Article Assessment: The Overdominance of Computers

In this article Monke goes into depth on the omnipresent use of the computer, coming in various forms, in education and in the home lives of adolescents.  Monke contends that Children are being so inundated with technology that they are growing up lacking the fundamental life skills that are needed to be a functioning and valuable member of society.  Monke is not against all computer use, just the manner in which technology has been implemented into the educational lives and the homes of today's youth.

 First children need to be taught these fundamental core values that contribute to students becoming better citizens latter in life.  

Monke says: "[...] it is the lack of qualities like hope, compassion, trust, respect, a sense of belonging, moral judgement, stability, community support, parental care, and teacher competence and enthusiasm that keeps so many students imprisoned in ignorance."  

Along with the disconnect of these core values Monke finds that children who engage more frequently with the digital world have also have a disconnect with reality that can be quite debilitating.  With a perception of reality that is based in the digital world children will never be able to contend with the monumental tasks that will be left for them by our generation.

Dealing with global climate change, energy independence, the global financial crisis, the possibility of nuclear disasters, and many others will be virtually impossible for children at this stage.  

Ultimately Monke says that better preparation in technology education needs to begin at the elementary level and carried out at home as well to avoid the need to make corrections in student understanding later in life.  "How can young people develop the wisdom to judge high technology if they are told from the moment they enter school, implicitly if not explicitly, that they need high-tech tools to learn, to communicate, to think?"

Monk notes the following as important educational experiences for children:

• Close, loving relationships with responsible adults.
• Outdoor activity, nature exploration, gardening, and other encounters with nature.
• Time for unstructured play as part of the core curriculum.
• Music, drama, puppetry, dance, painting, and other arts, both as separate classes and as a catalyst to bring other academic subjects to life.
• Conversations with important adults, as well as poetry, storytelling, and hearing books read aloud.

These experiences help to bring students more in touch with the real world, but to not exclude the use of technology to further student understanding.  Technological inputs to this educational process need to remain simple and should not widen the gap between student understanding and the real world, but should enhance that understanding.