your favorite book anytime without the hassle of bringing along a heavy novel? None of these technologies is going away; they are only getting easier and more useful.
And who will keep making them better? Our children. They are the ones who will be growing up in a world in which technology grows just about every day, and they will be the ones who will continue to benefit from it and eventually aid in continued developments.
We’ve all seen how technology at the elementary level helps in motivation and self-esteem and develops the same technical skills that I probably learned in college or post-school. Many schools replaced their books with iPads a few years ago to save money, and this trend is taking over in many school districts nationwide.
Perhaps if we embrace what technology can do to enhance our children’s learning instead of vilifying it for all of the bad things (and there are quite a few), we can raise a generation that will change how this country learns and communicates.
Meanwhile, my two-year-old will continue to use her Elmo games to learn her letters and numbers quickly while I make dinner.
