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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?"
My parents gave me plastic bags when I was very young. I expecially liked the full-body dry cleaning ones. For my 4th birthday they game me an old refrigerator with a locking door. I loved it.
Trolling is a art,
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...
what type of tools should parents be equipping their children with, today?
Pencils, pens, paper. Printed books--good, old, classic books. They'll learn computers and all that--you can hardly do anything these days without using one. What they need are the basic skills they won't get through computers, and that is accomplished through reading good ol' books and writing.
I agree that computer != technology but I don't know that I would call cooking technology. To quote from Douglas Adams, "Another problem with the net is that it's still 'technology', and 'technology', as the computer scientist Bran Ferren memorably defined it, is 'stuff that doesn't work yet.' We no longer think of chairs as technology, we just think of them as chairs."
One good way to teach critical thinking is to practise it with your child. Ask them questions about how media, especially advertising, makes them feel. Point out to them the tactics that media purveyors use to produce emotional responce.
As your child matures, involve them in your political, economic, and spiritual life. Take them to a political protest and explain why. Engage them in charity and volunteering, perhaps at a local food bank. They will learn humility and also see what it is like to be less prosperous.
It is important for a child to know how to properly express themselves. One great way to teach is to practise it yourself. Take your time when choosing words and sentences, and always be honest.
Morals help us to act rightly, even when no one is watching. The internet provides a great deal of annonymity, and a strong moral sense serves as compass and shield.
...a few suggestions from someone who doesn't have it all right, but gets closer every day...
could it be?
is you. Your time, your attention, and your approval. You appear to know all of that, but sometimes we get caught up in being good little consumers and buying "tools" when we should be focusing on the tool wielder.
With kids aged 18, 15, and 14 I have some experience in this. I can view with 20/20 hindsight the mistakes I made and the triumphs, such as they were. Without exception my failures have involved taking my eyes off of them for just a little while.
Play with them. Make them earn everything but love (and what you're required by law to give them). Don't be afraid to punish bad behavior. Don't reward tantrums, whining, or other manipulation, but do reward reasoned persistence.
Reward honesty, so much that if the has a "cherry tree" moment, give praise and forget the misdeed. Punish dishonesty in every form.
Punishment should fit the misdeed, and should be designed to benefit the family in the long run. Reserve corporal punishment for "you ain't the boss of me!". It will come. Whack 'em. They'll get over it.
If you give them a computer, make it known that you can lock them out of it at your slightest whim.
Raise your children as if you were teaching them to raise your grandchildren, because you are.
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.
How old are your children? Are you sure they want to be MBAs? If they are less than 15 years of age, they most likely have no idea about what they want to do. I am not saying that becoming an MBA is a bad thing, but make sure it is their passion. Having to fulfill their parents' dreams instead of their own is what puts a lot of kids on 'da drugs' in the first place.
---- "XML is like violence. If it doesn't fix the problem, you aren't using enough."
"If everything still worked properly, I'd give my kids some older tech to play on. You know, computers that boot instantly and have a programming language built in. Because today's computers *can* do so much, they insist on doing quite a lot of it all the time for no good reason. That's too much distraction for focusing on the task at hand I'd say."
EXCELLENT point.
When I was in elementary/middle school, my family had a 386 at home. However, the only thing that anyone had showed me to do on it was play games, use Lotus (one of my older brothers is an engineer, and I watched) and look up things on the Encyclopedia Britannica CD. I learned a few basic things about the command line too, but for the most part the computer was used as a tool to teach me non-tech things or for entertainment. We weren't online and wouldn't be until much, much later.
What actually got me started on programming and truly about the inner workings of computers wasn't a PC at all, but a programmable calculator with a form of BASIC built in (I ran into C a few months later when the technology teacher realized I was interested in programming). I spent a large portion of sixth-grade sitting in the back of the class writing simple programs, mostly games and simple unit conversion stuff, gradually learning the basics of procedural programming.
If you want a kid to get interested in technology, don't present the computer as a crystal ball that magically lets them get what they want. Present it as someting that will do what they want IF they're willing to figure out what commands to give it.