In this day of exponentially growing advancements in technology we often find the students teaching the teachers about technology. Students seem to know how to operate any program and if they can’t, they figure it out or find someone who can very quickly. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and a majority of students can logically control their computer usage in a way that allows them to focus on their intended task and do extra things in moderation. There are also a number of students that can be on a computer working on a lesson or activity and at the same time be playing a computer game, chatting online with several people, and shopping online. They call this multitasking and will swear they are getting their work done. Often when students are ask to get off these extra activities though, they just do a better job of hiding what they are doing and keep on multitasking. The reality is they are doing multiple things at once, but the question is, how well they are doing these things. Check out this link on multitasking: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95256794 If students are gaming, most of the focus is on the game because it is highly stimulating to the brain with all its fast movement and response input needed. This brain stimulation has an addictive quality that keeps drawing the students back to the game. The more the game can stimulate the brain, the more addictive it becomes. The game designers do this on purpose to keep their audience and sell more games. This draws the student’s attention away from the other aspects of their lives. In some cases students will not only give up study and learning time for the game, but will give up extra-curricular activities, relationships, and family time to feed this addiction.
So what can be done to control the addictive behavior associated with things like gaming and chatting? First, determine if there is a problem. Is your student withdrawn except on the computer? Have their grades slipped? Do they spend time with friends and family, or spend as much extra time on the computer as possible? Check out this link on technology addiction: http://www.video-game-addiction.org If you determine there is a problem, maybe restrictions could be put on their computer use. This will take a commitment from the parent to monitor their student’s computer. I don’t advise completely taking away the computer, but limiting when and how long it can be used. Much research is going into the addictive quality of gaming, computer usage, and technology, but the American Medical Association has not yet officially recognized these addictions as a disorder. The fact is that we are living in an age of continuously advancing technology. The question is how do we use it? Do we control it and us it to advance us through life, or do we let it control us, and our lives.
Technology is not inherently good or bad. It can serve as a tool or a distraction. As individuals we determine which way to use it in our lives. Students have been given an awesome tool to use for advancing their education. Now the challenge is to teach them how to use it appropriately. This responsibility falls upon the student, teacher, and parent. Students need to see how we use technology appropriately, we need to train them how to use technology, and then monitor them as they learn to use it on their own. You wouldn’t take a teenager that’s never been in a car and then throw them the keys to your new sports car and tell them “go at it”. We know how dangerous or destructive that would be, so we can’t just throw our teenagers the keys to the Internet and tell them “go at it”. We must train, monitor, and limit them as they grow. This may challenge us as adults to grow in our understanding of technology as well, and we may need to let them teach us a thing or two along the way. We have to teach responsibility and control however, because in the end they are the ones that will be in control of our future.
0 Response to "Technology!"
Post a Comment