Me: Do you ever work on a computer at school?
Young One: No! (With an exaggerated, quizzical look.)
Me: Some people think computers make kids smarter. How do you get smarter?
Young One: Teach-ing! Lis-ten-ing! (Voice raised. Tone confident. Pointing to her ear. Likely wanting to call me an idiot for suggesting such a thing.)
:::
Wow.
Just, wow.
Young One is in her third year at an Italian primary school in Veneto.
Her father and I both are both educators who hold multiple certifications; the one we have in common is "Educational Technologist." At home we rarely download so-called educational apps to our devices, opting for the mind-numbing ones perferred by the masses instead.
...............
Disclaimer: I hate generalizations. This is my limited experience at my daughter's tiny primary school lost in northern Italy. If you have a different experience with this, please share!
I think it I'd great that her school is old school. So often children today have plenty of computer time that I don't think it is an absolute to a good education. I do see the benefits on the other hand though.
ReplyDeleteI have very mixed feelings about the entire issue, but I certainly don't feel like she is at a disadvantage because it is absent in her school experience.
DeleteAlthough I personally love/enjoy technology, as does my family - I do not feel it a necessity in the educational lives of younger children. Our screen time is limited with our little people on the homefront. This has sparked some interesting conversations with various family members, but I do feel there to be far greater gains with limits on screen exposure and how little people observe, interact, and respond to the world around them. That's just my personal experience.
ReplyDeleteAgreed ... screen time prevents little people and big people from exploring the world around them.
DeleteI recently moved back to the US after my oldest daughter completed her elementary education at an Italian catholic school. My youngest is now in 3rd grade in the US and I can tell you that the education my older daughter received is head and shoulders above what my youngest is experiencing. There is plenty of time for technology at home. The dictation, writing skills, oral presentation skills and general level of curriculum is much higher in the Italian system. I only wish we could back to Italy :-).
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, I share your sentiments exactly even if I try to keep it to myself most times.
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