Have our children begun to learn differently, with advent of technology?

Let’s talk about Educational Technology today-

Are we being made to believe that with advent of technology children have begun to learn differently?

 

In 2017, Google published¹ a case study of its work with the Hoover City, Ala., school district, saying technology equips students “with skills of the future.”

Let’s look at what are these ‘skills of future’?

 World Economic Forum²: ten essential skills people will need to succeed in the workplace of the future:

 

Complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, coordinating with others, emotional intelligence, judgment/decision making, service orientation, negotiation, and cognitive flexibility.

None of the aforementioned skills require training on tech.

 

Perhaps that’s why Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and many other tech executives have delayed and minimized the use of digital devices for their children at least until age 14. The Schools in Silicon Valley where children of tech executives from Google, Apple, eBay and Yahoo go are instructed to be without tablets and other digital gadgets.

 

What do tech execs know that the rest of us do not? They know that “21st century skills” look a lot like “20th century skills” – the ability to think, learn, problem solve and communicate. 

That smart phones are addictive & an academic distraction. Excessive use of smartphones & media is altering children’s brain^3. That it impairs sleep, interferes with building healthy social relationships & also increases risk for anxiety & depression.

 

Findings also say that these tools are also too relied upon in schools for low-income children…those schools don’t have the resources for extracurricular activities, and their parents can’t afford nannies…

Ed tech has much deeper impact on social & economic aspects of a country than we can imagine.

 

In 2018, 200 psychologists petitioned⁴ the American Psychological Association in August to formally condemn the work psychologists are doing with persuasive design for tech platforms that are designed for children.

 

Many campaigns are been run like ‘The Wait Until 8th pledge’ that empowers parents to rally together to delay giving children a smartphone until at least 8th grade.

 

Resources for further reading:

 

1.https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B__OTXR_u3RbdzNPN3pqR2hBMG8/view

2. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-10-skills-you-need-to-thrive-in-the-fourth-industrial-revolution/

3. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/groundbreaking-study-examines-effects-of-screen-time-on-kids-60-minutes/

4. https://screentimenetwork.org/apa

Others: https://www.waituntil8th.org/blog/2019/3/6/lies-you-have-been-told-about-educational-technology