Using Technology To Help Your Children Learn: Positive and Negative
It's no secret that the use of electronic tools has become a major part of our lives. With smartphones, tablets, and laptops being an integral part of many people's daily routines, it is only natural for parents to want their children to have access to these tools as well.
While there are some benefits to using these devices in order to help kids learn, there are also negative effects that come with them.
In this article we will discuss both sides and what you can do at home or with your child's school teacher if you're worried about how electronics may be affecting your child's learning experience.
The benefits of using electronic tools to help kids learn:
Access to New Things
Kids have access to a wealth of information that they can use for research, interesting activity ideas or entertainment. This is especially important in the current age where many schools are focusing on teaching children how to be better digital citizens and make smarter decisions about what type of content they consume.
It would even seem that kids who are homeschooled or otherwise receive instruction outside the classroom now have an easier time getting access to new and unique resources that have only come available in recent years. And it seems that the American culture is welcoming that change in how we receive information.
By turning learning resources into games, sites like ABCMouse.com and PBS Kids, among others, have pushed the envelope on how kids learn. Kids are better prepared for kindergarten and even preschool. The use of online resources through technology helps children who struggle with reading skills keep up with others.
Technology has made it possible for some students to be educated outside the confines of school, which expands opportunities for many learners that might otherwise find limited options available to them if they were restricted only within the four walls of a classroom space.
Societal Benefits From Electronic Use
All of these tools are benefits to our society if used correctly. Instant Access to new information, a seemingly endless resource to be creative and get ideas instantly, and finding new places and things to explore are a go-to on the internet. All of which are accessed by a wide range of things, literally at our fingertips.
With the access changing from when I was a kid to only being able to use computers at school, unless parents had a dial-up connection, to keeping the world in our pocket, we have made huge strides as a society in how we obtain and ingest information.
The downside of using electronic tools to help kids learn
There are obvious negatives to this kind of teaching and learning. Kids can become addicted to the ease in access to entertainment, they may not learn how to socialize in person, or focus on the task at hand without being distracted by what is going on around them.
The Negatives
Kids can become addicted to electronics
This really is a sad topic. More and more parents are relying on online tools as a crutch to teach children. Even worse, children are getting unregulated screen time without supervision of the content that is being observed.
With little supervision, parents can expect the worse of the internet. Even allowing access to things that may seem harmless can turn on us. Most of the algorithms used in todays streaming and entertainment apps are geared towards keeping people as viewers. To put it another way, the longer we watch the more they like us. We are fed "You Might Also Like" in almost every platform.
And, of course, experts note constant attention to devices comes at the cost of other activities that are ultimately more valuable, and developmentally important.
Giving too much attention to devices detracts from the ultimate value of participating in social activities and important childhood development.
One doctor noted that some children's "addiction" to electronics is an underlying mental issue that they are trying to cope with. This doctor went on to say that the proper treatment of the underlying conditions can improve the "addiction" to the electronic. How is it determined is a child is addicted to electronics? Ask your doctor or visit a therapist if there is cause for concern.
Social Isolation?
It may seem that children who spend too much time online viewing social media, streaming TikTok Videos, YouTube, excessive video game use with online platforms may seem isolated socially to us parents because we interacted different socially when we were growing up.
Todays kids spend the majority of their free time in front of some type of electronic device with access to other people through a variety of platforms. It is important to note that social interaction between kids has evolved.
Yes, there is still room for outside play in the neighborhood but I have found that kids have to be coerced into that. They would rather sit in front of a phone and watch [insert your kids favorite thing to watch], view social media, or play a game with friends online. There are many downsides to this that I would like to point out.
-They might not learn how to socialize in person and may be distracted by what is going on around them.
-They may be disadvantaged in their ability to communicate with others.
-They may have a hard time focusing on things that are not electronic.
-There is also an increased exposure to inappropriate images, violence or drug abuse.
Be Cautious of Scams, Trolls and Traps
There are too many people that want to take advantage of all of us online. teach children to avoid giving vital information like location, phone numbers, address, full names, etc. Kids are the most vulnerable and there are plenty of people that want to take advantage of them and you through your kids.
Distracted Learning and How to Avoid it
Multi-tasking while trying to learn has proven to decrease learning in children. We are defining multi-tasking as participating on social media platforms, sending texts, watching videos on TikTok or YouTube and watching TV or playing video games while trying to do school work. It has been said elsewhere that those who multi-task do not do any task 100%. Their minds become distracted and cannot focus on the completion of the goal.
To avoid this pitfall and allow ourselves and children to focus on one task at a time, remove the distraction. This may mean hurt feelings if children resist a strict and defined process for completing tasks. However, there is a training aspect to this to allow children to complete something instead of putting a half hearted effort into it that results in mediocre results.
How Parents Can Use These Tools To Help Their Children Learn
We have discussed the positive and negative of electronics and technology accessible through them. Now let's talk about how we can use these tools to help our kids learn. An increasingly important topic is that electronics and the technology that comes with it is not going to slow or go away. Thus we, as parents, should help prepare our children for what is available and what should be avoided.
Tips for parents: The Limits
Limit screen time - establish rules around usage - keep screens out of bedrooms, away from the table at mealtimes, and not in use in the car - make sure children have a variety of interests and don't become too dependent on technology.
Limit type of electronic games kids play or apps they download. Kids shouldn't have too much unsupervised exposure to dangerous content online, like violence, inappropriate images, drugs etc., which might lead them into unsafe behaviors on and offline.
You need to get a handle on their devices! Literally, you bought them so to let them use them like they bought them is backwards. Parents should be setting filters and setting standards on the amount of play or use and time frames to do that.
The first step would be reviewing the default settings that come with most mobile phones and tablets - especially as these are updated over time so you know exactly who has access to your child's device at any given moment. Set parent controls and turn off notifications as much as possible.
Alternatives to Electronics
Our society is going in a direction that pushes the use of electronic devices to the front of our minds as the best option. The amount of information online is vast and can provide some great resources.
Instead of using the electronic device as the entertainment, use it to get ideas to do real world entertainment.
Some ideas could be researching opportunities to work with their hands, such as cooking or doing arts and crafts. Building something that interests them with a parent in the garage. Using electronics to map a course for a new hike and then go do it.
Ask questions about what your kids want to do after school instead of following a strict schedule.
Encourage outdoor physical activity like bike riding or playing sports outside at recess during the day time.
Make use of your local library resources! Local libraries often offer story time sessions geared towards preschoolers that introduce new books through song, dance, puppets, finger rhymes, etc.
The parents have the responsibility
It is the responsibility of the parent to guide their child in using technology wisely and responsibly. Some parents have used technology as a babysitter, which can have a negative impact on the child.
Parents should set limits on screen time and establish rules around the use if electronics, for example:
-Setting device timers so that kids only get a designated amount of screen time per day
-Establishing household guidelines about use at certain times and different situations (for instance after a certain time is electronic free)
-Parents can also utilize these tools positively by using them as teaching aides with children who may not be interested in reading or writing. Find resources that are geared towards teaching and not just entertainment.
Final Thoughts and Conclusion
There are benefits to all of us as we learn to use electronic devices and the resources on them. Be cautious of the "addiction" trap and don't let the use of the electronic overshadow what they can create.
Use electronics as a tool to research things to do in the real world. Utilize social settings to grow online and in person. Don't give out personal information on social platforms especially in video games, video comments and the like.
Be the parent and monitor. Set limits, not only time for use but time of use. Electronics should be a tool to better us not a vacuum for our time.