Learning Paradox - The more kids use technology, the less likely they are to learn

 

By Cris Rowan

  

Today's education systems are globally embarking on an experiment of epic proportion - the prolific use of computers to educate children. Without long term, replicated research data to support the use of computers as effective teaching tools, school administrations blindly move forward with imposing universal computer use. Without knowledge regarding safety from electromagnetic radiation, and with knowledge showing declining literacy and academic success, schools continue to promote prevalent use of computers in learning environments. While the promise of technology in education is profound, the perils are largely ignored, and could prove to be detrimental to children in the long term. The phenomenon of "tech centric" education proliferates education systems, yet little attention is given to the glaring question "In the absence of the teacher, can a child learn"? This article by pediatric occupational therapist Cris Rowan, explores the perils associated with universal use of technology as a teaching tool, and proposes the "Learning Paradox" - the more technology a child uses, the less likely they are to learn. This article also includes a ten step plan for schools to optimize attention and learning termed "The Learning Quotient".

  

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Workshops

An interview with Cris Rowan following her workshops in Hong Kong, China.

Redefining safety for children in a technology-obsessed world - An Interview with Cris Rowan. 

Disconnect to reconnect - Squamish, BC November 16 

Well-known author and speaker Cris Rowan is coming to Squamish to shed some light on possible detriments to the generation of plugged-in youth.

Radio

WDVR FM Radio. Technology Today show, hosted by Rich Kazimir. Interview with Cris Rowan discussing Children and Technology. November 11, 2014.

Magazines

Look for Cris's article 'Tech Neglect - Disconnect from technology and reconnect with children to treat technology addictions' appearing in Holistic Parenting magazine, Issue No.7, January/February  2015

Newspapers

Huffington Post has recorded over 1.7 million Facebook likes for Cris Rowan's article 10 Reasons Why Handheld Devices Should Be Banned for Children Under the Age of 12.

Click here to see the article. 

November 16, 2014 - Squamish, BC

Workshop on the impact of technology on children sponsored by Quest University

Contact person: Luce Melancon luce.melancon@questu.ca 1-888-883-7808

January 22, 2015 - Courtney BC
Workshop on impact of technology on children with FASD sponsored by Wachiay Friendship Centre
Contact person: Allison Abraham allison@wachiay.com 250-338-7793

February 5, 6, 2015 - Rivers Inlet, BC

Workshops on self-regulation, literacy, technology balance, and attachment, sponsored by Vancouver Coastal Health grant

Contact person: Kevin Gianakos kgianakos@sd49.bc.ca 1-250-949-8881

February 19, 2015 - New York NY
Workshop on the impact of technology on children and parents sponsored by Toppan Printing Company Inc.
Contact person: Sarah Reilly SarahReilly@toppanIf.com 201-518-9715

March 6, 2015 - Vancouver, BC

Workshop on school design for success sponsored by Cross Currents Special Education Conference

Contact person: Mary Berg seaspeakers@gmail.com 

Addictions & Drug Use

Clinical Relevance of the Proposed Sexual Addiction Diagnostic Criteria: Relation to the Sexual Addiction Screening Test-Revised.

By Patrick J Carnes, Tiffany A Hopkins, Bradley A Green Journal of Addiction Medicine (Impact Factor: 1.73). 10/2014

The present article examines and compares the various diagnostic rubrics proposed to codify symptoms of sexual addiction, and then briefly summarizes the ongoing controversy on whether sexual addiction is a valid construct.

Group helps parents, kids handle video games

Suffering from Smartphone Addiction? Try a NoPhone.
Makers of the noPhone ingeniously came up with a way to overcome nomophobia.

Detoxing & Unplugging

At What Age Should We Put Kids on a Digital Media Diet?

By Natalia Kucirkova, The Open University October 25, 2014

A recent New York Times article points to a glaring inconsistency between the amount of "screen time" toddlers have using tablets, phones and computers - and the advice of many early years specialists.

Child Development

Are Kids Forgetting How to Play? 

Lack of unstructured outdoor play is affecting children's development, says expert

By Justina Reichel, Epoch Times January 29, 2014

Combine social media with TV, video games, and smartphones, and screen time is replacing human time more than ever. It may take a village to raise a child, but that village, increasingly digitized, is vanishing.

Childhood Disability

Exercise Can Be an ADHD Medication 

By Dr. Mercola October 17, 2014

Recently reported, new research suggests "exercise is ADHD medication,"1 and should be "prescribed" to any child who's struggling to maintain focus and resist distractions at school (or elsewhere). 

Why French Kids Don't Have ADHD

French children don't need medications to control their behavior.
Published on March 8, 2012 by Marilyn Wedge, Ph.D.  in Suffer the Children
In the United States, at least 9% of school-aged children have been diagnosed with ADHD, and are taking pharmaceutical medications. In France, the percentage of kids diagnosed and medicated for ADHD is less than .5%. How come the epidemic of ADHD-which has become firmly established in the United States-has almost completely passed over children in France?.

Education Technology

Los Angeles Unified School District Accommodates Teacher Who Fell Ill After Wireless Installation

Students were bleeding from the ears and nose and no incident reports were allowed by the school states the teacher who required medical intervention.

 Publsihed on PRLog October 10, 2014
On September 18, 2014, LAUSD, the second largest public school district in the US, officially accommodated teacher Ms. Anura Lawson by approving her request to have the Wi-Fi turned off in her classroom during the 2014-2015 school year and alternatively approving a reassignment to a different school site where Wi-Fi has yet to be installed.

Social Media & Mobile Technology

5 Tips to Protect Your Child from Digital Dangers

By Ben Halpert | October 23, 2014

What happens if you teach your child about security, privacy, empathy, bully response, screen-time balance, and other aspects of cyber ethics starting at three years old?

Seniors citizens flock to Facebook 

By Jessica Contrera October 23, 2014 in The Washington Post
Since 2000, the number of adults 65 and older who use the Internet has increased from 14 percent to 59 percent. And in that group, nearly half usea social networking site such as Facebook.

Put Your Phone Away and Pay Attention to Your Kids

Chinese city gives smartphone users their own sidewalk lane

By Luke Dormehl September 14, 2014

Tools like hands-free kits and Siri might mean that you don't have to have your face constantly buried in your iPhone, but for most people the reality is that using a smartphone suggests your focus is not entirely on the real world around you.
Tackling this problem head-on is a place called Foreigner Street in Chongqing city, China, which has installed a special walking lane for smartphone users.

Programs, Tools & Techniques

Control Screens So They Don't Control Your Family 

Is technology pitting you against your kids with endless power struggles over video games, TV, cell phones and social media? Do you feel pressure to give your toddler an iPad already? Are you afraid your child's imagination, creativity, and social skills are being stunted by reliance on technology? Are your teens pulling away, afraid they will miss out if they are not online 24/7?

Stop the constant power struggles. Every family must listen to this together WITH their kids.

Is Meditation Really Worth It?

The SelfDesign Learning Community is among the largest distance/distributed learning schools and personalized learning programs in British Columbia, Canada. Funded by the BC Ministry of Education, SelfDesign enables learners to complete K-12 by exploring their passions and taking the lead in their own learning and life. With personalized guidance from BC-certified educators, learning unfolds at home and within local and online communities.
 

Video Games
 

Feminist Critics of Video Games Facing Threats in ‘GamerGate’ Campaign 

By Nick Wingfield published October 15, 2014 in the New York Times.

The atmosphere has become so toxic that critics and developers are urging big companies in the $70-billion-a-year video game industry to do more to stop it.

For South Korea, E-Sports Is National Pastime 

By Paul Mozur published October 19, 2014 in The New York Times

"In Korea, games are the barometer of the generation gap," he said in an interview. Parents view games as distractions from studying, he said, while children see them as an important part of their social existence. Mr. Jun is promoting new educational guidelines that encourage schools to warn students about addiction, while also helping parents better understand gaming. "The best way to avoid addiction is for families to play games together," he said.

Biometrics For A Better Gaming Experience 

Some game designers are looking to biometric feedback as a way to make video games more immersive and more personal than ever.

Miscellaneous

The Limits of Friendship 

By Maria Konnikova, published October 7, 2014 in The New Yorker

With social media, we can easily keep up with the lives and interests of far more than a hundred and fifty people. But without investing the face-to-face time, we lack deeper connections to them, and the time we invest in superficial relationships comes at the expense of more profound ones.

The Influence of Pornography on Sexual Scripts and Hooking Up Among Emerging Adults in College
By Braithwaite SR, Coulson G, Keddington K, Fincham FD. Published September 20, 2014
The explosive growth in access to the Internet has led to a commensurate increase in the availability, anonymity, and affordability of pornography. An emerging body of research has shown associations between pornography and certain behaviors and attitudes; yet, how pornography actually influences these outcomes has not been documented.

Why CFL's Aren't Such a Bright Idea 

Are energy efficient bulbs getting on your nerves?

By Victoria L. Dunckley, M.D. in Mental Wealth September 15, 2014New (and old) research points to fluorescent light causing not just poor sleep, but physiological stress reactions. In light of rising neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism and ADHD seen in children, are energy-saving CFL's costing us dearly?

Ways Caregivers Impact Brain Development