Generation I: Conventional Methods in a Technological Age.

Oceania Group.
Week 11: “The New Elementary School: Should Children Write with Computer or Continue with Paper?”

Generation I: Conventional Methods in a Technological Age.

Technology is simply an amazing thing. The way in which we all do simple tasks has continually evolved over the last 20 years. Many of us will have lived through and witnessed, in a very short period of time, numerous shifts in how technology has helped us, hindered us and controlled us.

Children of today, as opposed to how it would’ve been only years ago, have an endless amount of consumer electronics at their disposal. And not only at home, but even in the classroom. I am not completely aware of the situation in other parts of the world, but I know that children in Australia as young as 6 are being sufficiently exposed to iPads at school. My neighbors, whose children go to the local government primary school, were literally given no option but to purchase the device for them to use at school.

The first issue presented by this, which is also relevant to the use of computers in the classroom, is the distraction they inevitably introduce. Children are smart, and having been brought up into this age of technology they are able to learn how to use these devices a lot faster than older generations, and in ways that we wouldn’t even think of. Simply put, they will always be used to play games whilst the teacher is not looking, even by the brightest students in the class.

Secondly, what is the actual benefit of subjecting young children to technology at such a young age? Is there any proof that they will learn any better with technology than with conventional teaching methods? And does technology actually aid teachers in doing their job better? I would argue the opposite. In my country the quality of primary school teachers has only declined over time, and the introduction of another way for young teachers, many of whom only choose this profession because of the holidays, to do even less on the job is only helping the quality of education which children receive continue to fall.

Finally, the old fashioned scientific argument. In high school, why were we all forced to take notes manually, despite the fact that everything and more was available not only in our textbooks but also on the internet? Because physically writing things down aids memory and learning. When you take away this aspect from note-taking, one might as well play some Angry Birds instead as the practice becomes futile.

Although technology will only dominate our daily routines more and more in the future, it is important that we retain some classic methods of doing things. Literacy of students over the past 20 years has only increased, so let’s not do anything to jeopardize these improvements due to an over eagerness to introduce children to consumer electronics before it is absolutely necessary.

By Francesco F., Australia
20 years old