Techno Kids Article

In the article Teens and technology – a good match? addresses the onslaught of electronic media and the effects on teens. The article has several good points as it analyzes behavior, usage, school interactions of, and parental involvement. Many good points were brought up including:

• 8 – to 18-year-olds devote an average of about seven and a half hours a day…using entertainment media
• the electronic media glut…have made it more difficult for parents to keep tabs on what their kids are doing
• the time kids spend consuming media constitutes more than a full workweek
• multitasking in the adult workplace leads to inefficiency and increased errors
• about half of heavy media users get fair to poor grades in school
• the family unit is not what it used to be
• television and computers shouldn’t be in the kids’ bedrooms
• cyber-bullying occurs
• having students with technological capabilities is the key to making the project work (school related)

There were many good points in this article. I agree that student’s do waste a lot of time using technology inappropriately in the classroom. This is a behavior issue and not a problem with technology. I feel that as educators we should be addressing the behavior instead of blaming the tools we use. We should incorporate technology whenever we can and help students learn the value of appropriate use of it. A number of them think that it is perfectly okay to surf the net or text during class. If they truly feel that this is “alright” to do at work and at school, how will this affect their future as contributing members of society? We need to help guide students in the right direction with appropriate use of technology so it can benefit them the most.