Growing up with technology by your side

Hannah Thomas

January 23, 2024

Before the world wide web was invented in 1989, the internet access was very scarce and when it was accessible it was just simple chat mail without all the fancy fonts such as this Open Sans but now as time progresses, children now use school given computers and ipads, in school starting from kindergarten.

Researchers say that children get access to technology as young as 3 to 4 and their brain development is in the stage of cognitive development where they now have deeper thinking and reasoning and “understand the difference between things that are the same and things that are different” which helps them prepare for kindergarten and navigation through the internet.

Taking baby steps into technology is important. Patrica Parker, the owner of Tools for Children, an online resource created for families with young children in the need of guidance for healthy technology relationship, said that she believes that “there is a balance between building fine motor silks, sight, sound and sensory before TV and Youtube every day , for small babies and toddlers before the age of 3. You have to let your child grow and let them feel different things, not just an overheated Ipad. It can have a long lasting impact but that’s the way the world is going.”

Now looking at an adolescent age, your brain starts to form grey matter in your central nervous system and this enables individuals to control movement, memory, and emotions.

Joseph Dougherty, an English and Psychology teacher at George Washington Carver says “Having access to the web is detrimental for a lot of adults. Kids need the right guidance and supervision when navigating the internet, and any technology when used improperly can be a distraction, a nuisance, and even a danger but we should be using the same technology in our classrooms that we will be using as college students and as adults. Which means we need to train students on the appropriate use of technology and of the information found through that technology.”

With the rise of AI and the generative ChatGPT that came out in 2022 "Nearly 90% students are already using Chat GPT for homework assignments, creating challenges around plagiarism, cheating, and learning."

Deborah Aglira, a English teacher at George Washington Carver, who is now reaching her 44th school year at Carver and has been a student as well as teacher, can see how technology in the classroom has evolved. She says that it negatively affects the environment because students use their phones to cheat and the kids she had 30 years ago were a lot smarter than the kids she has right now.

"These kids are smarter in technology because they have not put in the time and effort and they don't read any more," Aglira said. She gives out many zeros because people go straight to AI and it get answers instead of using their reading comprehension tools to answer questions.

The world is ever changing and technology is always going to be a part of that. We as people have to find healthy ways to manage the easy accessible tools and knowledge that it spreads ; for our future generations.

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