Blogpost 4: Influence On a Developing Child

When I was a kid, I used to play outside. I was physically active. Playing games with my friends outside is my daily exercise. As I grow older, our technology develops, and that is the time that I got exposed in playing computer games. I probably stayed at home all day, therefore I didn't have any physical activities that I used to have. It's sad that kids today aren't familiar with the games we used to play when we were young. Gadgets are the only things they know they can play with.

Since technology was born at this generation, kids today will be exposed and influenced by it. There is a great advantage from it but let's deal with the disadvantages first. I read the article "Kids and Technology: When to Limit it and How" by Katherine Lee from the site childparenting.about.com. It is stated there that these devices serve as a distraction for developing children. Parents are responsible because they have the authority to limit their child in terms of its usage. It seems that parents lack this kind of responsibilities. Look around, you can't see children playing outside. Playgrounds and parks are like ghost towns. Kids today just want to stay at home, or maybe computer shops to play with their friends.

These technology affects kids and mainly through their behavior. One of the effects may be lack from sleep, parents should be aware when their children sneak up to their gadgets. At early age, we need sleep more than 8 hours to keep our body working well, lack of sleep may result to weakness of the immune system. The other one is they lack time to bond with family or personal interactions. If you would ask a kid to choose from gadgets or family, they would probably choose their gadgets. Why? They tend to think that they're at home and they're with they family. They feel like it's the same thing, bonding with family. Some kids are easily distracted. Studies said that too much exposure with technology results to short attention span. Another one is, it could interfere with their studies. With their gadgets beside them, they would be easily distracted. The last one is about their physical activities. They are less aware that their body would not function well if it is not active. All these results could change a developing child's lifestyle. 

Just like Katherine said, "For school-age kids, technology can be a double-edged sword. There are countless benefits that can be garnered from using technology", we should limit the children's usage of these devices. It can help them and obviously, it can destroy them. 

On the other hand, technology contributes a lot to education. Exchange of information takes place rapidly. Going to library and reading a lot of books aren't necessary anymore, because in computer we can search and get the summary of everything. I read the article "The Role of Technology in Early Childhood Programs" by Francis Wardle from the site www.earlychildhoodnews.com. According to the article, computers help children with their homeworks. They can easily learn and find the information they need. Computers inside their classroom are helpful too. Some schools have it. The flow of the discussion and lessons are fast. With the help of projectors, their lessons are provided with visual aids. Kids today love pictures and they easily learn from pictures instead of memorizing word or process. In terms of curriculum, if all countries would study about technology, it would help them enhance people for the future. Technology evolves faster than we think it does. It grows quickly, so when the time these kids will finish their studies. Kids could also invent things, with the help of their skills and technology. They're quite knowledgeable about reality, because the reality is, we are moving in a world that is being surrounded and manipulated by technology. 

"We are always looking for the magic bullet, something that will solve our problems. And, today this magic bullet for education is technology" Francis Wardle said. Problems are being solved, of course with the help of technology. We can have instant access with unlimited information we need. I, myself, agree that technology helps us a lot in terms of studying. I can finish all my requirements in less than a day without getting exhausted. And that is with the help of computers.

In conclusion, technology has its pros and cons. Parents are always responsible for their children's behavior. Kids are still young to make decisions for their selves. Instead of focusing of its disadvantages, we should still use it properly. Do not abuse technology, because in the end, we will be the one who will suffer.