I found an extremely interesting article that mentions that some parents believe that their children learn better without technology and pay big bucks for their children to go to specified classrooms that do not have any computers or technological devices. It talks of these "Waldorf" schools that advocate using creativity and physical activity in order to learn. The article claims that multiple scientific studies have shown that children do not learn better with computers and that it can damage brain activity, although they do not cite their sources.
Although I do see where they are coming from, I can only agree with the latter part of this article. The last section describes both the good and bad qualities that can come with technology. I do believe that it is important for children not to wrapped up on a computer all day. It is not healthy nor does it prepare them for real world experiences. However, there is no denying at how important technology has become in our daily lives and how important it will continue to become in the classroom. Completely cutting children off from it is totally absurd and in my opinion inhibits their schooling by not learning how to use computers to their advantage to increase their knowledge. Technology is becoming such a staple for the classroom that I do believe it really does hold children back if they are behind in how to use it properly and effectively.
While I cannot say I completely agree with this article, I do think it is very important for children to experience a mixture of both technology and real life experiences to better prepare themselves for learning and the real world.
http://theweek.com/article/index/220905/do-kids-learn-more-without-computers
After our discussion in class today about creativity and how it is lacking in the classrooms due to the increased attention on testing, I find it interesting that people would send their kids to a school with no technology. A part of this craze with computers and self-teaching is that computers are contributing to creativity within the students by allowing them to explore and teach themselves through the use of technology. That in itself is a form a creativity, so I do not feel that parents need to send their kids to schools with no technology to be able to learn creatively. I think it is very important to think about your statement, "...there is no denying at how important technology has becoming in our daily lives." Computers and technology are extremely vital in our society now, and to remove children from an education which allows them to use computers and technology may decrease their educational experience. Computers and technology are the future, so children should at least be gradually exposed to them and grasp how to use them. However, I do agree that it is important for kids to learn through both technology and real life experiences. Too much of the computer could be a bad thing, and could inhibit learning creativity through real life experiences.
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