A Few Technology Statistics Worth Noting
In his book entitled “Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction is Hijacking Our Kids,” Nicholas Kardaras, Ph.D., an addiction expert, states that technology has profoundly affected the brains of children―and not for the better. Listed below are excerpts taken from his book. I recommend reading the entire book before your children leave Redeemer Day School.
p. 31 – The most tech-cautious parents are the people who invented our i-culture. Having once believed that technology was the educational panacea, Steve Jobs stated that technology cannot fix education. In fact, he was a conservative parent when it came to his child using technology. How interesting…!
p. 31 – Dr. Jane Healy spent years doing research into computer use in schools and had expected to find that computers in the classroom would be a wonderful tool for learning. Yet, she found exactly the opposite: “time on the computer might interfere with development of everything from the young child’s motor skills to his or her ability to think logically and distinguish between reality and fantasy.”
p. 31 – It’s ironic that tech savvy parents (Google, Apple or Yahoo) send their children to a no-tech school like the Waldorf School in Los Altos, CA. Alan Eagle, an exec with Google says, “I fundamentally reject the notion that you need technology aids (tools) in grammar school (elementary school).” These tech savvy parents appreciate the importance of developing healthy minds and learning through creative hands-on tasks and understand that computers inhibit rather than strengthen the development of their children’s young brains.” Are alarm bells going off? They should be!
p. 33 – “Research shows that the brain retains information better read from paper than from a screen and that students who take notes by hand are more successful on tests than those who type their notes on a computer.” The brain remembers what the hand writes better than what it types.
p. 43 – A brain imaging study from Indiana University School of Medicine did brain scans of non-gamers. Then, they had the non-gamers play video games for several weeks. Next, these same brains were scanned post-video gaming. That study clearly showed neurobiological changes in the brain that were indeed a direct result of the video game playing – brain changes that mirrored those of drug addiction.
p. 46 – “Memory like language is a skill that requires practice and use, otherwise one’s memory abilities begin to atrophy.” “Thanks to modern science, we have brain imaging research that clearly shows that engaging in memory practice can actually strengthen our brains and increase our gray matter.” I wonder this: is core knowledge becoming passe since we are living in the information age and can ‘Google it’?
p. 47 “The human brain remains ‘plastic’ (neuroplasticity) even into adult life, allowing it to adapt when we learn new tasks.” A fascinating fact in this book had to do with the knowledge base required of London taxicab drivers to pass their examination. There was a change in gray matter in the hippocampus when prepping for the exam – a most rigorous one, at that.
I encourage you to know the technology policies of the school your children will be attending as they matriculate from Redeemer Day School. In addition, read our book study selection for this semester, “The Tech-Wise Family” by Andy Crouch with new insights and research from Barna.
