When did this start being normal?

Gemmy_2

ecoelle wrote: »

Does anyone else think that children may have problems with their handwriting *because* of using computers? Rather than seeing them as a help they might be what is holding them back. It's ok to say that they need ICT skills these days and i agree, but, all exams except ICT and possibly some technology classes require handwritten responses, plus filling in job applications. If children spent as much time practising their handwriting as they do playing games on computers do you think that maybe they would be better at writing?

Also i've seen some terrible essays written by 14 year olds in 'text language'

Mk14:37

Tropez wrote: »

Within reason, I would say it may not be normal but it is acceptable. Having a good grasp of using computer systems is becoming more and more important in the modern age and early exposure to using computers, such as laptops, can provide a very good platform for a child to build upon in the future, as well as aiding the development of skills such as learning where the keys are on a keyboard that improves memory and typing speed.

In computer terms it might as well have been a millennia ago but it was clearly obvious in our high school ICT classes who had experience of computers (such as myself) and those who had no experience at all. ICT classes were therefore boring to people like me who had been using computer systems since they were very young (I was using an Amstrad 464 from 5 years old, DOS-based PC from 8, Windows based PC from 11 etc.) because we were being held back in some ways by the others in the class who hadn't yet been taught how to find Word.

My parents were working-class but they appreciated the educational advantages that a knowledge of computers would give me and I can't thank them enough for it. The type of stuff I "studied" in high school I was already more than adept at by the time of our first lesson and since then I've learned so many more practical computer skills that they have opened numerous employment opportunities for me, with multiple industry qualifications picked up in my spare time without any real effort.

Of course, when I was this age, the widespread use of the Internet was non-existant. The 56k modem didn't become standard until I was around 14/15 and broadband didn't follow for some time yet. That said, the Internet was arguably a more dangerous place when I was 15 than it is now simply because nobody was policing it back then. Looking back, when the likes of MSN's IRC chat channels and ICQ operated virtually unmonitored it was much, much easier for children to encounter material and people any sane person would want them shielded from. That isn't to say that there isn't good cause for parents to be concerned about what their children are able to find on the internet because different threats emerge over time but reasonable precautions can be taken, which for the less technical minded parent can be monitoring their children at all times while they use the internet, to more sophisticated methods of blocking access while the child is left unsupervised, which can even include monitoring software on another laptop or computer so the child is never truly unsupervised.

Learning how to use a PC at a young age is far more advantageous than learning how to use a games console.

Very similar to my own experience; I grew up with a Sinclair Spectrum 48k from a very early age, used BBC Micro at school to play educational games such as Dread Dragon Droom, we bought our first family PC in 1992 I think, when I was 12. It definitely helped with my tech-savvy but there wasn't the worry about internet and unfiltered content back then.

I would argue that it's as easy as ever to access whatever material you are looking for, and agree that it's imperative that parents should restrict unsupervised internet usage and make use of filtering software etc.

kegg_2

Gadgets like laptops, mobiles and ipods are part of the modern world and i see no harm in them what so ever.
Mine are a bit older now at nearly 13 and 14 but they have and have had for a few years
14 year old dsixl, psp, ipod touch, gamecube, ps2, laptop with wifi within the house and tv with sky multi room.
youngest has 2 laptops (one bought for him last christmas by his nan and one we have bought for him through the school which is for school work only but he does use skype on it sometimes) gamecube, ps2, ps3, tv with freeview, psp, ipod touch and contract mobile.

They might have all these things but they are not pale pasty children glued to the tv screens. My oldest still loves his lego and will spend hours
buliding his own creations and my youngest is very sporty who plays county league football, does athelitics, skateboards, scoots and rides a bmx.

It is not an either or situation and they have room in their lives to experience and enjoy many things.

Lunar_Eclipse

You are not alone. It is ridiculous, but the good news is that it's not always a sad reflection on how life is being lived these days. We have a Wii that was the biggest waste of money ever, for instance (having used it 5-10 times in 2 years!)

My children are 9 and almost 11. We are a fairly advanced house in the tech stakes, firstly because I used to work in the IT industry and secondly since DH is an early adopter of gadgets.

The result is that our children have excellent PC skills (very advanced iPad/iPhone users), but are not on a computer, TV or phone daily. I encourage them to do other things most of the time, unless it's really obvious they are tired and not capable of anything other than a quiet 30 minutes watching TV, a bath or bed!

Our eldest has her own iPod and DS. They're used mainly for travelling and came about due to very long haul flights. We also then have a family DS due to 30 hour flights and two children! Additionally I have family that live 6 hrs + away in the car.

The mobile phone will be coming shortly. It's a rite of passage these days and becomes more important with increased independence, when starting secondary school. I can see a need for it then (sort of!) It will not be going upstairs though.

TV's, computers etc will always remain downstairs in our house, in the living, as opposed to sleeping, areas. I'm not a fan of daily TV viewing and see no harm in compromising over programmes watched within a family, thus no need for separate TVs.

I honestly hope teenagers aren't so bad that I eat my beliefs on such things as a move to banishing them to their rooms!

I think essentially we all have to try to do what we feel is right, with our own children.

rainbow81

My DS is 7, he has just got a netbook for his birthday, he has a DS and a Wii, and a tv/DVD player in his room (no aerial). All the gadgets were for birthdays/Christmas with money from the whole family, and the tv was from Freecycle.

He only goes on CBeebies really on the netbook, and is always supervised, plus only kiddie-friendly sites are allowed. He has a maximum 30 minutes on any game system per day at the weekend. It seems harsh but if I let him go on for too long he gets overstimulated and getting a bit aggressive so that's the limit for now.

I did feel strange getting him any of the expensive gadgets to be honest, I had to beg my mum for years for a NES and got one as they were going out of fashion!

But times have changed, DS gets so much money for Christmas and birthdays so obviously we're going to get him something he might like.

I don't think you should discount the effect that things like certain games have on helping children make friends either, especially if they are not interested in football. They can be as much of a shared interest as anything else. And some of the Wii games have really helped my son with his physical coordination.

bestpud

My eldest dd was 16 before I allowed her to access the internet in her room - I prefer them to be where I can see them tbh.

DD(9) uses the computer for games mostly. She has a FB account but only for games and chatting with family members (she likes Pet Society). She tends to go on there once or twice over the weekend and I have her password so regularly check her privacy settings, as well as being around whenever she is on there.

She goes on there to do her maths homework as they use mathletics and also uses it to research homework topics. Other than that, she likes kids sites like CBBC.

I don't have a problem with her using it tbh as she is active as well and spends most of the weekend out playing. She rarely uses the computer during the week.

I would not buy her one of her own as I think a shared computer is enough.

She has a TV in her room but can only watch channels 1,2,3 and 4 or DVDs. The only time she watches it is in the school holidays when she sometimes has a DVD at bedtime. Or she might go and watch a film if she has a friend over.

She also has my old mobile phone which is part of the family package we have so she can text or call her dad (we are separated) and/or me when I am at work (I do 24 hour plus shifts so can go a while without seeing her). It's not topped up - it's just me, her dad and dd(18) she can contact.

We have a Wii but it's in the sitting room and we tend to play it together when we do tbh. She rarely uses it alone. Likewise, dd(18) has a ps2 but they rarely use it and if they do, it's when other people are here.

She also has a DS but only really uses it when on long car journeys, or again, when she has friends over.

I don't know where that puts us on the tech scale but I think it comes down to common sense really. As part of a balanced lifestyle, technology is no bad thing imo.

System

I didn't get a laptop till i went to uni! We had a shared family PC on dial up that i was limited to for an hour a night. I did have my own 2nd hand PC but it had no internet access and i only used it for typing up essays and the like. Parental controls are useless as they are very easy to get around if you know where to look. Hell school blocked us from getting on MSN but i still managed it! My younger siblings have a PS2 and Xbox 260 between them (combined xmas pressies) but any games bought come from saving up pocket money or gifts. My other sister has just gone to uni and my parents saved up for the last few years so she could have her own laptop too.

red_devil

i think kids spend too much time in front of screens and should be out there doing sport and meeting people.

I also think a phone is a tremendous pressure for the parents? Where does all the money come from to fund everyone's phone?

LJM

red_devil wrote: »

i think kids spend too much time in front of screens and should be out there doing sport and meeting people.

I also think a phone is a tremendous pressure for the parents? Where does all the money come from to fund everyone's phone?

my 9 year old has a mobile and she uses it for when she is out with friends least i can contact her but when she comes home it goes off, shes rarley bothered about it and i have to remind her to take it, it is pay as you go and she got it for her bday last december with £20 and i havent put any credit on it since. her mobile was a basic one i bought from woolies when they were closing for £15 and we kept it for ages before giving it her and she isnt fussed in the slightest when her friends come round showing off their iphones!! now that is a waste

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I don't think you can hark back to when you were growing up for a comparison. I had a ZX Spectrum when I was about 11 and school had next to nothing. I knew more than the teachers who were trying to teach us computing ! A quarter of a century later, computers are everywhere and my 4 year old has a play computer and can "use" Skype and so forth.

My greater worry is that they still get enough exercise as opposed to being corrupted by computers. I guess that it is more important to make sure kids develop enough in that respect and let technology just go along with their growing up. For sure there are wierdos on the net and you do have to protect your kids, you can't deny that technology is here to stay.