Jen, thank you for letting me contribute to your blog.
This morning I looked over at my kids and two out of three of them were on electronic devices. Now this wouldn’t be abnormal for my 5 and 7 year old if they had free time on the weekend. The odd part was that my two older kids, as well as children of my friends, were all sitting in their family room independently “playing together.” The kids were playing Minecraft. Two of them were on tablets, the other two on an xBox. Of course, they were all being quiet, but were they really playing together?
This seems to be the new normal. My kids would rather interact with technology than their peers. I try to limit the time my kids play on electronic devices and I would rather that they interact with their peers when they have friends over or we are visiting others. How much time is too much time for a child to be engaged in electronic activities?
How old should a child be before they are allowed to use electronic devices?
My two year old is currently limited to pushing on the on/off button on my phone. Would she like to be more engaged with technology? Absolutely. But how connected is too connected for a toddler?
We expect our students to be digital natives. We expect them to be proficient in the use of technology and able to successfully navigate through a digital world with the skills of moral digital citizens. How best can we best prepare our own children to be successful in these digital classroom environments? How connected is too connected?
Thanks Kristy for contributing to my blog today! These are questions I know that many parents struggle with including me. I think an open dialogue is important! Are you inspired? Read more about the challenges and strategies for success on Kristy's blog Juggling Technology .
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/56638362@N05/5637524300">Minecraft - Bedroom</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)</a>
photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37165469@N00/371927271">img_7336</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)</a>
Eric Jensen is an expert on education and brain research. He has some great recommendations for how much screen time we should allow our kids to have. I will have to look up my notes to see the exact numbers, but almost zero for kids younger than about 2, and limited amounts at older ages.
ReplyDeleteThis is a serious conversation that we need to have!