My mom's a music teacher and this reminded me of a letter she wrote to the local newspaper after discovering they want to buy more computers for the classroom. Here goes:
I'm not denying that I am hopelessly old and outdated, but reading the article on Technology Needs for School District (May 15, 2014) literally made me cry; for two reasons. First, because the people who are in charge of education are actually going to do it, and second, that the Livingston parent community is so enthusiastic about it.
There is no doubt that computers are useful and that the Internet gives access to such a scope of information so quickly that is not available nor accessible through any other means. But how do they impact children's overall DEVELOPMENT? How do they impact their attention? With the pandemic of Attention Deficit Disorder, how can we be so blind not to notice the connection between children's attention span and the time they spend on the computer? I started teaching piano more than 30 years ago. EVERY child was capable to remember which note he had to play, with which finger, how to hold the finger and whether he had to play long or short, loud or soft - simultaneously. Now it is typical that when a child pays attention to what note it is, he does not notice which finger; if he remembers the finger – does not notice how loud, etc. I rarely see children that can actually focus on the task for longer than 20 seconds. I often ask parents, “How much time does your child spend on the computer?” The connection is direct: the less time on computer – the better the student's focus, the longer she can concentrate on the assignment. I happened to teach an elderly lady who brought a music book with her teacher's remarks dated 1958. She was nervous, “Will you quit on me? I forgot everything.” I answered (only half-jokingly), “Of course not, you are my only student with a normal attention span!”
Even though I observe 400+ students in my music school, can it be just coincidence?
What does the beloved Internet tell us about the impact of computer use has on the brain? Nothing encouraging. As an example, there is a student work in biology (http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/336, 2007) that summarizes finding on the topic. It states what I suspected: computers often conflict with the activities that are needed for one to develop the ability to pay attention; the list of scientific works is attached there. And if you still like long books, N. Carr addresses the issue in his “The Shallows: What Internet is Doing to Our Brains.”
What are we doing? Are we trying to compensate for having poor teachers with technology? Why do we adhere to such a naive belief that computers are the solution to problems in schools, thinking that “the more of them - the better” automatically? Maybe it's better to invest in teachers' training? Maybe we need to raise the prestige of the teaching profession? I participated in a “professional orientation” day in LHS several years ago. Seniors had an opportunity to meet with representatives of their prospective field. I saw crowds of seniors following “Lawyers” and “Accountants”. In the “Teachers” room, a retired Harrison school teacher and myself, who were assigned to lead the meeting, found 4 or 5 girls. Only one of them really wanted to be a teacher, knew what is involved and why she wanted it. Everyone else said, “I do not know”, “I am not sure”.. . Why do we expect our children will be enthusiastic about learning if teachers themselves “do not know”?.. And how computers can help?
The more that children use computers, the less opportunities they have for human interaction.
By increasing the role of computers in children's lives we bend human nature, we consciously under-develop the younger generation; we deprive our children of full development of their communication skills, ability to build relationships, and their creativity. We are raising USERS, not CREATORS. We are increasing the distance between those who are capable to make discoveries and those who can chose from pre-made options; between people who can see the beauty of the world and those for whom the world is limited by the rectangle of the screen.