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Exposing Children to Technology?
LabelThis asks: "While I'm not a huge fan of immersing children in technology, there is a certain point at which you must expose them to the tools that will help them be successful in the world. Looking back, I distinctly remember my parents making every effort to provide a computer for me and my sibling, early on (they bought an Atari 400 for us when I was 5). Either by accident or on purpose, that single decision (and the continued follow up of purchasing newer computers as needed) shaped my future and the future of my siblings. I now have a daughter, and my wife and I have a number of years to before we worry about equipping her with technology (right now spending time with her and helping her be a happy well adjusted toddler are our primary concerns). In the spirit of my parents choice, what type of tools should parents be equipping their children with, today?"
As the child gets older, and shows an aptitude for Technology, I would suggest some simple electronics project kits that are suitable for their age, and appeal to their interests.
There are a number of kit manufactures, such as Ramsey Electronics and Velleman which make kits of all types and skill levels. Some of my fondest memories are of having my Dad help me build something. As I got older, I spent my allowance on kits.
Today, I work in a radio station as a Broadcast Engineer. Computers and IT are important, naturally, but if a child shows interest in what's "under the hood", they will have an advantage over their peers who only see the computer as a "box" that runs programs.
Willie...
I first witnessed computer programming when I was 6 - A half brother coded a drawing program for me while I watched. 2 years later, I started taking my old 321 Contacts (GREAT magazine) and programming the Qbasic programs and games, and then modifying them.
It just went up from there. If you can find a good magazine or something for kids that introduces them to programming, DO IT!
"Better to be vulgar than non-existent" -Bev Henson
A PC, networked but no internet, virtual CD (no scratched disks around here), lots of world-building games (Age of Empires, Sims, etc). An LCD screen instead of CRT. Print-to-PDF instead of direct to printer, so we can cancel 99 full colour pages of Pikachu and just print one.
My kids spend time on their computers, but they spend a lot more time playing in the garden. They make their own dolls furniture (wood, nails, paint), miniature food (clay & paint), etc etc. The eldest taught herself to ride the unicycle. What I'm getting at is that they're not mindless blobs slaved to their PCs 24/7 - yes, they sometimes get heavily involved in a game and will play it in their spare time over 2 or 3 days, but then they'll avoid the computer for a week and do something else.
The youngest is now 8 years old and produces her own digital art and newsletters, the eldest (11 yo) types up stories and homework. Both use an mp3 player on their computers, and because the music available to them is all my own favourites (mostly 70's and 80's), it's very interesting to see their tastes via their playlists. They're not exposed to modern rubbish on the radio, so I'm probably warping their minds and putting them forever out of touch with their friends.
Hal Spacejock: Science Fiction with Nuts
Get the kid a real hardcore synth -- the kind that uses envelopes, oscillators, and filters etc with MIDI ports to boot. Got one in middle school and it taught me more about my major (EE) than you could possibly imagine...
Now then, Dmitri, you know how we've always talked about the possibility of something going wrong with the Bomb...
Modular: This builds off the interest. The more modular a device is, the more ways it can be assembled and the more games the kid can make up as they go along. Later on, modular becomes good for developing experiments, trying to see what works, what doesn't, and what produces the Magic Blue Smoke.
Fun: Intellectual interest is great, but it'll need to hold a high level of emotional interest, too - kids aren't known for having vast reservoirs of intellectual interest. Too few adults do, either, but that's beside the point. Besides, they can always become Talk Radio hosts.
Some examples of what is good:
Some examples of what would work for SOME kids, especially if older:
Stuff that is useless:
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
Disclaimer: I am not a parent. Hell, I'm still half a kid myself (23).
One of the most important things you can teach your kids is not to be just a consumer but a producer, too. Teach them that using a computer doesn't just mean to download software and watch flash animations, but that a computer - any computer - is a tool for self-expression.
A computer is one of the most important tools of today. While it is a tool for the advertising department of company XYZ, it is also a tool express your thoughts (and dare I say it) dreams.
The ultimative producer experience is, in my humble opinion, writing a good program. (Don Knuth is with me on that one.) Programming in the right language* is a delighful thing.
That is what you should teach your kids.
* LISP is a good candidate since it is extremely simple and powerful. These two things go hand in hand.
"All you have to do is be fragile and grateful. So stay the underdog." Chuck Palahniuk, Choke
Or, give them a pencil and paper and tell them to work it out by hand.
Agreed. Along with, of course, all the other tools, including computers.
Speaking as a parent of a first-grader, one of the big challenges is that kids make developmental steps in different areas, and they rarely do so in a synchronized way. So one month, a kid might be making a lot of headway in math-related areas, the next, in language, and the next, in social skills.
And of course, you don't want them to get too far ahead in any one area, since a kid who's terribly advanced in math, but behind in social skills, will have a rough time in school.
So... yes, my kid has a cheapish computer (Mac mini). And she knows how to do things like email grandma, play games, surf the web, feed it optical discs, etc. She also has (and reads, like there's no tomorrow) a lot of books. And supplies for writing and being artistic and making noise and doing the sort of messy "chemistry" kids like, and so on. And between my wife's social-science studies and my own work in natural sciences, her questions get answered.
Which leads her to say things like, "but daddy, I already know what a supernova is!"
Anyway, it's all a matter of balance. Give them the latest technology, yes - but only if you're willing to put just as much into the other aspects of life and learning.
Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.
I think you'd be right to point out that things like computers should be granted as privileges for good behavior over a long period of time. I'd suggest balancing things slightly differently though. The occasional random "just because I love you" gift as well as the semi-regular "you'll do it because it needs doing." It's not a good idea to overindulge, but you don't want to ignore and boss around too much either.
Personally, I'm in favor of keeping things on pencil and paper more or less until teachers start asking to have papers typed. (Maybe late middle school?)
Some of my friends in college didn't see a computer until mid/late high school and they still have a hard time with the difference between a file and folder, or understanding that you should navigate by reading the menu if you aren't familiar with the interface. That's a big setback these days. Give them a chance to play and work with a computer before high school for sure.
If you really want to help them though, and avoid the nagging "buy me stuff" attitude, dump the TV, or anything else that has commercials (monitor Internet as that takes off). The complaints about violence on TV causing problems might well be unfounded, but you can find any number of advertising agents who explicitly say that their goal is to make your kid nag you to death, and they don't get paid the big bucks for nothing.
As a "technologist" I work for da man. Now that you have made da money, teach 'em to be da man.
Personally my children are going to be better than me. My father was a barber, I'm a computer tech. It's a step forward but we still are in the "service industry" working for someone else. Technology is a business tool and I'm just a tool that operates the tool. I want my kids to both master those tools and be the master of those tools. MBA all the way, get them some seed money and then let them become the cio, ceo or c-insert_letter_here-o of their company. Providing I can keep 'em off da drugs.
When did your parents start letting you use the telephone? "Instant Messaging" didn't begin with AOL. It began with Bell along about 1876.
Our family preserves Grandmother's postcard correspondence as a seven year old girl in 1904. They are delightful and revealing. Consider it her entry into a larger world.
I am a parent of two boys (8yr and 13yr respectively). My philosophy raising my kids has never been to hide things from them as a means to "protect them". I don't really buy into movie or video game ratings. Hiding things from your kids rather than teaching them to experiment, learn and think for themselves based on their personal experiences is doing them a disservice. It's the parenting equivalent of "security through obscurity" and in the long run is not security / parenting at all. Certainly, parents must not expose their kids to things they simply aren't ready to handle. I'm not handing the keys to my car to my 8yr old any time soon.
Parenting is about involvement; about giving your kids a safe space to learn, both from their successes as well as their mistakes. Hiding things from your kids is not involvement. Discussing topics with your kids is parenting. Allowing your kids the freedom to experience life and make their own choices and live with the consequences as a learning experience for future situations is what parenting is about. Simply safeguarding your kids from everything that might be potentially damaging is only setting the kids up for a future shock that will have far more dire outcomes than what they could have learned at home making small mistakes with the safety net of their parents.
My kids have been playing and using the computer since each were 5yrs old. My oldest learned his alphabet playing Quake because I refused to show him where the letters were on the keyboard nor would write down any of the commands but would simply spell them out and require him to figure it out. It was great motivation for him and a great learning experience. Yeah, the end result... shooting other people... wasn't exactly what I would have liked to see him doing with his time but I worked with him not against him.
Both of my sons have learned the value of being able to read and write while playing games such as DAoC, UO, WoW, Halo, Unreal despite not being that thrilled with such subjects in school. Both, I believe have learned the value and importance of communication. Spelling is not just that boring thing your teachers make you do at school. It's how you communicate with your fellow players online. Without the computer and the ability to play and interact online, I doubt either would have as much appreciation for reading and writing.
So, IMO, expose your kids to technology as soon as you can while your kids still listen to you and have the umbrella of the home to provide them a place to experiment with life. Stay involved with your kids, make them think on their own. I think the worst thing you could do is protect them by hiding things from them and pretend such things don't exist.
Runesabre
Enspira Online
That reminds me of how at some point (7th grade or later?) the teachers started asking us to hand in such things typed because at the _next_ level of school they'd require it. And of course at the next level they didn't really require it for the most part, but reminded us that at the _next_ level they would. And the next thing I know I'm writing (and correcting) hand-written reports for graduate courses.
One thing I really can't see in mankind's future is the obsolescence of paper. Or pencils.
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well I started out when I was 8 on a 8086, it was not too helpful for prononciations of words like, genre. Although I did learn how to compile my kernel and install different operating systems when I was 10. To me the computer was this mega game, that when I would program using the win32 api I could do whatever I wanted the computer to do. This was also before the internet, and AIM. I would connect to BBS's and play rpg's there. If the kids just wanna sit there and play mindless games, I am not sure how long, but depending on the motivation and the desire, it could be a great thing to know at age 5. My Mother teaches 5 year olds in school and teaches them about the computer, how to type, has them playing typing games, and has them type letters, and draw out plans. It really depends on your kids on how much they want to do it. I ended up spending 10 hours a day on my dos / linux computer dialing up into BBS's. It ate into my school time, but I now program making more money than I would if I did go for an english degree and became a teacher.
We have two kids. When our oldest was 2-ish, we set up an old non-networked machine with a Sesame Street game. At first, she'd pull us over to the computer when she wanted to play. We'd put the CD in and start the game up for her.
Then we started to notice that she was playing the game, but neither of us had started it up. She'd figured out that she could click on the desktop icon and hit enter to start it up.
We got a couple more games. She learned how to swap CDs, and which CD went with which game.
When she was 3 and half, I gave her an old Logitech ClickSmart digital camera. It's great for kids. I configured the software to automatically download and delete the pictures from the camera, and showed her how to plug the cable in, and how to launch the photo album software. For two weeks, every time I turned around, it was "Surprise Daddy!" CLICK! FLASH! I had spots in my eyes constantly.
She's now 4 and a half. She's been upgraded to a 700 Mhz Athlon. She goes to the Noggin website to play games, and has half a dozen or so games she likes to play. There's a link to Noggin on her desktop, and she knows which CD goes with which games, and can start them herself.
The computer is just another toy to her. She still draws with her crayons and plays games and does all the usual kid stuff. But she will never be able to remember not knowing how to use a mouse. She's also getting good at framing stuff in the camera.
Her old machine was inherited by her 2 year old little sister. We found a game that lets kids just pound on the keys. She seems to like it.
That is such wrong advice that I don't even know where to start. Look, kids need solid parental role models in their lives. My ex lives almost 2,000 miles away, so she only sees the kids on long school breaks. Not that she was all that available as a mom before the divorce. Not really her fault, though. Her own childhood is the stuff that nightmares are made of. I just wish I'd known about her upbringing before I proposed. Maybe we wouldn't have gotten married, maybe we would. I do know that I would have preferred knowing what the core problems were before I spent 18 years trying to figure it all out. But I digress.
Before we were divorced, my kids had been struggling in school. My youngest was nearly two years behind in reading, and my son was struggling to keep up with his class. At least he passed everything. If my ex and I watched everything he did, that is. (sigh)
After the divorce I was very worried about my younger child's reading issues, and devoted almost all of my spare time to getting her up to snuff. I was successful to the point that she's now reading about 18 months ahead of her grade, but my son suffered. It got so bad that last year he failed 3 classes in 9th grade and I had to withdraw him from a 4th to prevent another F on his transcript. I know that a lot of that had to do with how I was coping with being a single parent while working full time.
The last quarter of his 9th grade year, I met and fell in love with a wonderful woman. We were married the following August. She has been nothing but a strong, postive stepmom for my kids. In many ways she is a far better mom than their birth mom has ever been. She has also helped make me a better dad as well. My son's GPA is nearly a full point higher than it was last year. He's passed every class so far, and is slowly learning how to stay on top of stuff (something that I could never seem to get through to him on my own).
My wife's kids were also struggling. Her ex is a nice guy, but seems to be completely incapable of maintaining any boundaries for his kids. It made it virtually impossible for her to teach her kidsself discipline. The good side is that he lives close by, and sees them every other weekend and every Wednesday. He is also more than willing to run his kids around.
Still, my wife tells me that having me around and silently backing her up when she needed to discipline them was a real eye opener for her children. We've had some rocky incidents, but clearly her kids are happier and feel safer now than they did in the past. Their grades are up as well (although they didn't have as far to go as mine did).
Moral of the story for me is: MAKE SURE that whoever you consider marrying is both willing and capable of doing their part to make your marriage and family life a success. That is the secret to any successful marriage, regardless of whether or not kids are involved, and regardless of whether it's your first, second, or twenty second marriage.
Now, back on topic:
My kids have had access to their own accounts on my Linux boxes since they were four or five. They started out with things like Tux Paint and have moved on to playing games, using OpenOffice, gaim for the teens, etc. My stepkids had Windows XP growing up. The teen still prefers that. The younger one is more willing to experiment with Linux to get stuff done. We have two Linux PCs and a WinXP box at the moment.
The grades of all 4 have shown improvement since we got married. I attribute it more to a much happier home life for all than any technology availability. But I don't think that you can say that they've been hurt by the easy availability of tech, either.
The truth is that our kids are growing up in a far different world than we did. The rate of change itself continues to accelerate. It really doesn't matter how you teach your kids. WHAT you teach them is far more important; impart a strong sense of values, teach them self discipline, and teach them the skills necessary to continually learn new subjects as they come up.
How do you do that until you have learned to read or write?
My five year old taught himself how to read fluently at the age of 4 by playing computer games. Oddly enough not even computer games designed to be educational. I-Spy spooky mansion has a series of picture riddles with written clues. I worked with him the first time through, after that he wanted to play the game on his own. He is now teaching himself how to write by creating rebus puzzles.
I have a big problem with the anti-technology in education crowd. It is mostly prejudice. Sure constant 1 on 1 attention from a trained pre-school teacher might be more effective, but that is not going to happen for the vast majority of children. Even if it did a computer has certain advantages over a teacher, the biggest problem in getting a child to read is getting them to want to read. When a person asks them to read they give a puzzled look 'why don't you just read this'. With the computer they can see an immediate incentive.
Education is unfortunately an area where it is very hard to apply a scientific approach. Any attempt at innovation will be attacked by the traditionalists. Most of the 'research' produced is worthless, produced to further an agenda rather than to illuminate.
A good example of this is the recent rubbish produced in the UK to back the teaching reading using structural phonics. The report was requested by a minister of education who has an axe to grind. The experiment described involves a sample that is too small to be meaningful and appears to be intentionally flawed as both groups were taught using phonics.
There is an infallible method of detecting junk research. Whenever the results are released to the press and endorsed by a politician involved in the commission of the study before the text of the document is available for third party examination then the study is junk.
Phonetics is the basis of virtually all forms of human writing. Even apparently non-phonetic systems such as Han began as phonetic systems. It should not be suprising then that the majority of children respond best to teaching methods that take account of phonetic structure. But that does not mean that a phonetic system developed by one particular clique is better than other systems to the extent that teachers should be prohibited from using any other technique with any child.
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