We have all seen them, young children glued to their parent’s
phone in order to keep them quiet during dinner out, an important meeting, or in
a church service. I have certainly handed my phone to my children to keep them
quiet and occupied when I had other things to attend to. While no one wants
their child to grow up addicted to screen time, most of us have taken advantage
of an electronic device to entertain our children. Many of us now carry phones
in our pockets that have 1,000 times the power of the first desktop computers.
More powerful than the computers that put Apollo on the moon! We can pay bills, read emails, and Facetime a friend on the other side of the globe
with this tiny handheld device. There is tremendous power for good, and for
evil, in computers. Just as with any tool, it requires wisdom and knowledge to
handle a connected device in a beneficial way.
God has ordained parents to ‘raise up their children’. There
is a divine responsibility to be an authority figure and share what you have
learned with your kids. I have seen parents shrug and say ‘Well he likes it, I
can’t get him to put it down’. I find myself wondering if these parents have
forgotten who the grown up is. If you do not control your child’s access to a
screen, he can easily become addicted. Research continues to mount on the
addictive effects of computer games/screen time. If you have not taken the time
to educate yourself on these issues, try a quick google search. Steve Jobs practiced
a low tech philosophy with his kids, many other technology experts do the same,
because they are well aware of the power of the screen.
Be sure you know what your child is doing on the computer
when he is on there. Keep computers in main living areas of your home so that
when your child is using the computer, you can see what he is doing. If your
child has a cell phone, tablet or laptop, don’t allow him to take it to bed
with him. The internet allows access to everything that is out there. There is a lot of good out there, but a lot of what is out there isn’t good. I googled ‘parental
controls’ and got over 5 million hits in less than one second. There are many
tools out there to help to protect your child from inappropriate websites and pop
up advertisements, but it does take vigilance.
“But Mrs. Cancel” you may say, “Griggs has online classes”. Yes,
we do, and I recommend them to many families. You may notice that they are for
older students and are not offered until 6th grade. These courses often
still offer textbooks and projects that do not involve screen time for students.
Raz-Plus is a wonderful reading program used by many of our younger students,
but it is just a supplement, not a main course. Like all great computer
programs, it needs to be used in moderation. The internet allows us incredible
access to information and resources that enrich our curriculum in ways that I couldn't have even imagined when I started teaching. ,Your
student’s learning experience can be enhanced greatly by using these resources, but please use wisely. Be proactive about
protecting, and educating your child to protect himself.
I’ve attached an article here that you may wish to browse if
you are interested in the topic of screen addiction. As always, I am interested
in your thoughts and experiences as you navigate the waters of educating your child.
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