I recognized my family in disguise in Regina’s article, Technology in early childhood literacy development: Family literacy and technology. Like her observations of her own family, my technological native children work with confidence and patience, (as Regina’s nephew suggests!) We limit ‘screens’ in our house during the school week to one half hour at the end of the day, if all chores and homework are done, (an exception being use for homework/research). Increasingly, my children are choosing the computer for their 7:30-8:00 screen time over watching a television program. The sites they visit, we monitor, and are often games of logic or language arts skills. This week my nine year old was visiting a site that had her participating in a type of mad-lib. This is when I found out she doesn’t know the definition of a noun, verb or past tense- scandalous!!! Needless to say, this became a teachable moment, and the next day she picked out some mad-libs from Barnes and Noble and returned to the site with renewed confidence!
My children view both my husband and I using the computer daily. They often ask questions about our use, which we readily answer, (to the best of our ability!) We have found in our house, as in life, moderation in all things serves well. The computer may play an important, useful, and meaningful role in the classroom and the home setting, when coupled with human interaction and an environment that values learning.
How is the computer used in your home? Daily? Weekly? Hourly? Do you use it to get news or entertainment, or mostly as a work tool? If you have children, what is your policy for computer use?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Hi Leslie! I would say that both you and the use of the computer provided Piper with some new knowledge. It is important as educators and parents to capitalize on these moments to make technology use meaningful. Well,as you know I don't have kids, but I just suggested that my sister, who has two little girls, put the computer in a common living space to promote appropriate internet use and the value of the computer being a literary device. If your computer was not in a common place, who knows what information Piper would have come across but then did nothing to help her understand. Well done Mom! I use the computer for most daily activities such as weather, news, communication, shopping, researching, etc. I love my laptop! It mostly rests on my desk in the spare bedroom so I may have quiet work place. However, at times, Chris will put it in the living room during a ball game to check stats or I'll shop with it on my lap while I watch my favorite show. I guess it has become a daily routine in my house. When did that happen??? AAHH!
I have two kids, a son who is 10 and a daughter who is 6. They go to a school that has technology classes, beginning with scavenger hunts and other online work from the start. They are quite saavy about the Internet. My son, in particular, knows what is right, but has admitted that while he has not yet broken our rules, he could easily be tempted (see my blog). Our PC is in our den and my kids know that I will be monitoring their work. They can get very limited Internet access on their own. This allows them to go on the computer when they want to preapproved websites or email contacts. If my son wants to access other sites, I need to check them out and add them or sit with him while he works. If he tries to access an off limit site, I get an email from our ISP alerting me. Our ISP also has a time limit function on it of an hour and the only time they have ever reached it is when they forget to log out. Off-line, they have educational games and a few others such as Monopoly. My son has a computer in his room with office software for his homework and a few games (He knows that we can audit this machine, also). He has no interest to spend excessive time on it. He periodically begs for Internet in his room, but I will never give in! Any thoughts about an offline computer in a kid's room?
Hey there! I think that it's great that you guys model appropriate tech. usuage and use it for those teachable moments. I don't have any kiddos myself however, I look at my mom's situation with my younger bros. and sister. They have a computer/laptop in every room. It's so ridiculous not to mention dangerous. Who knows what my 15 year old brother is looking at! My mom and I actually had a discussion about this yesterday while we went for a visit. They are definately thinking about reorganizing rhe inventory! Also, I'm reminded of the Wife Swap episode where the 12 year old girl was posting very inapporpriate photos on her site. The father was not aware,even though the computer was in the kitchen. I agree with you, parents need to be right there, "in your face", attitude when it comes to your children and the internet. It's about keeping them safe. At my house, I use the computer for everyday stuff. In school, for projects, creating wks & tests, and pretty much for everything. Paul uses his laptop for business and purchasing items.
Post a Comment