Yong Zhoa podcast

As I listened to the podcasts, I have to admit that I struggle to find a balance with all of the new technology out there. The Youtube video we watched frightened me a little bit as a parent, given the amount of "screen time" it indicated that children get prior to entering college. My first instict has always been to limit the amount of screen time my own children have, and hope that my student's parents do the same. To much screen time, in my opinion, can limit a child's creativity and make them less inclined to be productive.

On the other hand, I did like some of the points that Dr. Zhoa made about where education is headed and how we need to change our thinking about what school should be like. Using technology as a tool can teach children life skills, such as decision making and creativity. I am still processing the discussion about limiting access to technology by filtering what our students are able to experience on the internet. What is the solution, then, to the issues of innapropriate material, cyber-bullying and the like? The discussion on gaming technology and and how that can be used to teach curriculum made me think. I have used that concept with my music classes as a means of teaching instruments of the orchestra on kid-friendly websites. But then, does that compare with being able to look at, listen to and touch a real instrument in my classroom? And does technology take the human element out of the picture to a degree? I can think of several people that I have known, particularly in college, who spent many hours in front of a computer, but then didn't know how to interact well with people or be productive in any way (like showering?).

I am rambling a bit, but these are thing I think about, especially with young children at home. I have to say that I am both hopeful and fearful about many of these things and wonder how we can find balance as parents and educators.