Kids computing is like "electronically sugar-coated 'learning' that may spoil children's appetite for
main course." Encouraging children to "learn" by flitting about in a colorful multimedia world is a recipe for a disorganized and undisciplined mind. Kids should be encouraged to blossom and flower in a free atmosphere. Their development should be in their own capacities. Barry Sanders, Professor at Pitzer college, US says "good readers grow out of good recites and good speakers." Then, as a child matures, his success in reading and writing nurtures his "innermost, intimate guide, self." So any threat to language and literacy may limit children's "inner voice" - their capacity to tell themselves stories and talks themselves through academic or other problems. Those who place their faith in technology to solve problems of education should look more deeply into needs of children. The renewal of education requires personal attention to students from good teachers and active parents, strongly supported by their communities. It requires commitment to developmentally appropriate education and attention to full range of children's real, low-tech needs -- physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development. So, Beware, Be Aware, Brainstorm to activate mind cells before its too late!!!
Computers are reshaping children's lives, at home and at school, in profound and unexpected ways. Common sense suggests that we consider potential harm, as well as promised benefits, of this change. To put it simply, childhood is our species' evolutionary edge. Childhood takes time. And many children are simply not being given time to be children. Computers are acute symptoms of rush end childhood.
Children need stronger personal bonds with caring adults. Yet powerful technologies are distracting children and adults from each other. They need time for active, physical play; hands-on lessons of all subjects, especially arts and language. Experience nature. This is essential for healthy child development to flourish in free atmosphere. Yet many schools and parents opt for Computers distracting child reading and cutting minimal offerings in developing areas to shift time and money to expensive, unproven technology! Researchers reveal Computers pose serious health hazards to children. The risks include repetitive stress injuries, eyestrain, obesity, social isolation, and, for some, long-term damage to physical, emotional, or intellectual development. Our children thrive to spend even more time staring at screens increase sight problems. The social and educational need of low-income children is at stake too. Quite obvious, drive of Computerization emphasize only one of human capacities - analytical and abstract thinking of child develops late but it aims to jump start prematurely! Computers are most sophisticated thinking tools ever designed. They were developed with adult bodies, as well as adult mental capacities, in mind. Even for adults, their intensive use is related to job stress and serious injuries. But emphasizing computers for children, whose growing bodies are generally more vulnerable to stress, presents several challenges to healthy development. The current focus on computers can distract schools and families from attending to children's true needs, and can exacerbate existing problems.
The computer, like TV, can be a mesmerizing babysitter. But many children, overwhelmed by volume of data and flashy special effects of World Wide Web and much software, have trouble focusing on any one task.
Must five-year-olds be trained on computers today to get high-paying jobs of tomorrow?
For a relatively small number of children with certain disabilities, technology offers benefits. But for majority, computers pose health hazards and potentially serious developmental problems. Of particular concern is growing incidence of disabling repetitive stress injuries among college students who began using computers in childhood. The National Science Board reported in 1998 that prolonged exposure to computing environments may create "individuals incapable of dealing with messiness of reality, needs of community building, and demands of personal commitments."
Physical health
Emphasizing use of computers in childhood can place children at increased risk for repetitive stress injuries, visual strain, obesity, and other unhealthy consequences of a sedentary lifestyle. Some development experts also warn that increasing time that children spend on computers, given hours they already sit in front of televisions and video games, may contribute to developmental delays in children's ability to coordinate sensory impressions and movement and to make sense of results. That could in turn lead to language delays and other learning problems. This health hazard demands immediate attention but its only a concern as every person is in a ‘Computer rat race!’
Muscular-skeletal injuries
Long hours at a keyboard, constantly repeating a few fine hand movements, may overtax children's hands, wrists, arms, and neck. That, in turn, may stress their developing muscles, bones, tendons, and nerves. For user, computer is a kind of straitjacket into which body must adapt itself. The eyes stare at an unvarying focal length, drifting back and forth across screen. Fingers move rapidly across keyboard or are poised, waiting to strike. The head sits atop spine balanced, in words of one physician, like a bowling ball. Built for motion humans do not respond well sitting nearly immobile for hours at a time. Children who play games on computers for long hours, fight with ctrl keys, jump with space or run right-left or topsy-turvy through arrow keys are sure to freeze with vision, pain in hands and more! There may be greater risk. That's because their bones, tendons, nerves, muscles, joints, and soft tissues are still growing.
Vision problems Computer is a strain on child’s eyes and developing visual system and actually makes learning to read, a more complication. Eyestrain experienced by computer operators is related to screen glare and to screen being either too bright or too dim compared to ambient light. Maintaining a constant focus on same distance, at same angle, inhibits blinking even more than does reading from a book, probably because monitor presents a vertical reading surface and because our eyes are open wider, making it more of an effort to blink Children or adult, all face visual fatigue from long spells on computer screen. Expecting beginning writers to poke a letter key and then passively watch a letter appear on a screen can be hard on their eyes and an extra perceptual challenge, and thus may actually hamper process of learning to write and read. Their muscular and nervous system are in developing process too. It's not until about age of 11 or 12 that their capacity to balance and coordinate movement and focusing of both eyes together is fully mature. A pair of glasses may correct immediate problem. But myopia itself may be a risk factor for other visual problems. It can interfere with children's sports activities and enjoyment of nature, and even limit their choice of career
