Failure to Connect Book Review - Essay Example

Jane Healy is perplexed by the over-dependence of teachers on the computer as a teaching and learning aid. A survey carried out among teachers and parents led her to the startling revelation that after the three R’s, i.e. reading writing, arithmetic, and good habits, most of them desired proficiency in computers in their wards. The traditional domains of arts, history, geography, and science figured much lower in the list of sixteen items listed in the survey. Parents who buy a computer have their children’s education in mind while making this expensive purchase.

In schools, computers have taken over the teacher’s job of education facilitator through repetitive drills and practice. Parents seem to have fallen into a delusional trap because they assume that a child who can operate a sophisticated tool like a computer must be smart, when in fact such a theory is not necessarily right. Constant drilling only hones their ability to get better scores on standardized tests while dulling their analytical and problem-solving skills. In the lower classes, computers have a negative impact because “fast-growing biological systems are most vulnerable to damage” (pg.111). Healy is critical of the high amounts spent on upgrading hardware and computer software which can be put to better use by promoting literature and arts and even in training teachers.

The biggest dangers that a computer poses to a child are inhibition of brain development and a lack of creativity. A child’s excessive use of computers interferes with its cognitive and social skills and they find it difficult to communicate even in familiar surroundings. From a physiological angle, computers lead to hand and arm injuries due to repetitive use, and back problems because of the enormous amount of time spent sitting in front of the computer. There is also the danger of visual problems due to eyestrain and problems associated with constant exposure to electromagnetic fields. Brain development during the first seven years of a child’s life intends to lay the foundation for future language and social skills but "computer learning" which is in vogue nowadays actually hampers this growth.

The computer can assist development if used prudently. An appropriate choice of skill-enhancing software as well as extreme care in using the Internet, the parent's input in computer usage, and the age-old dictum of being common sensical while dealing with modern gadgets holds good. Guidelines for using the Internet should be posted close to the computer and children must be reminded repeatedly that the exchange of personal information is taboo. The dangers of sharing personal information are a much-debated subject and young people must be discouraged from handing out personal details.

Jane Healy’s study is a timely intervention in the nascent field of research on computers and their effects. It is concerned individuals attempt to warn parents of the dangers of a habit before it turns into an addiction. Instead of being a diatribe against computers, it is a voice of reason and caution to heed the issues which turn machines into monsters. Jane Healy’s advice to parents and teachers alike is to make informed choices that make technological devices aids rather than obstacles in the arena of a child’s all-around development.