“Kids & Those Darn iPads”

I was inspired to write this post when I was cooking supper the other night and I overheard my son, who is 5, counting to 256. For those of you who don’t have kids, or teach young kids, counting to 256 is quite an accomplishment for a 5 year old! Now if it sounds like I am bragging, I will say that I take zero credit for this accomplishment. He didn’t learn these numbers by many hours spent practicing or doing 100 charts, all the credit here goes to his beloved iPad.  On this particular night, Jaxon was playing his new favorite game (I say new favorite, because downloading apps seems to be more fun for him that the actual playing of the game) and was scanning to see how many levels this particular game went up to. As he scrolled from screen to screen, he was recognizing the numbers and saying them aloud. I asked the elementary teachers in my school, and while I had a hard time getting an official, it was decided that number recognition to 256 isn’t in our math curriculum until Grade 2-3. Here he was, recognizing 3 digit numbers, without anyone actually “teaching” him. Hmmmm…

As mentioned in previous posts, I grew up in a household that was rich in experiences and poor in technology. I am 36 years old, and I still remember having a telephone party line and 3 channels of television. My parents still refuse to “buy-in” to the idea of cellular telephones, and my dad can’t understand how a person can check their e-mail from anywhere (he thinks it is something like regular mail, where messages are delivered to a specific computer). They have recently got a laptop, but it sits in one spot on their counter. They seem oblivious to the fact that one of the benefits of laptops is that they are smaller and more mobile than desktop computers! So needless to say, there is resistance to technology in my family. Last Christmas, my kids had one thing on their list- iPads- and Santa delivered (literally). The title of this post, “Kids & those Darn iPads”, has been muttered by my dad on more than one occasion since. Fast forward a year, and I am looking at the educational value of iPads in the teaching of my own children.

Perception vs reality and impacts on education:

The perception of iPads is that they will be used (with strict limits of course ;)) primarily for educational purposes. The reality is that they become time-fillers, babysitters, and screens for Netflix! I had planned to set strict limits on screen times, and to only allow educational apps, and I blinked and it all went out the window. The reality is that kids are really, really good using iPads. And they are good at using iPads without anyone teaching them- they just figure it out. In the video below, this baby (not even 2 years old) operates and iPad amazingly well.

 

The video is a good example of just how quickly, and efficiently, young children can learn to use touchscreen devices.

This video reminded me of a morning this fall when I was telling my kids to get dressed for school. Karlee (7) yelled out from her bedroom, “Is it going to be a nice day out?” Jaxon (5) came running out to the kitchen, grabbed my phone, put in the passcode, opened The Weather Network app, and yelled back,”Sunny and 22!”

The ability for kids so young to be able to effectively utilize this technology has a lot to do with the touch screen sensitivity, something that was accurately predicted by Nicholas Negroponte in his 1984 TED talk. I have friends who have babies that almost instinctively swipe anything that looks like a phone or a tablet.

It seems to me that we almost have an entire society that has become proponents and adopters of iPads (and iPods and iPhones). You would be hard-pressed to find a student in our high school who doesn’t own one or more from that list. From toddlers to grandmas, people love their portability and capability. They are easy to use, easy to move, and capable of so much. Opponents of these technologies, like my dad, tend to be “old-school” thinkers who feel that technology is inherently bad and should be stopped. Other opponents are those that just don’t like Apple products!

This article, from the “What to Expect” people, does a good job of examining the pros and cons of letting young children use iPads. The pros they list include: increased vocabulary and math skills, increased language use, as well as having less negative impacts than television because of the interaction. Cons of iPad use include: children who have difficulty occupying themselves, decreased physical activity, and children who have difficulty with face-to-face interactions. The final verdict, which I agree with, is that balance and moderation is key- even though it is difficult at times! #busymom #longdrives

 

2 thoughts on ““Kids & Those Darn iPads”

  1. “Sunny and 22!”…this made me laugh out loud but it is so accurate! I teach grade 2 and part of our morning routine is discussing the weather each day. I think back to my primary school experiences and I remember checking the thermostat outside our kitchen window each morning. Today, children check the iphone or ipad. I think this indicates the evolution of how we acquire knowledge. Our children are growing up as connectivists! Great post Heidi!

    • I said the same thing to my husband- what happened to actually checking the thermometer or going outside??? It’s a different world for sure.

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