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Electronic Era…Good For Kids

I am not dating myself, but while I was growing up in an urban area in New Jersey we didn’t have a lot of toys, no cell phones, computers or Ipads. I can recall my mom getting a package and my friends and I getting excited…yes playing with the box. We used our imaginations to build leaf houses and play in them until the wind blew them away, made forts out of whatever we could and played actual board games and cards!!! We played outside with all the neighbors and rode our bikes on an everyday basis. I didn’t have a car until I was 21 and walked every day to high school which was at least 2 miles each way. My stay at home mom never worried about us being out for, at that time, everyone watched out for everyone else.

When I worked my first job in New York City after college, I was a public relations professional and I documented everything by using books and writing on a type writer. When we did get computers, we were all expected to sit and listen to the directions on how to work the computer. My kids learned on computers and their life was totally electronic. I still expected them to play outside and exercise, but as time went on…the computers did the exercising for them. Everything now is done on line or on a computer. My son works from home and one day I expressed to him “I would like to see you married one day. Please don’t date on line for I would like to meet her.” At that he smiled.

Children/teens now e-mail, text, tweet, hash tag, bully on line, etc. Even my granddaughter who is 9 months old face times every morning. Granted it is my daughter doing it, but I am amazed at all the technology instilled presently. Is it good for kids to have so much? Does it cut into interactive/social time for kids?

According to an article by the American Psychological Association young people are using more technologies at ever increasing rates with 93% of young people now online, 73% on MySpace and Facebook, and 75% owning a phone.

There are advantages for children to know all the latest technology. Mark Brown, Professor of Massey’s National Centre for Teaching and Learning believes that “If our children are to take full advantage of the potential benefits offered by new forms of digital learning, then access to appropriate technology is essential.” Let’s face it, in order to survive in the 21st century children will have to learn all the newest technology to succeed. After all, most everything is done on the internet now.

I have been told by my kids that I am “technologically challenged” so I am going to give the advantages of a child being developed around all types of technology.

In an article written by Mary Eming Young, Senior Public Health Specialist, World Bank summarized Technology as a tool that can provide added option for young children to learn. Computers need to be viewed not as new ways to transmit information, but new ways for children to create, experiment, and explore new information. Mary Eming Young expressed her views by saying “When used appropriately, technology can support and extend learning in valuable ways to increase educational opportunities for children. It is critical, however, to find a balance, knowing how to align the elements of healthy childhood with the unique capabilities offered by technology.”

“ A child learns by playing and exploring through many avenues ---socially, emotionally, through language, physical and motor skills, creative thinking , experimenting, cognitive development and just building general knowledge,” Nina Vukovic, JEI Proprietor and owner in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.

It has been documented that Technology cannot replace human interaction or a friend for a child, but computers and software can enhance conversations and social skills in a child. Also, studies have indicated that computers enhance and encourage speech development.

Mary Eming Young states that being on the computer and into technology is good for language development. “Studies show that computers encourage longer, more complex speech. A word processor allows composition and revision without being distracted by the fine motor aspects of letter formation,” she said.

Computers should not replace active outdoor play. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screen time (TV, computer and video) at a maximum of one to two hours per day for young children.

Even at the juncture in my life now, I learn something new every day on the computer. I have an Iphone and I text, a Facebook page that I need lessons on and will never tweet or hash tag the way I see it. In between all that learning I am doing, I am still walking 4 miles a day and stretching my imagination by gathering up information on articles like this. And, yes, “I surfed the web.” Stay tuned for the negatives on technology in our next article.

Written by Donna Corrado -- a freelance writer, mother of two and grandmother of adorable 9 month old.

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