Children and Technology: A Good Idea?

Technology has consumed our lives. You may read this and think to yourself that this is either good or bad. However, no matter if you are a huge fan of technology or you are totally against it, you have to admit that it has made our lives easier in one way or another. But what about technology and education? Our children have no choice but to succumb to our technologically driven society. But is that a good idea?

More and more schools are instituting technology in their classrooms, and out. Many classes are conducted online, in addition to online education portals where children can study, do homework, activities, and even collaborate with one another and their classroom teacher. There are also technological initiatives to provide each student with a laptop or iPad.

Now that sounds nice, right? Yeah, it’s great...but with the budget cuts nationwide, how are schools going to afford to provide EACH child with a laptop, or iPad for that matter? Schools today can barely afford teachers’ salaries and books...never mind top of the line technology. Our country has to get their shit together before we can provide these great things to our children. Steve Jobs said it best that education cannot be fixed with technology.

Even if the economy and our schools improve and suddenly we have all the money in the world (an obvious exaggeration...) to buy our kids these fancy technological gadgets...what happens to textbooks? The fundamental tool we have used for education since the invention of the printing press. We’ve always thought that we couldn’t really learn without books...so what happens if/when education goes paperless? Wold that do more harm than good?

If you are a parent, or grandparent, or teacher, or older sibling, or have even spent a minute around children, you will see that kids today are more emphatic about technological gadgets, video games, and cell phones than reading or studying. I get that this is why schools are trying harder and harder to integrate technology into their classrooms and curriculums, in order to keep kids focused. However, children today aren’t interested in reading books. And it’s really a sad thing. Kids are already losing the ability to read and write up to graduation standards due to constant instant messaging and texting shorthand. Are our kids and our kids’ kids going to lose the ability to read and write English? What kind of world would that be?

Back in what seemed like another life for me, I was pursuing a Master’s in Education. One of the courses I took was Technology in Education. I thought it was going to be an extremely boring class...but not only was my professor interesting, but I found that the coursework was just as interesting. For my final paper, I did some research on “multiple intelligences” and on children and how their minds work. Children of what is now as today as the “Digital Age”, have actually begun to learn digitally. So it’s possible that our children and their creative minds have actually altered from the traditional learning methods that we possess, and now have the ability to not only be more creative, but have the ability to learn technology and digital methods easier than us.

So I ask you...is technology and education a good idea? Sure...I think we can all agree that there are definitely benefits involved, but there’s a lot to consider. The cost and the long term repercussions. However, today it is impossible to avoid children’s collaboration and ability to get their hands on technology.

© Xavier Gallego Morell | Dreamstime.com

What Happened to Social Revolts in America?

What happened to the days of social revolt in America? What happened to protests, riots, strikes, and petitions? Native Americans fighting for rightful land, women fighting for the vote, African Americans and nonviolent protests towards social segregation during the Civil Rights movement, the protest against Vietnam. It's all there in history. So what happened? I have a hard time believing that we have run out of things to fight for.

There are plenty of things wrong with today's American society. Look at education. It's no secret that the American education system is failing. Our kids aren't graduating, can't read or write, and those that graduate and actually pursue higher education can't afford it and end up with billions in credit card and student loan debt. Way to set them up to fail. Look at the health care reform. Look at how the minorities live off the middle class taxes to provide them with food stamps and welfare so they don't have to work. Women STILL don't have equal pay or benefits in the work place. The insane price increase in gas, the increase in local state sales taxes, the increase in housing costs. Everything seems to go up except salaries, minimum wage, and jobs. Keep raising the taxes while our American citizens don't have jobs and don't have health care.

So this begs the question, why doesn't anyone fight anymore? Why doesn't anyone stand up and say 'no!'? Is it because we've all lost faith in our fellow Americans, our American government, and our freedom? I know I have. Or is it because we are too lazy? Are we too wrapped up in our busy lives, our busy jobs, and on our busy cell phones? Or maybe since the American government stopped caring about us, we stopped caring about us? I don't know. And I don't mean the war on terrorism. We all know what that's about. Oil. I understand Americans are pissed. The system is corrupt and America keeps making the same mistakes it has made for years. History always repeats itself, because we are too dumb to learn.

All it takes is one person to make a difference. We've all heard that before, and it's true. It takes one person to stand up above all and say that something is wrong. As a result, more and more people join and voice their opinions, ideas, and concerns. Then it becomes a fad, like this who "going green" thing. Kudos to the person who finally stood up and make a change in how we treat our environment. I think it's a little too late to save our environment, but whatever. Besides, in our days of high taxes, no jobs, a poor education system, and no money, what's there to save?

Education in America - Joke

Today's public school education sucks. Period. Our kids today are doomed. The things that kids crave and enjoy most (recess, gym, the arts) are all being cut. And today's American parents and society wonder why child obesity is an issue. Wake the hell up. Kids need exercise. Hell, we ALL need exercise. But we live and are consumed by this selfish society with our complex lives and technological gadgets which keep us from staying healthy. It's our own damn fault. Stop blaming McDonald's, stop blaming school cafeteria food, and stop blaming it on video games. Bad food has been around for centuries. It's NOT the food, it's our lifestyle. Get the kids off the damn couch, out of the classroom, and get them outside. Problem solved.

Before you criticize me and ask me what do I know about education and parenting, I am a stepmother of an eight year old, and have assisted in raising her with my husband since she was three years old. For several years in my life, I wanted to be a teacher. I purchased books, took the teacher's test, and even got halfway through a Master's in education. Why didn't I finish? Two reasons. 1.) I was laid off and couldn't afford to finish school, 2.) I realized what bullshit the American education system is in public schools. I took several education related courses. The final one I took was a course dedicated to reading. I can't remember the exact course title. It was about child intelligence and teaching them how to read. It was interesting, yet maddening at the same time. I began to notice a pattern. A pattern in which I was completely against. All education was about was putting a label on a child. When a child could read, he or she was put into a category. If a child had difficult reading, another category, and so on. I understand that it is to better the child's understanding and reading development, but so what if maybe they learn slower than the other students? Why is EVERYTHING so assessment based? They are KIDS.

This blog goes out to my eight year-old stepdaughter. We just got a report from her teacher earlier this week. She is doing exceptionally well in art. She's excelling more than all the other kids and she was even chosen to HELP other children with their art assignments. The teacher couldn't say enough about her creativity and imagination. Then came the downside. The teacher claimed that she had spent a ton of time drawing, cutting out, and taping all the characters from the movie "How to Train Your Dragon". Although the teacher commended her on her efforts, she immediately expressed her concerns on how she spends a lot of time dreaming and believing that dragons and fantasies are real. My husband's reponse to that was, "So? She's EIGHT!" What eight year-old DOESN'T believe in dragons and fantasies? Is she supposed to choose a religion and write a philosophical paper on religion and life before age ten??? Cut the shit. My husband continued to sternly address that with all the bad shit in the world, let kids have their fantasies. The world sucks. Don't ruin their innocence. Let them be KIDS for chrissake. Not to mention, maybe her creativity and wild imagination the reason WHY she excels in art. Come on, you mean to tell me these educational professionals can't figure that out??? And I know there are more kids out there that are the same way as my stepdaughter. But no, God forbid they have a mind of their own or think outside the box. We might as well be Nazi Germany with the way we brainwash our kids. We should be ashamed of ourselves.

All in all, education in America sucks. The MLB and NFL make millions upon millions of dollars each year to throw and catch a fucking BALL yet our schools are piss poor. They are packing thirty plus kids to a classroom, (which is a complete fire hazard but whatever, turn the other cheek, right?) cutting foreign language, music and the arts, physical education, and recess. All the things kids enjoy. Kids are our future, people. They are going to be running this world and taking care of us one day, so we better take care of them now. Let's not brainwash them into level-headed adults before fourth grade. Let kids be kids. Let them be dreamers. Let them run around and have fun. Let them eat what they want, (within reason, of course). Let them enjoy life, because as adults, they are going to realize how much it sucks. And it's going to suck even worse for them when they are older. And the reason why it's going to suck worse is because of us and what we are doing to them now.