"Characteristics of the generation vary by region depending on social and economic conditions. However, it is generally marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media and digital technologies" (Wikipedia, n.d).
"There are no precise dates for when Millennial generation starts and ends and commentators have used birth dates ranging somewhere from mid- 1970's to mid 1990s" (Wikipedia, n.d).
Now just because my eldest son has a psp, an xbox 360 and other devices in his room it doesn’t mean he is on them 24 hours of the day 7 days a week. No way, my son of course goes to school, he then comes home has his afternoon tea, does a little homework, watches a little tv has chores to do helps cook dinner pack wash and dry dishes and other little jobs I may want him to do. He plays rugby and has rugby training two nights a week but thankfully the season is now over which means no more rushing home from work . The point I am trying to get across is that my son has all these other things he has to do before he is even allowed to turn on his tv. Yes he has a big tv, too big but it only comes on in the weekends and only to play his game. If he wants to watch tv he has to watch it with us on our big tv because we all know there are some programmes that are just not suitable for kids. If the weathers fine the kids are outside most of the day either swimming or playing with the rugby ball or they are out on a walk or playing at our local park with their older cousins. What I’m trying to say is moderation is the key which is how it should be in our early childhood centres but any visitor to my home would think differently. I guess that’s where the problem lies; people assume the worst before actually attempting to find out the truth. People will either think my son is spoilt, lazy or too young to have such things. What people don’t know is his parents love technology and his Dad is a genius when it comes to computers and technology. They don’t know that my son works very hard for his pocket money so that he is able to contribute towards some of these devices. What they don’t know is that my son is a high achiever at his school and plays sports and because of his achievements he is sometimes rewarded with things like hiring a game from the video store or 2 hours game time on his console. My son is still alive and breathing and not wasting away because he’s been playing a game two days straight without food and drink or a toilet break.
I do agree though that there are some technology I think should have age restrictions and closer supervision, like cell phones. My son asked for a cell phone for his 12th birthday which is coming up mid-September and of course I said “No” “But why mum” he responded “Because your too young” I replied. “When can I have one” when you can afford to buy your own prepay top up which is when you have a part time job which should be at 15 or 16”. You can imagine the response.
The ideal cell phone for my son would be one that only I or his father could call or text him on and vice versa we would be the only ones he could call or text but because there isn’t one like that available in New Zealand…yet he isn’t allowed one till he is at least 15 and even then he will have some rules in place, like giving me his phone at 7pm each night so that he isn’t able to txt or talk to his friends all night and he has to have a part time job so that he is able to buy his own top up. Call me a big meanie but I just want to keep my son safe from txt bullying, girls, txt bullying and,,, girls. Well for as long as I can anyway. Plus I can barely afford my own top up!
I also agree that there are some video games children just shouldn’t play and those are games that are violent with gruesome special effects and sexual and or explicit content in other words R18 games. Although we try our best to shield our children from such games there is always someone they know that has access to these games such as a friend, cousin or in my case parent. Im not going to lie, we have those types of video games but we are responsible parents and our children do not have access to these games. My partner and I only play these types of games when our children aren’t home or are in bed, the same with tv programmes and certain movies that I just don’t want my children watching like horrors, thrillers, Jersey shore and the news. The news is just too depressing and gets my children all worried and upset thinking that we are going to have an earthquake and the world is going to end. I honestly wish someone would start a news channel where only happy stuff was reported. To be honest my children don’t get to watch a lot of tv and one could say they are actually deprived of it when I honestly think about it…hhmmm I may have to let them watch a little more.
My children do have games that some parents wouldn’t let their children play like halo and gears of war but these games are about saving the world against monsters and aliens and are played alongside and adult. You can judge me on this one and share your opinion freely because I know everyone feels differently in regards to many video games but please admire me for being honest.
I love to play video games too and I love loud music, I love having all this technology around me and again just because I have it doesn’t mean I use it all the time either. I know that there are a lot of great parents out there who love this too and we need to cater for these parents and children who have parents like this (Ministry of education, 1996). Isn’t it funny how children know how to take pictures with a cell phone and how to select a song on a laptop?
The importance of this discussion and why I felt it relevant to reflect on is to emphasize the importance of recognising the changes happening around us every day and the importance of accepting that some families like mine will have a lot of technology in their lives and that as teachers we need to try and embrace it alongside them rather than judge or criticize and to make families feel welcome and a part of the centre (Ministry of education, 1996). I can guarantee that this reflection will get some emotions going and Im not going to lie… that was my intention but it was also my intention to help us recognise how quick we are to judge technology , the families that use it and how they use it. “Oh they use play stations to babysit their kids” come on we don’t know that, PlayStations can also be used to watch movies, listen to music browse the internet send email store photos and most of the time it is an adult who owns the PlayStation (my partner).
“Their kids are spoilt because they have a psp, an ipod a computer and a tv in their room”. I remember when kids were spoilt for having nice clothes and shoes.
Technology is evolving and whether we like it or not we have to evolve with it or else we will get left behind. Do we really want to go back to the stone ages? I don’t think so what I do know is that I want to be with the times of the world and have my children prepared for a future that is bound to be overwhelmed with technology and to stress that just because some families embrace technology more freely than others doesn’t mean that they are rich, spoil their kids or that their kids are lazy with lousy parents.
REFERENCES
Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whāriki, he whaariki mätauranga mo nga mokopuna ö Aotearoa: Early childhood curriculum. Wellington, New Zealand: Learning Me
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y. Retrieved 27th August 2011
Jade :)
ReplyDeleteI know that you love your technology and I feel that your children are being exposed to a vast range of technology that will aid them in becoming technology literate.
I feel that it is great that your children have restrictions around the use of technology otherwise they would never experience the wonders and learning that the world can provide. This then links back to finding a balance around technology and empowering information, learning and exploration to be experienced through different means. I am a strong advocate for children having access to computers and cameras as I feel they hold many benefits for learning and development in a world that is so technologically advanced.
I feel you are correct in saying that we can no longer ignore the role that technology has in children's lives as it is so predominant. Rather than denying access to technology we should foster its use so that children can experience it at an early age.
You have opened my eyes to the fact that many techers judge families around the technology that is used. I hear of children that watch television all the time and I instantly think oh dear that is terrible. While i am not an advocate for televisions being used to 'babysit'- if fact i hate the thought of television being used as a way to make children quite. However maybe the families use the television as a 'family time' activity and they all enjoy watching a certain programme. I will now be careful not to judge those who have a large amount of technology as I now know that majority value the learning and socialisation that can arise from technology.
Lastly i feel your blog has highlighted the incredibly technology based world we live in. In an early childhood field we cannot ignore the technology that surrounds us; these are the children of the future. No doubt technology will become more complex and more of an integral part of our lives. I believe children need to have the foundations of technology learning laid in order to become technology literate for the future.
Sorry Jade I don’t understand how this blog relates to the children we care for on a daily basis. I also feel, that by justifying the use of technology in your everyday life, you sound apologetic. Be proud of your family and how they embrace technology; see it as a strength, not a weakness.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you limit viewing time for your son, but I don’t understand it when you write, “My son is still alive and breathing and not wasting away because he’s been playing a game two days straight without food and drink or a toilet break”, could you please explain.
Thanks for your blog and your honesty.
Andrew
I write that becasue alot of people assume that parents who allow their children to have so much technology in their lives also allow them to stay on it two days straight and this is coming from my own experience. Some parents do let their children stay cooped up all weekend on their video games and if you ask those children if they have had anything to eat you will find most of the time that what they have eaten is minimal. Once children get into the gaming zone, time doesn't exist any more what feels like 30 mins has actually been an hour. I know this because i sometimes go into the game zone myself and time just flies put the window. Why i believe this relates to the children in our care, the children we work with have this type of technology in their homes not all but i am happy to say most. Youll be surprised at how long you can converse with a child about their xbox 360 or the latest game thats out. I think it is up to us as teachers to admit that we have technology and we too use it, well i do. Imnot ashamed that i love to play video games and i discuss this with the children in my care. I relate to alot of parents out there who also have many devices in their home and i feel that the first step here is to realise that technology can bring people together. It provides commonalities among people.
ReplyDeleteAgain you've got some you know what to provide honest feedback like this and this is what i wanted so well done great feedback Andrew like i said in my last reflection it takes alot to get me going. Im laughing right now. hehehehehe
Jade, you talk a lot about assumptions in this reflection. Myths and assumptions can influence the beliefs of teachers (Tsantis, Benwick & Thouvenelle, 2003). Through this you highlight the importance of getting to know the full story-yes, a family may have lots of electronic gadgets but this does not mean that all they do is use this technology all day.
ReplyDeleteYou also talked about the importance of moderation. I feel that moderation is crucial. We cannot deny that the world we live in is full of rapidly developing technology. This does not remove the fact that it needs to be used in moderation. We do not yet fully know long term effects of too much electronic technology use, such as a child spending too many hours playing video games.
While it is important to embrace and accept our technological world within our centres, we must question and reflect on its importance and necessity within the centre and how it will affect the children and their learning.
Reference:
Tsantis, L.A., Bewick, C. J., & Thouvenelle, S. (2003). Examining some common myths about computer use in the early years. Young Children. Vol 58 (1).
Jade this is an interesting blog as you share with us your opinions and views of something that has a lot of significance in your life. I like your honesty on how much technology you own and that you love using it so much. As you said you and your partner work hard to purchase these items and if this is how you enjoy relaxing then that is up to you, while other people choose to read a book or go for walks using your technology is what gives you and your family pleasure. I can also see that there is a social experience happening as you said that some of the games you share together and that your son is not just sitting there all day on his own.
ReplyDeleteI believe that although you have all the mod cons that you are a responsible mother who understands the value of teaching your children life skills through their chores and that also seeing the importance of them being in the outdoors as they play in the park or go for walks with cousins. We also own a play station 3 although I never go on it No surprise there then. My son has a psp and both children have TV’s in their rooms but not connected so just like your children they cannot watch TV only DVD’s we approve of. I will add that all these items only seem to get used lots when my son has friends around as he likes being outside playing. I wonder where he gets that from. I will also be honest that at times when he has gone on to play and I am busy doing an assignment it is easier to leave him but because I know him well I can guarantee he will not be glued to it all day.
Looking at it then it is clear from my son’s friends that they all own various different consoles so I believe that children are being exposed to these things from a young age. I agree with you that as teacher’s we can be the ones who teach them through conversation and own experiences that although these games maybe fun moderation is needed. As I read this blog I realised that even though you are talking about your home life that this is part of most children’s life but who have parents not as responsible as you so this is where we can help to guide children in the correct use of certain technologies that are here to stay.
We can see from Shabnam’s play station blog the benefits she points out as to hand/eye coordination being improved and so on.
http://shabnamsinnovation-shabnam.blogspot.com/2011/09/dealing-with-technology-playstation-3.html
Kai pai for your honesty Jade and standing for what you believe.
Ki ora Jade
ReplyDeleteThis reflection of yours clearly confirms your passion for technology and how positive you have been in embracing it. I suppose your son is lucky to have access to different electronic gadgets which is preparing him to face the technological world.
I agree that anything used in moderation is good and as a mother and as an early childhood teacher you have ensured that he has a balance of using the electrical gadgets and other means of exploration such as out and about in the park or swimming.
Whilst technology is here to stay and will grow alarmingly, how can we, as early childhood teachers promote a balance between hi technology and simple technology in the centres?