The I-Generation

Reading Carol Tell's article, I found myself agreeing with her more than most the other articles we've read so far. I like that she asks readers to think over the purpose of using technology in the classroom before spending dollars using it. Merely having computers in the the room does not enhance learning or make the education better. It is effective teachers who do that. Technology can be used as a tool by teachers, but it certainly cannot replace good teaching. Tell explained that "computers will not only make a difference in the way kids learn but also in the way their brains approach information processing," (2)and these changes are likely to be permanent. She goes further to argue that this frequent exposure to technology may "train [children] to be knee-jerk followers of whatever will give them the quickest pleasure" addicted to stimuli (6). If kids' attention is dependent on stimuli, they will be selective in attending to information not necessarily based on importance or relevance, but instead based on how much it entertains them or how long it can keep their dissolving attention.
Tell discusses the other possible affects of using technology too much in the classroom and whether or not it is appropriate or necessary for younger students. She presents the worry that students may use screen time as an escape from having to interact with people or pay attention to a teacher. Students who have difficulty with social relationships or with paying attention might be too comforted by the situations given by a computer, and thus miss out on essential opportunities to learn from their weaknesses.
I agree with the article in that "children under age 7 really do not need to be using computers" (4). I thought she made a good point in saying that the technology you learn on as a child is bound to change by the time you're an adult in the workplace or even in high school. Computers tend to eliminate some of the active part of learning by doing some of the 'thinking' for you. I feel that I have personally experienced this. Being in front of a computer screen can suck you into another realm or zone. I think that the early years of students' lives should focus on interpersonal skills and thinking skills, not computer literacy skills. I am shocked when I hear about pre-schoolers using computers already!
Last summer, I taught a Science and Technology camp and I could tell when the students had had too much screen time in one day. It was unbelievable how motivated the kids were to play, what seemed to me pointless, games. I wondered how many hours their parents allowed them to play at home too. I'm sure some kids hour logs would be scary.
I can see there is a lot of pressure to have the best technology available at school. At my high school, every single classroom had ActiveBoards installed, when less than half of the teachers actually used them on a daily basis. Most teachers seemed forced to use the side white boards as to avoid the ActiveBoard.
The money used on computers may be better used in other areas.