Virtual Students

Last night, I was watching a very interesting show on PBS: Frontline's Digital Nation. I happened to turn to the channel when they were discussing public school students' use of computers and technology. There is quite the debate raging over whether or not this technology is good for our children. Some schools allow/give children laptops, which they use during class. It was a bit shocking to know faculty/staff monitor the computers and are able to watch the students through the computer screens! But the question is whether technology is making students learn and live in a world that is too fast-paced for their own good. Don't you eventually break down if you multi-task to extreme? A student listening to his teacher, surfing the web, texting friends, and catching up on emails surely can't pay adequate attention to each individual task, can he? Or can he?

Some claim this technology is part of human evolution and that we are handling it extremely well. So is that why there are so many anti-anxiety prescription medications prescribed each year? Does a diagnosis of ADHD have anything to do with our fast-paced environment as infants? I'm no authority, but these are some of the questions that come to mind.

Don't get me wrong. I love technology, and I am addicted to my computer. Educational video games and the internet are great tools to increase learning potential. I wouldn't have had near the success in college without internet access as it provided so many resources that a shy student would not have found otherwise.

I encourage my daughters to play on sites such as Starfall to strengthen reading skills. And then I watch their faces. They become engrossed in the game. I often find my kindergartner explaining things to my preschooler, and then they both beg for more time. Then, I feel envious, as I wonder why my teaching can't be as exciting as a cartoon dog riding in an airplane.

The PBS show made the comment that maybe we just don't know how to value these technological advances yet for our children. That's true, because only recently have so many children grown up in a home with at least one computer. But does the computer make waiting an impossible task for the next generation? After all, computers can grant instant gratification by answering questions immediately. As an online tutor, I frequently surf the internet in search of answers to help my students, and I usually find those answers within minutes. Are we creating a generation of fun-induced, spoiled children who must have everything this instant? Or are we providing learning tools that will help them succeed throughout their lives? As the saying goes, everything in moderation, and I believe it applies to technology as well.