Children under the age of five have a great talent for learning to use modern technology, and it is no longer surprising that children at this age are confidently using smartphone and tablet technology, as they do not find it difficult to use touch screens or press the buttons they contain. These modern technological devices.
Although parents enjoy the quiet moments they experience when they give their child a modern technology device to play with, they have some concern inside that these screens will damage their young child’s brain, but on the contrary, these screens can be useful in the learning process For children, the more interactive the experience, the better.
Where research conducted by the University of Wisconsin, and recently presented at a meeting of the Society for Research on Child Development, showed that children between the ages of two and three showed a response to video screens that prompted children to touch them, more than video screens that did not contain any interactive activities in them, and the study finds that the more The screen was more interactive, it was closer to the truth and the two-year-old had a greater sense of it.
Utilities
Heather Kerkorian, assistant professor of human development and family studies, had worked to complete that research, and confirmed that touch screens would be useful for a child’s education, and those results were also repeated when Kerkorian conducted other tests related to the child’s learning process of words, and she said: ” The children who interacted with the screen showed faster improvement, made fewer errors, and had faster speech skill. However, we don’t turn them into geniuses, we just help them absorb more information.”
So parents should take it easy. Their children learn naturally and interact with the world around them. However, technology in the form of phones and tablets remains. Some elementary schools and even kindergartens offer iPads to their students in classrooms. To make the learning process easier for them, as ICT and understanding the way things work is part of the course they study.
Scientific advice for parents:
Technology has never been dominant or controlling a child’s experiences, but rather their desires and the cultures they have lived in their families that shaped their way of interacting with things, said Helen Moylet, president of the Early Learning Association, a charity that aims to improve education practices and quality for underage children. Fifth, she does not agree with some who see the need to keep children away from mobile devices and tablets.
She continued, “These devices can be aids if used in the right place for the purpose of education, and should not be used all the time or as a substitute for other means. However, her biggest concern is that parents are not always a good example. A role model. He said she sees some parents texting while walking. And their preoccupation with using their devices may turn into a barrier to communication between them and their children.
Interacting Method
A recent study conducted by the College of Education at the University of Stirling found that family behaviors in the use of technology at home are a major factor in influencing the child’s relationship with them, and the study concluded that the experiences of children from the age of three to five are related to the distinctive sociocultural context of each family, as well as to what the child likes. And he prefers it.
Kristen Stephen, study author and researcher at the University of Stirling said: “Technology has never been so dominant or controlling a child’s experiences, but rather their desires and the cultures they have lived in within their families that shaped their way of interacting with things. Stephen believes that most parents are aware of the dangers of passive reception. Hence, they set some rules that enable them to make sure that their children engage in a large number of activities inside and outside the home, but there are some experts in this field who do not agree with this.
Erik Sigman, a professor of psychology, has always maintained that children now watch more screen-based media than before, and that the habit must be curbed; As it may lead to the child’s addiction to watching the screen or depression.
Bad habit
“The problem is not to give the kids the iPad, it’s to find high-quality apps,” said Jackie Marsh, professor of education at the University of Sheffield.
Sigman estimates the amount of time a child spends in front of a television screen for an entire year during the first seven years of his life. And if this is true, there will not be much controversy about the seriousness of this matter. Therefore, the child’s stay in front of these screens should be taken maximum advantage, by downloading the best programs and applications that will help complete their educational process.
Jackie Marsh, professor of education at the University of Sheffield, said this is an area that needs more research. “We will work to identify what we feel are criteria for identifying good practices, as there is a lack of a central resource for teachers. The problem is not to give them the iPad, it is to find high-quality applications.”
Skills development
Marsh also emphasized that programs, which are of high quality in addition to some specific programs, can help children overcome the learning difficulties they face and develop skills they lack, and Marsh added that Internet-connected environments can give the child a real space to increase his confidence , which may not be possible at home or at school.
Therefore, she advises parents to devote their children who are six years old or less to two hours each day that they spend in front of the screen, as there is no evidence that screens are harmful to the child as some see, and the study also found that children get bored quickly while watching one form. forms of media; So they like to combine watching TV and playing some games at the same time.
