Me!
So my son is now ten, here is a picture of me reading to him when he was about two weeks old. My daughter is now seven and we’ve been reading to her since before she was born. Having struggled with English as a child, I am an avid reader with my children. We read every day including on vacations and on holidays without exception. Sometimes we read for 30+ minutes a day, other times its for 60 seconds reading a the fine print on the back of a Disney ticket. I remember when my kids started crawling, it became hard to read to them because they wouldn’t sit still. So I would read to them when they are taking a bath or in the car when they are in their seat. I guess the first thing I think of in relating this course to my own life is how much my children’s world has changed over the last ten years that they’ve been around. When both my kids were learning to read, we used Starfall.com a lot. Now, my son and I mostly read from our Chromebooks or other tablet devices whenever possible. Its just easier with no late fees and access to any book you want any time. For better or worse, paper and print is a last resort for us. What I am unsure about is if my children are lucky or being deprived? Or is it a sideways movement where its simply a different way of doing things – not better or worse.
Anyways, my name is Daniel Chow. I’ve been teaching for ten years here in Vancouver BC. I only teach part time now and the other half of the time I manage the IT network and basically anything that has an IP address in my school. That now includes our TVs (digital signage), telehpones, PA system and soon our clocks too! I always joke it won’t be long until we all have our own personal IP address.
Welcome Daniel! The idea of a personal IP address is fascinating, I love it. It is perfect for a dystopian story.
Remember this post, I bet we are not too far away from that. Our clocks at school were the last things I thought would need an IP address (they synchronize the time to an atomic clock in Maryland, same place where our servers synch).
What an amazing picture! I have to get someone to take a picture tomorrow evening of our nightly routine here! Even our dog is involved in story time!
You’ve captured the importance of text at all ages! The more interaction children have with text the more comfortable and literate they become as they grow. Way to go, Super Dad!
Tina! Wonderful to see you here too! Not so much super-dad, just don’t want my kids to struggle with English like I did. That’s all!
I have a 18 month old son and I also struggle with how much screen time he gets. Although I have never directly encouraged my son to use mobile devices, he has definitely seen my husband and I use these devices to communicate with the world, to gather information about the world and to entertain. And like any baby, his curiosity gets the better of him and he wants a chance to explore the devices. It is unclear whether such exposure is a benefit or a detriment. Some believe that this is reason why teenagers of the twenty first century are so dependent on their mobile devices, lack social skills, are faced with obesity, and unable to function in a school setting. Others believe that such exposure will prepare the children for the future. For me, I am still undecided and I am hoping that this course can shed some light on the matter. I do find that it is interesting how our children will be one of the first generation of individuals who would have grown up surrounded by mobile and dynamic text. I am curious how this plays out in the long run. Nice to meet you and your son.
It has been a revolution in technology since my son was born in 2005. Consider this: in 2005, Youtube just got started in the basement of two guys (their mother’s house)! It would be two more years before the iPhone came out and four years before the iPad.
I don’t like the idea of either extreme – outright banning all devices, computers and TV or using devices as a pacifier. Somewhere between those extremes is a happy mid point. For my ten and seven year old, I’ve always believed in a well rounded experience. They should be good in school and academics, involved in performing or visual arts, athletics and they should also have a good dose of unorganized mindless fun.
This doesn’t yet apply to your 18 month old, but for my 10 year old, I feel he is approaching the age where he may be able to learn to regulate his own screen time. If he understands the value of a balanced experience (which he can), he might be able to self regulate which would be the ideal.
Hi Daniel,
I like your question looking at whether we are lucky or depriving our children/students by the use of technology. I think that this is a particularly interesting question that often comes up amongst my staff. I think that it is important to have a good mix of both mediums as both not only prepares us for the future but helps us to navigate and interact in our current spaces. Looking forward to working with you over the next several weeks!
Laura
Yea it is a good question to ponder. I think you’re right … a balanced experience is best. Laura, lets get this course started!
Hi Daniel,
What a wonderful image you have shared! When my kids were small, limits on TV and very early exposure to computers were the great controversy. I remember when Dr. Charles Ungerleider, UBC, came and spoke at our Preschool and he said it’s better to teach your children how to find the off switch than to restrict their entire exposure to new technologies, otherwise, the forbidden thing will be the thing that attracts them the most. It’s great to see when parents, such as yourself, incorporate reading as a major activity in daily life. Looking forward to working with you this summer.
~Sandra
Great picture, Daniel! It sounds like you are working two full time jobs! 😉
I recently heard a news report regarding how quickly we are running out of IP addresses. There is a new system with infinite numbers but converting to it will be very time consuming and expensive. Interesting, the things we never really think about!