Week Eight- Children & Technology
With all this talk about technology, I’m shocked that we’ve yet to discuss my love for music here on this blog. One of my favorite entertainers of all times has to be Whitney Houston. Whenever asked who would I like to meet, dead or alive, Whitney Houston is the first person that always comes to mind. One of my favorite records by her is entitled “Greatest Love of All”. The song highlights the special magic power that children have and how it should be embraced by adults. Luckily, while in elementary school in Georgia, this was a song we heard on a regular basis from our instructors. To be honest, I thought the song was our school motto until I was informed differently. Whitney covered the record and released it in 1985, three years before I was born. The record is legendary and starts by saying
For years, those lyrics have fueled my fire to succeed and pushed me forward. In 2018, I believe it’s safe to say that the record could use a facelift. Not because the lyrics aren't good or relevant but just so that the lyrics reflect the current standing of time. If I had the chance to re-write the song, I would change it to the following..
Kids Are Citizens Also….
We’ve discussed the explosion of citizen journalism with the enhancements of technology. This time around we must examine the fact that kids are citizens as well and have access to the same platform as some of my favorite bloggers. Children are able to use the internet as a form of expression and a place for them to connect with other like-minded children. I remember getting AOL disc from the convenience store as a child so that we could have internet access once we got home so that I can utilize the chat rooms. My mother often provided guidance in regards to which chat rooms I should be in but of course my young mind often explored the internet as freely as I had the opportunity too. Luckily I wasn’t too restricted by my mother while on the internet, I was granted the opportunity to browse freely but I was fully aware that she had parental advisory stops put in place to ensure I didn’t access any pornographic images or videos. I also remember utilizing Facebook in high school as a way to publish some of my creative writings, short stories and poems. I went on to start a video blog on YouTube where I allowed my subscribers to mail or email questions for me to answer or discuss. Unknowingly, I was a citizen journalist sharing my art with the world at young age. I use the word luckily when describing my youth with technology because some students and children aren’t granted the same freedom. This is often due to certain restrictions put in place by parents and/or the lack of access to certain devices, software and equipment. Those that aren’t available to experience the full benefits of technology are at a disadvantage. For teenagers, the online realm may be enthusiastically adopted because it represents ‘their’ space, visible to the peer group more than to adult surveillance, an exciting yet relatively safe opportunity to conduct the social psychological task of adolescence – to construct, experiment with, and present a reflexive project of the self in a social context (Livingstone, 2008). This type of freedom is necessary for a person to fully reach their potential and maximize the full benefits of technology. Not having the opportunity to explore technology can harm a child’s skills in corporate America and in school. While I’m all for children being able to use technology freely, I definitely believe that parents have to have some control in the matter to ensure that children aren’t putting themselves in harm’s way or hurting themselves from the over usage of technology.
Parents Will Have To Be The Government…..
Technology has the capability of making things easier but when it comes to parenting , technology can make things harder. Just when parents may have felt they have everything figured out, technology continues to introduce kid friendly devices that are targeted towards the wallet in a major way. One of the issues with this widespread use of technology among younger kids is the disconnect many parents have with technology. A survey of 2,000 parents found that just 11% said they encouraged their children to use tech as a way of developing skills or expressing their creativity. And while three quarters asked their children what they did at school, just over a third (36%) asked the same questions about their children’s online behavior. These findings suggest that while schools have work to do to encourage students to consider careers in tech, their real audience should be the parents (Morrison, 2018). Regardless, if a guardian is pro or anti technology, in 2018, they have to get aboard the tech train in order to stay informed on the possible threats their child could face. Monitoring usage, setting a tech time schedule and using PA locks online can help reduce their encounters with the evil of technology. Although giving a kid a tablet may keep them quiet, it’s not the time for parents to break also. Instead, parents has to be just as hands-on with their children’s online activities as they are with their education.
Biblography:
1. Youtube. (1985). Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/IYzlVDlE72w
2. Livingstone, S. (2008). Taking risky opportunities in youthful content creation: teenagers' use of social networking sites for intimacy, privacy and self-expression. Retrieved from http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/27072/1/Taking_risky_opportunities_in_youthful_content_creation_%28LSERO%29.pdf
3. Morrison, N. (2018, January 31). It's Parental Fears -- Not Technology -- That's Putting Our Children's Future Careers At Risk. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorrison/2018/01/31/its-parental-fears-not-technology-thats-putting-our-childrens-future-careers-at-risk/#d1ac94f2847b
“I believe the children are our are future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be” (Youtube, 1985)
“I believe children and technology is our future
Teach and use it well and they both will lead the way
Show the kids all the beauty and skills they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride or a device that makes it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be outside and not online”
Not my best work but you get the picture. The advancements of technology has not slowed down to catch up with our youth. Instead, it appears the youth has embraced the changes in technology with open arms. I believe the widespread acceptance of technology among younger adults has a lot to do with the constant changes in the tech world. To match the hunger of tech lovers, companies are always releasing new devices, software and updates to stay relevant. Although all these changes are in place for technology to grow, it makes you question what are companies doing to ensure the youth is protected during this growth.Kids Are Citizens Also….
We’ve discussed the explosion of citizen journalism with the enhancements of technology. This time around we must examine the fact that kids are citizens as well and have access to the same platform as some of my favorite bloggers. Children are able to use the internet as a form of expression and a place for them to connect with other like-minded children. I remember getting AOL disc from the convenience store as a child so that we could have internet access once we got home so that I can utilize the chat rooms. My mother often provided guidance in regards to which chat rooms I should be in but of course my young mind often explored the internet as freely as I had the opportunity too. Luckily I wasn’t too restricted by my mother while on the internet, I was granted the opportunity to browse freely but I was fully aware that she had parental advisory stops put in place to ensure I didn’t access any pornographic images or videos. I also remember utilizing Facebook in high school as a way to publish some of my creative writings, short stories and poems. I went on to start a video blog on YouTube where I allowed my subscribers to mail or email questions for me to answer or discuss. Unknowingly, I was a citizen journalist sharing my art with the world at young age. I use the word luckily when describing my youth with technology because some students and children aren’t granted the same freedom. This is often due to certain restrictions put in place by parents and/or the lack of access to certain devices, software and equipment. Those that aren’t available to experience the full benefits of technology are at a disadvantage. For teenagers, the online realm may be enthusiastically adopted because it represents ‘their’ space, visible to the peer group more than to adult surveillance, an exciting yet relatively safe opportunity to conduct the social psychological task of adolescence – to construct, experiment with, and present a reflexive project of the self in a social context (Livingstone, 2008). This type of freedom is necessary for a person to fully reach their potential and maximize the full benefits of technology. Not having the opportunity to explore technology can harm a child’s skills in corporate America and in school. While I’m all for children being able to use technology freely, I definitely believe that parents have to have some control in the matter to ensure that children aren’t putting themselves in harm’s way or hurting themselves from the over usage of technology.
Parents Will Have To Be The Government…..
Technology has the capability of making things easier but when it comes to parenting , technology can make things harder. Just when parents may have felt they have everything figured out, technology continues to introduce kid friendly devices that are targeted towards the wallet in a major way. One of the issues with this widespread use of technology among younger kids is the disconnect many parents have with technology. A survey of 2,000 parents found that just 11% said they encouraged their children to use tech as a way of developing skills or expressing their creativity. And while three quarters asked their children what they did at school, just over a third (36%) asked the same questions about their children’s online behavior. These findings suggest that while schools have work to do to encourage students to consider careers in tech, their real audience should be the parents (Morrison, 2018). Regardless, if a guardian is pro or anti technology, in 2018, they have to get aboard the tech train in order to stay informed on the possible threats their child could face. Monitoring usage, setting a tech time schedule and using PA locks online can help reduce their encounters with the evil of technology. Although giving a kid a tablet may keep them quiet, it’s not the time for parents to break also. Instead, parents has to be just as hands-on with their children’s online activities as they are with their education.
Biblography:
1. Youtube. (1985). Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/IYzlVDlE72w
2. Livingstone, S. (2008). Taking risky opportunities in youthful content creation: teenagers' use of social networking sites for intimacy, privacy and self-expression. Retrieved from http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/27072/1/Taking_risky_opportunities_in_youthful_content_creation_%28LSERO%29.pdf
3. Morrison, N. (2018, January 31). It's Parental Fears -- Not Technology -- That's Putting Our Children's Future Careers At Risk. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorrison/2018/01/31/its-parental-fears-not-technology-thats-putting-our-childrens-future-careers-at-risk/#d1ac94f2847b
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