The Digital Age and My Child
On her 3rd birthday this year, I bought my daughter a tablet.
There is much discussion on the global arena regarding use of technology for children. A few years ago, I would not have thought I would be buying my kids gadgets. In the past year I have had the privilege of tutoring primary school classes in ICT. It has opened my eyes to overcome some of the convictions I held regarding this.
Not a privilege
The main thing we must accept is that ICT skills are fast becoming basic life skills. I cannot think of any career where the use of technology is unlikely. Even in agriculture, ICT application is rapidly expanding. It seems whether your child becomes a farmer, teacher or maid, she will need some form of ICT knowledge. It is therefore not a privilege for a child to learn ICT. It is forming part of their basic education.
Familiarity with the tools at hand is a great advantage in the learning process. I have seen adults who begin to learn computing as part of the job requirement. The learning curve is much steeper. Yet if our children can grow familiar with technology from an early age, they need only to be upgrading their skills as the situation demands.
The value of familiarity with ICT devices cannot be overstated. We under estimate the mind of a child. Some are even frightened by the set-up of the computer lab. Who can tell what they think will happen. Others are distracted by wanting to touch, feel and just observe. Often, I have had to adjust my lessons to teach less of curriculum content and simply allow them to focus on mastering how to control the mouse. With classes just once a week, there are still some learners to whom I am still demonstrating the relationship between their hand and the pointer on the screen.
Yet in the same class are pupils who are now ready to tackle keyboard shortcuts. They are comfortable with various devices. These are the ones who have access to devices at home.
Creating a learning experience
My motive is to support my daughter’s learning. The tablet is a learning tool, not a status symbol. I therefore purchased one that was age-appropriate. Most parents will offer their own phones and tablets to their children. I find that it distorts so many things. It is in those instances that access to technology feels like a privilege. It also limits the scope from which the child learns — it becomes dependent solely on the extent to which you can allow your device to carry child friendly applications.
There is also the risk involved. As a child is learning, they are likely to make mistakes. It is to be expected that they will open files they shouldn’t, delete things that may be important, or even drop the device. Can you afford to have your device damaged in any way? Or worse, can you survive your child viewing certain things in the deep dark recesses of your phone?
The solution to me has been these kid friendly tablets. They come complete with learning applications and games, which you can modify and add to. Apart from just learning from the apps, I feel my child will also learn other things. She learns how to be a responsible owner of a device. I make it her responsibility to know where and how to store it, when it needs power, and maintaining use in an appropriate environment.
Discipline
We all want to be afraid of the addiction that comes from using devices. I find it simpler to create routines for younger children that they can grow into. My daughter only gets her tablet after school but before supper. After that we take it to the other room to charge, and that is it for the day.
Keeping your child disciplined involves more commitment on the parent’s part. You need to be able to deal with pleas for more, tantrums, and whatever else they throw at you. Instead most parents would rather not buy their children the technology than deal with that.
You need to really weigh in the advantages. What are your children losing? What are they benefiting by being denied something simply because it could have negative consequences? Will their education and careers be better off?
At the end of the day it is all a very personal choice, hinged on personal values and beliefs. I believe my daughter needs learn ICT as seriously as she learns English and Maths. In another article I will look at how to ensure that your child is really learning from games and apps, not just wasting time.
