We live in an era of portable gadgets, and children are introduced to them literally from birth: first, they try them out, then they master the touch screen and call unknown numbers (often to other countries), then they use them more consciously: they watch cartoons, play games.
As with any new technology in its time, parents treat smartphones and tablets mostly with prejudice. They seem to give them to their children, but at the same time, they are worried that the tablet or smartphone will not bring harm to the child’s psyche and eyesight.
What to say about the school! There is a veto on smartphones. Children look at their phones and tablets in class, they don’t listen to the teacher, and they are distracted from the learning process.
This is the way of man – everything that can’t be controlled must be forbidden! But are smartphones and tablets so dangerous?
How useful are gadgets: the pros of smartphones and tablets
Smartphones and tablets are not only cool toys for our children. This is primarily a mini-computer, which can be configured so that it becomes a useful tool for the student, replacing a lot of heavy and already outdated textbooks. Today a lot of educational applications like BidForWriting for mobile devices are being developed: these are both dictionaries and encyclopedias, which the child already knows how to use at an intuitive level.
With access to the Internet, a child gets access to all the world’s wisdom and all the information he or she needs in class.
Smartphones and tablets are not evil for schoolchildren. Modern school just needs to learn how to use these devices to their advantage. Devices don’t decrease academic performance if they are used in the right way.
Modern technology makes it possible to create video presentations that a child can interact with through a smartphone or tablet, both at home and during class. Making the phone another “handy” material to introduce the lesson’s topic will not only help make the lesson more interesting but also increase students’ interest in the subject.
Vetoing tablets and smartphones is not the answer. At our externship school, we learned that a long time ago. A smartphone or tablet has become a trusted aid to our students’ learning. Communicating with the teacher via Skype or another messenger at a convenient time replaces going to school. Constant connection to the Internet and interactive textbooks help to learn the material on the subject better.
In externships, much is devoted to independent study, and our students’ portable devices only help them learn, gradually replacing textbooks.
Teach your child to use a smartphone for more than just playtime. And you will see how valuable and useful it is in their lives.
The kids with smartphones simply carry the familiar “format” of multitasking – the combination of different activities – to school. Today, even preschoolers can simultaneously watch cartoons on the computer, play games on the phone, and listen to music. Several channels of perception work at once and life is not divided into online and offline.
