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Computers
Computers have
revolutionized our ways of communicating and the way we
view information. At the same time, there are thoughtful
and unthinking ways of using computers and the Internet.
The statistics about computer use among the younger
generation are staggering - from
Generation M, young
people today spend an average of 6 1/2 hours a day with
media. Computers have the potential to expand minds and
broaden global awareness and influence, but they also
have the potential to distract and narrow children's
awareness of their world around them.
We have tried to take a flexible policy toward our
students computer use, and this is a topic for which
YMMV (Your mileage may vary), but here are few
principles which we've found helpful.
Be a Critic and Analyzer of
Computers and Technology
It became evident
pretty early on that both our children loved the
computer and if left to their own devices, could waste
huge amounts of time playing games. Some of it, we could
see, was fine and had different kinds of benefits, so
the challenge was finding the right balance and also
encouraging its reflective use.
Very early one, we introduced the concept of a "good
game". We read the introductory tutorial (What Makes a
Good Game) for Gamemaker.nl
here,
downloaded the free program, and made two simple games
(Click the Clown and a Pac-man like maze). We noticed
our kids had a better appreciation of what went into the
design of a game, and began noticing more
"designer-type" (what they liked, what they didn't like,
why didn't they...) thinking when they played.
We also introduced them to hardware, had them look
inside when we were changing a drive, and took apart a
floppy disk. If you never take off a panel, it's hard to
conceptualize how the thing works, or why it doesn't
work, for that matter.
Now we're learning a little bit of Flash, and taking
advantage of Web resources, like those described in our
blog. Our daughter's
first game was based on a flash template from a
student's in India (see below). We were delighted when
this student wrote us back to give us tips on how to
analyze his program and change it for her game. This
really brought global communication home. If you want to
see her simple game (based on the scene in The Hobbit
where Bilbo has to dodge barrels), click on the picture
below. You must have Flash Player to play the game.
Find Balance with the Rest of Your Life
Because computers
can be totally immersive, children and adults can be
consumed by them and fall victim to sensory and motor
overload. We limit their computer use during the school
week, although loosen the hours on weekends and over
school breaks.
Even over school breaks, we try to keep to some limit -
YMMV, but we say maximum three hours per day. We say the
first hour (including all types of media) is a freebee,
but the second and third hours have to be earned by
physical activity and some other productive work (music
practice, helping out another family member, etc.). This
seems to work well.
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