Part 1- Entry 3

The impact of technology on children’s lives is phenomenal. Technology is everywhere these days. Children are often allowed access to technology including Information and communication technology (ICT) from a very young age. Hatch 2011 states that one of the effects of the use of technology is we are lessening the ability to multi-task. It carries on talking about how people get so many notifications to check emails and things that they can become to forget things in real life. I have also seen in children when they are engrossed in ICT that they zone out and it is very hard to grasp their attention even if they are just watching a video and not interacting with the technology.

Recently introduced technological items influence children by making the devices easier to use which means children do not have to problem solve because the new and updated technology tells the children how to fix their problems and children can find themselves in situations above their comprehension. This is why supervision of ICT is so important. Stephen & Plowman (2013) backs up this idea of supervision by talking about how in a study children who had free roam of their ICT had less understanding of the things they were seeing and doing on the technology than other children who had, had adult input and had discussed issues and questions that arose. This article carries on discussing how the children with more adult input generally have a better attitude towards the use of the technologies.

Archard (2013) talks about how in their study they found that the most effective form of interaction with ICT was child initiated interactions. They also found that the children with the best understanding of how to find information through ICT were in centres where the teachers have a great understanding of the technology themselves and they support the children in gaining their own understanding of the ICT and how to use it effectively. From this study you can see than an un-educated teacher in ICT can be detrimental to children because they cannot teach the children how to use the ICT effectively for optimal learning outcomes. We all know that what children learn from a young age they can take with them for life. That is why positive and effective technology experiences is vital.

I have a six year old son and I have recently we have introduced the use of a small computer with some games we thought were educational. After a while of being allowed what we discovered was too long on the computer all he wanted to do it sit on the computer and tablet all day long. Sometimes when he has been on too long he seems like he has forgotten how to communicate and is virtually impossible to reason with. We have had to limit his technology use daily with a timer and we have a much more adjusted and calmer son now who will happily play for a little while on the technology and then go and play somewhere else with toys or outside, knowing he will get another 20 minutes later in the afternoon if he is well behaved. Using the technology as a privilege instead of a right means he works towards getting to go on the technology again. This is why I am firmly a believer in restricted time on technology and ensuring children get time away from the technology to run around and get creative and take risks

References

Archard, S. (2013). Democracy in early childhood education: How information and communication technology contributes to democratic pedagogy and practices. Early Childhood Folio, 17(2), 27-32. 

Hatch. K. (2011). Determining the Effects of Technology in Children. Retrieved from: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1212&context=srhonorsprog

Stephen, C. & Plowman, L. (2013).Digital technologies, play, and learning. Early Childhood Folio, 17(2), 3-8.