The Overdominance of Computers

Overview

In the article “The Overdominance of Computers” Lowell W. Monke talks about how the push for technology in school may be hurting students rather then helping them. In school students are being introduced to technology at a very young age and because of this they may be losing out on other key factors of their development. Students are having less interaction with adults and are learning from computers rather than face to face. Students need to learn important life lessons such as commitment, loyalty and tradition so that when they read the “bottom line” of a spreadsheet they have a greater understanding of what is behind the numbers.

With children in the younger grades educators need to ask themselves if using computers takes away valuable time from other activities. Students need to be engaged in experiences such as free play, outdoor activities, loving relationships with adults, music, and drama.


Reference Points

“…face to face interaction is one of the most important ingredients in reading readiness.”

“…the more access students had to computers in school and at home, the lower their overall test scores were.”

“What students will most need to meet the serious demands of the 21st century is the wisdom that grows out of these inner human capacities and that is developed by community involvement.”

“By compensating for the dominance of technology in students’ everyday lives, schools might help restore the balance we need to create a more humane society.”


Reflections

I think this is a wonderful article and I wish more people would think about the effect of technology on kids. I have always thought that students are being introduced to technology too young and use it too often. I remember playing in the backyard with my friends after school, when now students go home and go on the internet, talk on their cell phones, and generally have less face to face interaction. In my mind there is no need for a child in kindergarten to be playing on the computer during school. I worked at an elementary school where students would be on computers in the library playing games that read books to them. What happened to a PERSON reading books to them. When I was that age (man that makes me sound old) I looked forward to story hour at the library, it was always lots of fun and engaging. Now we need a computer to engage our students. That’s crazy.

I have to wonder what is going to happen to our schools if we keep going the way we are going. Is it going to be less human interaction? We want to give the next generation so much, but what are we taking away from them. How many children these days sit around and just day dream? I bet a lot less then ten years ago. What is wrong with going out in the woods and playing fort rather than playing a computer game with a fort on it? If schools really want to give students the best they need to look at the whole picture!