Parenting Guide

Technology in the classroom -- for better or worse?

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Nov 30, 2016

How good technology is for your child?Kids are crazy over technology. If your child heads straight to the TV or Facebook after school, you know exactly what we're talking about.Nine out of ten parents with children under 2 years report that their kids use some form of electronic device. Toddlers/preschoolers are the most popular age category in the education section of the iTunes app store, a venue with more than 550,000 downloadable brain teasers, time killers, and layover fillers. (There are another 500,000 apps for Android devices.)Are parents slowly replacing puzzles with iPads and the playground with play stations? Is this necessarily a bad thing?Recently a parent whose son is in a school which fully incorporates technology into their lessons asked a the question whether his use of technology was actually stifling his growth. She said that he had become so dependent on his iPad that he now struggles to write.Gwenn O’Keeffe, M.D., a paediatrician, fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)  and author of CyberSafe: Protecting and Empowering Kids in the Digital World of Texting, Gaming, and Social Media worries that children are not developing other skills. She also adds children are spending more time in front of screens and this had led to a dip in the amount of time they spend reading, and that they are slower to develop key motor skills like the ability to tie shoelaces.In a recent survey in the United States, it was found that more children between the age of 2 and 5 know how to play a basic online game (on the computer or iPad) but only learn to ride a bike much later.Though it is true that children are learning to ride their bikes later, but they are also beginning to design computer programmes earlier. Remember Gloson Teh, the child prodigy from Kuala Lumpur who now at 18 has developed an app which allows users to learn Mandarin quicker. The app was funded by Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) with a total grant of RM300,000!

(Image via: Gloson Teh) A study also showed children who are able to navigate their way through challenging computer games, solve puzzles and riddles along the way actually develop more critical thinking skills. According to a children's app developer, these games are designed to make your children think. It teaches logic and tenacity, and how to solve problems.Clearly, technology can be a great thing for your child. But too much of screen time can also be hazardous as in the case of the child who struggles to write. This is where parental guidance plays a role. Most organisations that work with children recommend that children under the age of 10 should be allowed more than 45 minutes of screen time at home. Parents must introduce kids to fun and engaging activities that would appeal to them, that they would eventually make them want to put that screen down. Trying painting for instance or organising play dates outside with your neighbours.Schools that uses technology in their lessons should make sure children development is balanced, along with other motor skills.It is not about buying state of the art iMacs and sticking them in labs in schools, it's how we use technology that is of importance.