Heavy Computer Usage Sparks Debate on Side-Effects

[Hum]

As you consider whether to arm your child with a laptop computer or iPad this Christmas, consider also which battle line to stand behind, as the fighting grows over the increasing reliance on digital devices in the classroom.

Grad schools, colleges, and even grade schools are relying more and more on Apple iPads and laptops for instruction -- and increasingly handing out computers for students to use.

Learning should be interactive, of course -- but should it be digital?

That?s a question the Hillbrook School in Los Gatos, Calif., answered recently, deciding to give iPads to every student for use in the classroom.

Several other grade schools and universities, such as the Stanford University School of Medicine, are also giving out iPads and laptops to every student. Some schools districts, such as the one in Fergus Falls, Minn., are experimenting with classes where students only tap in from home over the Internet.

Many parents are worried if all of this screen time is healthy, however. They?re concerned about possible negative side-effects of kids using computers all day at school, and fear issues with blurred vision when students get older -- or back problems from leaning over an iPad all day long.

?Schools are in the business of telling kids what to do, where to go, what to eat. They can determine, definitively, how much time a student should spend. These should be concentrated bursts of time that students spend and that time should be unlocking more information about things they are interacting with in class. They shouldn't be feeding cows on Farmville or texting their friends,? said Tom Davidson, CEO of curriculum company EverFi and a former Maine legislator.

One answer might be to provide a mix of technology, even if that does not mean every child has their own laptop at all times, said Amit Raman, CEO of educational management software company Raman InfoTech.

Raman says a good compromise is to make sure kids are exposed to a wide variety of technology, including e-mail and word processing, but the gadget they carry could be a textbook replacement device, such as an Amazon Kindle -- with coursework pre-installed, of course.

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[Growled Member]

We are becoming more and more wired. Even many of the elderly are wired these days. It's only natural that young people would be even more wired.

[Beyond Godlike]

I have back problems and vision problems now and have used a PC heavily. I work on computers and im a gamer also. Ive heard eye doctors say though theres no relation with computers to eye sight, but my back is a definitely reward of hours of gaming.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

Leaning over books all day screwed my back up, it's not a special feature of computer devices.

[Quillz]

Leaning over books all day screwed my back up, it's not a special feature of computer devices.

The problem is that books are "pure," the media these days would instead love to blame issues on "bad" things like Twitter, Facebook, computers, video games, etc.

[+Mystic MVC]

I have found that even in college that my best learning time is in a textbook or with hand written notes. Trying to dig up the few studies I've seen about the extra benefits of hand written notes but I'm a bit short on time tonight.

[x-byte]

Like with any working enviroment you need to have the right position, and also take breaks. Over doing it will alsways have side-effects no matter the activity.

[Eddo89]

It is likely digitalised school work will lead to fewer dead trees.

I personally think that instead of laptops, Kindles are a good alternative but in the end, I think hand written notes should be the way student studies with. My university generally have both the digitalised form and hand outs available, but some only have the digital form and require you to print out whatever you want. This I think is the better approach as it saves paper as not everyone uses physical notes.

But for grade school level? Whatever if this is right or wrong, computer will inevitably be more straining on the eye and when kids are growing up there may be consequence. And when you use a book, there is no one way you have to read i, you can put it on your lap, on the desk, hold it up, on the left, right, centre. A laptop have one fixed area, and that is where the damage comes from. Of course, you can also do it with a book, but at least you have the choice to move it.

That is why I think iPads, Galaxy Tab, Kindles especially (due to lack of functionality meaning there are less distractions while studying and the easier to read background) should be the primary tools of learning in the future, as they combine the mobility of textbooks with the ease of distribution of digital form. But I think only highschool and up only, I still think a good handwriting skill will always be one of those things you need in whatever you are doing. Good fast, legible, thoughtful writing, just as English and basic mathematics should be something every person should have.

[Bioran]

My school happens to be promoting a computer-to-class programme from the past few years, and my experience as a student is this:

Having your laptop with you can be a blessing at times, especially when you're stuck with a boring teacher talking about things you already know. However, it becomes an unwarranted distraction when you're in a class where you need to pay attention. (i.e. Sciences)

In fact, our Chemistry department actually did a research based on test scores and found that those who regularly uses laptops had a lower test performance, and have gone ahead to discourage us from using our laptops during class. How scientific/accurate this "research" was I can't be sure of, but I can say that it is useful in some scenarios and not in others. (I use my laptop during Biology class but not in Chem class, and I can say that I often end up stressing more about the former than the latter when it comes to revising for tests, since I usually end up paying less attention and instead wandering online)

The key IMO remains to be moderation and self-control. If you can't stop yourself from being distracted during vital classes, then don't use your electronics.

[lamminium]

Nothing beats reading a book. :)

[Hum]

Nothing beats reading a book. :)

What a novel idea ;)

[bjoswald]

"Oh, boo-hoo! My back hurts!" They say that now, but imagine how much worse we'll be if something happens to our power grids and our country goes without its precious Internet for a week. I predict complete social collapse. It's sad how dependent we are, but at the same time, I can't imagine our world without it.

[Growled Member]

What a novel idea ;)

Great reply. :D