First, I am doing his post via my blackberry and the internet is being slow. I am sorry for errors.
I am watching my son (14 months) crawl around by the computer, then crawl up on the computer chair and grab the mouse. He giggles with delight!
He has a play laptop from leap frog with big shape buttons a "mouse" he likes how plays music when he pushes the shapes.
So how early is too early for cmputers and technology? My children are a huge reason I am getting my masters in technology. It constantly changing.
So any and all thoughts/comments are welcome!
My friend's daughter was playing all over pbs' kids website by the time she was 3...
ReplyDeleteI think if the technology is being used for education and not used as a babysitter, it can be very useful! I know several youngsters who have the Leapfrog computers and a couple that have tablets even. I think it's good because like you said, technology is evolving every day and it's good to keep up.
ReplyDeleteMeminy- I like to see that other children are using technology.
ReplyDeleteKara- You make a valid point. Technology should not be the "21st century babysitter." It can be educational and should be used as so.
I know that I have a kindergartener in my class who has an Ipad. She uses it as a communication board. She and I are still learning, together. I do know that students in my class can navigate the Ipad better than I can, and I understand technology! Tecnology is here now.
I also think it is important that technology is not a babysitter for children. It is good to expose our children to technology early. Good experiences with technology can make learning fun and can give them a great mindset on learning so early in their lives.
DeleteWhat do you think about early exposure to sites like Facebook? I would not want my child on facebook until they were in at least high school, maybe college.
Brian-
DeleteI read your comment yesterday. I have had to think about your FB question. I honestly do not have an answer! FB can be a scary place, yet I love it. I also have 28 years old and hope that I use it correctly and to keep in touch with friends and family.
I do know that a FB "rule" is that kids must be 13. With that said I have some 8 year olds in my class with FB pages because their parents set it up.
I would say it depends on the maturity level of the student/kid.
I also know that if/when my kids have FB or a social network I will have to be a "friend" of them. I will also have access (log in/passwords) while they live under my roof. I know kids can be sneaky and they will find ways to have other pages or hide things. I am hoping it will be "tech savy" enough to keep up with the technology to find these pages.
I asked my husband this question and he does not like FB. He also said that I would be intruding on my kids’ privacy. I understand where he is coming from and we will have to see what the years bring.
right now our Son is 14 months old and I am 22 weeks pregnant. We will have a few years to plan. It will be here before we know it. I will not ignore this issue, yet I am relieved I do have a few years to think about it.
I totally agree with keeping up with technology! My son is also using a computer and he discovered how the mouse actually worked when he was 18 months old. He now knows how to maneuver through my touch screen Droid Charge at the age of 21 months. Although, he does not fully understand exactly what he is doing, it amazes me that he is able to grasp the idea of how it works. We did not have this option when we were toddlers or little children for that matter. Needless to say, we did not get to use computers in kindergarten.
ReplyDeleteA.Combs-
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. I appreciate your input. My son plays with my cell phone and "texts" like he was born with the information.
I remember green screen computers in Jr. high. time has changed over the past years. It will be interesting to see what our grandchildren can do at 18 months.
I like the idea of exposing the very young to some forms of technology and they are around it whether we want them to be or not......it's just out there everywhere. I do however, feel that kids still need to be kids and get out and explore and play hands-on with nature and have that exposure to the simple things in life. It allows the imagination to soar!
ReplyDelete