How Digital Technological Devices Influences Children - Research Paper Example

Topic: How digital technological devices influences children and development Introduction Digital technologies entail things like computers, laptops, smartphones and tablets among other technological devices while at the same time referring to the infrastructure that schools require to utilize digital technology. These include fully funded and dependable access to ultra-fast broadband as well as access to wireless internet. The decade that has passed has been characterized by an increase in the use of technology for entertainment by children with some being as young as one year old (Livingstone & Smith, 2014). Education continues to evolve and the kind of education today, including what is learned, where the learning takes place and how it happens is very different compared to education in the past. With the changing world, the young people should be more confident, innovative and more connected in order to have more involvement as lifelong learners through and education system which supports the development of knowledge, competencies and values while preparing them to succeed in the world (Clark, 2011). Digital technologies are a critical aspect of the life of children as children use it to connect with each other, in learning new skills and pursuing their interests to their level best. Digital technologies also avail newer opportunities for teachers as well as leaders and other members of the society keen on the development of children to contribute to the learning of the children. This is because they these technologies can allow learning to take place anywhere and at any time apart from the classroom. Additionally, the children who are engaged with digital technology can get a connection and collaboration with other students and teachers who are not part of their school and from various parts of the globe. In connecting with other children, the child will be able to appreciate the challenging aspects in the virtual world that would typically be impossible while getting an easier access to a large pool of resources available on the internet that can support learning such as websites and other applications (Plowman, Stevenson, Stephen & McPake, 2012). Statement of the problem The advantages of technology depend on the manner in which children, parents and teachers decide to utilize it in enhancing the learning of the children. When employed in a good manner for educational purposes, the latest technology can assist in the creation of opportunities for more active and meaningful learning experiences. Nonetheless, this does not imply that all the people in a particular household need their own devices. It is impractical to think that all the caregivers and parents are able to afford the costs of the latest technological devices regardless of the fact that there are benefits associated with sharing common devices since meaningful conversations can occur around this technology. Nevertheless, there are instances when some form of computing device is required to finish some piece of individual work and this is the reason why parents and teachers are critical to ensuring that technology is used equitably and appropriately. The parents who have concerns about children using social networks like Twitter should appreciate the role technology plays in the fostering and supporting friendships and therefore encourage their children to include them in their social networks. Inherently, learning is a social activity and instead of banning children from joining this networks and taking part in online games where they are able to collaborate with other players from all over the globe. Therefore, more and more adults should be educated on how to ensure that the children use these technologies appropriately. Digital literacy and technology is around for the long term and in order to take serious advantage of the potential benefits of this form of learning, there should be appropriate resourcing of schools as well as the teachers. Ultimately, although playing with iPad, Computer or any other digital technological devices has been linked to health risks; it can in fact assist and develop numerous aspects of children’s learning skills, particularly problem solving skills, executive functioning, hand-eye coordination as well as cognitive development. Literature review There have always been concerns regarding children spending a lot of time in front of screens particularly given the numerous screens that children have access to presently. Currently, very young children sit in front of the television, play with iPad and iPhones and watch their parents as they take photographs using their digital cameras that have their own screens. Initially, only the television screen existed and this was the only screen that researchers worried about for some time. Researchers initially considered the effect of television on the behavior of children and the manner in which they learn, but there is very little knowledge concerning the new digital devices that are easily accessible (Jackson et al., 2012). Screen time has been discouraged for children under the age of two by the American Academy of Pediatrics; however, the NAEYC position is slightly different. This is because it states that technology and media should be restricted, but what is most important is the manner in which it is utilized, the content it carries and whether it is being used for the intentions it was meant for. Technology and media should also be checked to ensure that it is developmentally appropriate. Various position statements do not set particular limits on technology in the same manner that limits cannot be set on the amount of time that a child will take playing with puzzles or reading for the week. Therefore, teachers and parents should trust their instincts as they know the children they deal with, and if they think their children are consuming technology too much, then they should restrict its use. It is the responsibility of the adult to be aware that the time the child spends on the computer limits their interaction with other children and thus nudge the child towards this new direction (Diamond & Lee, 2011). The adult should also understand the personality and temperament of the child and be aware if technology is among the ways the child decides to use to interact with the world. The adults should ensure that the time the children take to engage with technology is meaningful and interactive through asking questions as well as creating a connection with the virtual experiences of the child on the screens with his or her experiences in the real-life. By using technology, children get a chance to learn technological skills, and at the same time enhance their social and cognitive development. Technology skills Eklund and Bergmark (2013) say that in the process of interacting with computers and other types of technology, children have the chance to use input devices like mouse, remote controls and keyboards as well as output devices like monitors and printers to operate computers, tablets and other technological devices successfully. The children are also able to utilize a broad array of media and technological resources that enables them to achieve directed and independent learning while communicating technology through developmentally suitable and precise terminologies. Further, children can utilize developmentally suitable multimedia resources like educational software and interactive books in order to support their learning. This will result in a more cooperative and collaborative working with their peers and family members along with other people when they employ technology in their classroom activities. In their interaction with technology, parents should ensure that children demonstrate positive social and moral behaviors when they use technology and they should practice responsible usage of technology systems and the associated software. A creation of developmentally appropriate multimedia products that supports teachers, members of the family members or the students should also take place and the technological resources like logical thinking programs and writing tools should be employed for solving problems, facilitating communication and illustrating the thoughts and the ideas of the children. Social skills Even though some educators initially expressed their concerns regarding the manner in which computers might decrease socialization, research has suggested that instead computers may escalate the amount of communication along with a positive interaction between children and their peers. For instance, it has been seen that children take part in interactions with others during almost two thirds of computer play as opposed to only seven percent of puzzle play. Computers provide an exceptional environment that can motivate the children who normally do not interact with other people to do so. For most of the youngsters, the computer is considered as a catalyst for sharing information, the expansion and progression of language as well as decision-making. Denner, Werner and Ortiz (2012) states that children take part in varied social interactions when using digital technology including seeking help, directing other children’s actions, the provision of information, management of turn taking and acknowledgment of other children among other aspects. This is an aspect that is also shared by other people who have done some form of research in this field and they agree that even though children appear to naturally help each other when using various forms of digital technology, they can also develop rules that will assure interaction takes place. These rules include finding friends, assisting friends through pointing, discussing and provision of information, and sharing the mouse, as well as taking turns. In most of the cases, computer experts are developed in the classroom and go on to teach other children with the experts not being assigned this role by the teachers but by the other students in the same classes (Zhong, 2011). Astonishingly, it is possible to find that the computer expert’s household does not own a computer or any other form of digital technology. Typically, the experts may not be the most proficient as far as academic and social skills are concerned, but in the process of assisting other children, they acquire the important social and communication skills. For instance, in Kindergarten programs where families are invited to send their children emails, the children will have challenges reading the emails since they have not yet developed proficiency in reading yet. However, this may lead to the teachers realizing that some of the students can read and this might assist the rest of the students in gaining more proficiency while building confidence for the one who can read through development of communication skills. Cognitive skills As an instrument, a computer and other digital technological devices have several advantages that may be critical in assisting in the cognitive development of children. To begin with, computers are encouraging and motivating for young children and they increase the time they spend on on-task activities while providing consistency and regular reinforcement (Granic, Lobel & Engels, 2014). Digital technological devices as well as computers also enable children to work in an independent manner and at a comfortable pace and software programs typically provide extensive scaffolding in learning which is significant to the development of important cognitive skills. Further, the computer can be associated with the provision of unique opportunities that may considerably improve learning. For instance, computers enables children to access the biggest information bank with the widest array of quality and utility that is known to the world. Using the computer, children can get a chance to take part in simulations and the manipulation of variables, which may be impossible in the real world. The best results academically are realized when technology use is directly associated with other classroom activities along with the rest of the curriculum. For example, when children make use of software programs that manipulate items, the teacher can place the concrete items on the table adjacent to the computer or include the items in the activities undertaken in the classrooms. According to Gentile, (2011), research has shown that the use of computers along with the supporting manipulative aspects enhances the skills of the children as compared to using the manipulative aspects or the computers in their lonesome. Even though there are numerous cognitive advantages linked to the use of computers, there are dangers associated with the use of excessive drill and skill software as this may reduce the creativity of the children considerably. Participants and data In researching the manner in which children are affected by technology in their development, various researchers used various methods of studying this phenomenon and experimenting it. Plowman, Stevenson, Stephen and McPake (2012), came up with case studies that involved fourteen families through collecting data nine times. The children who were part of the study were three years old and the study examined their experience with learning and playing with the technological devices at home. This study shed light on the various technologies that children used at home, how the practices in the household influences how the children interact with technology and the lessons children get from the interactions with technology. Based on the view developed by Clark (2011), digital media has brought about emotional aspects into the modern way of living and parents and children can interact and work together using digital media. On the other hand, Denner, Werner & Ortiz (2012) considers computer games as a promising approach that can engage children in the forms of thought that will prepare them to eventually become the developers and not just consumers of technology. Not withstanding the gender or race of a child, playing of video games is associated with increased creativity and gender differences and not race dissimilarities can be seen in the form of video games played by children as the creativity remains the same. Nonetheless, more research must be done to understand how they are affected when they are interacting with a video game or other forms of technology. Conclusion It may be said that technology is a mere tool and it should not be employed in the classroom or in childcare centers for its trendiness, but because teachers can take part in activities that will encourage a healthy development of these children. Teachers continue to use digital cameras, which is a technology that is less flamboyant when compared to the iPad, in a creative manner in order to achieve a total engagement of children in learning. From the results and outcomes, this may be all they need to achieve a successful outcome. All together, the teachers should have capacity to incorporate technology into the activities taking place in the classroom or the childcare center as an issue of social justice. It cannot be assumed that all the children have one or more forms of technology at home and thus if there is no exposure, there is high likelihood of the digital divide widening (Zhong, 2011). In this case, digital divide points to the gap existing between the sections of the population who are able to access digital technology and the ones without it. This divide might result in negative outcomes including limiting the readiness of some of the children and their early successes. In the same manner that all children need to learn to handle books as a form of early literacy, they are also supposed to be taught the various ways they can use technology like how it works and the ways they can take care of it (Clark, 2011). For all the young children, there are associated advantages in the ability to handle the world of digital technological devices before they develop the motor skills needed to handle the wider environment around them. According to a study cited by Kaufman, babies who were too young to pick up and hold items on their own were provided with Velcro mittens so that the objects could stick to them. With these mittens, they gained an ability to manipulate their environment and this gave them a competitive advantage as far as learning is concerned. therefore, there is a possibility that exposing children to tablets at a tender age may have the same effects on the development of children. It is difficult to an expert who harbors the opinion that monitored and considered use of digital technological devices is harmful. Even the doctors who claim to treat patients for addiction to iPads do not considered digital technological devices as being harmful to children. This in actuality implies that there is no such thing as addition to digital technological devices especially for children as there has never been any mention instance where a child has been given follow up treatment for such a condition. The main challenge for the parents is that the risks of digital technological devices use, if any, have not yet been identified. Research in this area is still in its infant stages and little is known about what goes on in the mind when they are engage in the use of digital technological devices. This may be partly attributed to the fact that it is difficult to measure brain activities of people who are moving and partly because metals cannot be taken into MRI scanners, therefore, until when more can be known, parents will need to depend on their parental instincts. There have been suggestions that the use of digital technological devices makes it harder for children to deal with information that is slower pace, but then again, all thought of the human brain rewire it. References Clark, L. (2011). Parental Mediation Theory for the Digital Age. Communication Theory, 21(4), 323-343. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2885.2011.01391.x Denner, J., Werner, L., & Ortiz, E. (2012). Computer games created by middle school girls: Can they be used to measure understanding of computer science concepts?. Computers & Education, 58(1), 240-249. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2011.08.006 Diamond, A., & Lee, K. (2011). Interventions Shown to Aid Executive Function Development in Children 4 to 12 Years Old. Science, 333(6045), 959-964. doi:10.1126/science.1204529 Eklund, L., & Helmersson Bergmark, K. (2013). Parental mediation of digital gaming and internet use. In FDG 2013-The 8th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games (pp. 63-70). Gentile, D. (2011). The Multiple Dimensions of Video Game Effects. Child Development Perspectives, 5(2), 75-81. doi:10.1111/j.1750-8606.2011.00159.x Granic, I., Lobel, A., & Engels, R. (2014). The benefits of playing video games. American Psychologist, 69(1), 66-78. doi:10.1037/a0034857 Jackson, L., Witt, E., Games, A., Fitzgerald, H., von Eye, A., & Zhao, Y. (2012). Information technology use and creativity: Findings from the Children and Technology Project. Computers In Human Behavior, 28(2), 370-376. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2011.10.006 Livingstone, S., & Smith, P. (2014). Annual Research Review: Harms experienced by child users of online and mobile technologies: the nature, prevalence and management of sexual and aggressive risks in the digital age. Journal Of Child Psychology And Psychiatry, 55(6), 635-654. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12197 Plowman, L., Stevenson, O., Stephen, C., & McPake, J. (2012). Preschool children’s learning with technology at home. Computers & Education, 59(1), 30-37. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2011.11.014 Zhong, Z. (2011). From access to usage: The divide of self-reported digital skills among adolescents. Computers & Education, 56(3), 736-746. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2010.10.016 Read More