As parents, most of us have fought the struggle with our youngsters since they are absorbed into a gaming or movie on an iPad, tablet or smartphone. We've had a better chance to getting the interest of Tom Cruise walking the red carpet than our kids.
Today, it's common for two-year-olds to be using iPads, elementary schoolers hooked up to video gaming, and we all suffer (or live with) the process of prying your middle-schooler far from the computer long enough to consume a good meal...
Technology is everywhere and its draw on kids is obvious, but is technology helping our youngsters learn?
Technology has become more social, adaptive, and customized, and consequently, it could be a fantastic teaching tool. That stated, as parents, we have to establish boundaries.http://yourtechcrunch.com/
Today, software is connecting kids to online learning communities, tracking kids' progress through lessons and games, and customizing each students' experience.
By the time your son or daughter is in elementary school, they will probably well-versed in technology.
Learning with Technology at School
Schools are investing more and more in technology. Whether your child's class uses an interactive Smartboard, laptops, or another device, listed below are three approaches to ensure that technology can be used effectively.https://arstechnician.com/
Young children love using technology, from iPads to digital cameras. What do early childhood practitioners - and parents, too - need to consider before handing kids these gadgets?
Let's start in the beginning: what is technology in early childhood?
Technology is as simple as a camera, audio recorder, music player, TV, DVD player, or more recent technology like iPads, tablets, and smartphones used in child care centers, classrooms, or at home.https://techwaa.com/
Over and over again, I've had teachers tell me, "I don't do technology." I ask them if they've ever taken a digital photo of their students, played accurate documentation, tape, or DVD, or give kids headphones to hear a story.
Teachers have always used technology. The difference is that now teachers are employing really powerful tools like iPads and iPhones within their personal and professional lives.
Technology is a tool.
It shouldn't be used in classrooms or child care centers because it's cool, but because teachers can do activities that support the healthy development of children.https://techsitting.com/
Teachers are employing cameras - a less flashy technology than iPads - in really creative approaches to engage children in learning. That may be all they need.
At the same time, teachers need certainly to be able to integrate technology in to the classroom or child care center as a social justice matter.
We can't assume that children have technology at home.
Deficiencies in exposure could widen the digital divide - that is, the gap between people that have and without access to digital technology - and limit some children's school readiness and early success.
Just as all children need certainly to learn to handle a book in early literacy, they have to be taught how to make use of technology, including just how to open it, how it works, and just how to take care of it.
Experts worry that technology is harmful to children.
There are serious concerns about children spending too much time in front of screens, especially given the many screens in children's lives.
Today, very young children are sitting in front of TVs, playing on iPads and iPhones, and watching their parents take photos on a camera, which has its own screen.
There used to be only the TV screen.
That was the screen we focused on and researched for 30 years.
We as a subject know a lot in regards to the impact of TV on children's behavior and learning, but we know hardly any about all the new digital devices.
The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages screen time for kids under couple of years old, however the NAEYC/Fred Rogers position statement takes a slightly different stance.
It says that technology and media must be limited, but what matters most is how it is used.
What's the content?
Is it being used in an intentional manner?
Is it developmentally appropriate?
As parents, we truly need to keep yourself updated of the drawbacks of technology and its impact on eyesight, vocabulary and physical development. We also have to be cognizant of our youngsters overall development,
My advice to teachers and parents is to trust your instincts. You understand your son or daughter and if you think they've been watching the screen too long, turn it off.
It's up to us, as parents, to notice that your child's computer time is reducing or limiting interactions and playtime with other kids and nudge them in new directions. To cause them to become be physically active, to obtain outside and play.
It's also up to the adult to know the child's personality and disposition and to determine if your technology is one of the ways the kid chooses to interact with the world.
At the same time, cut yourself some slack.
All of us know there are better things to do with children's time than to plop them in front of a TV, but we also understand that child care providers have to make lunch, and parents need time and energy to have a shower.
In situations like this, it is the adult's job to really make the technology time more valuable and interactive by asking questions and connecting a child's virtual experience on the screen with real-life experiences in her world.
Learning with Technology at Home
Whether you're giving your son or daughter your smart screen phone to entertain them, or it's your toddlers' preferred playtime is on an iPad or tablet, listed below are eight approaches to ensure your child's experiences with technology are educational and fun.
Concentrate on Active Engagement
Any moment your son or daughter is engaged with a display, stop a program, or mute the commercials, and ask engaging questions. That which was that character thinking? Why did the key character do that? What can you've done for the reason that situation?
Allow for Repetition DVDs and YouTube videos add an essential ingredient for young minds that is repetition. Let your youngster to watch exactly the same video over and over, and ask him what he noticed after each and every viewing.
Allow it to be Tactile Unlike computers that want a mouse to control objects on the screen, iPads, tablets and smartphones allow kids manipulate "physical" objects with their fingers.
Practice Problem Solving An emerging sounding games will force your son or daughter to fix problems while they play, potentially building concentration and analytical skills in the act; even though jury remains out on this. There is no clinical data that supports the marketing message of app makers.
Encourage Creation Use technology for creation, not only entertainment. Have your son or daughter record a story in your iPod, or sing a song into your video game system. Then, create a completely new sound using the playback options, decrease and speed up their voice and add different backgrounds and beats until they've created something uniquely theirs.
Show Him Just how to Use It Many computer games have different levels and young children might not understand how to move up or change levels. If your son or daughter is stuck on one level that's become too easy, ask if he knows how to go up and help him if he wants more of a challenge.
Ask Why If your son or daughter is utilizing an app or game the "wrong" way, always pressing the incorrect button, for instance, ask them why. It may be which they like hearing the noise the game makes if they get the question wrong, or they might be stuck and can't determine which number of objects match number four.
