Humans or Machines?: Questioning Priorities for Kids in a Digital Age
Jane M. Healy, Ph.D.
Our children have become guinea pigs in an experiment that highlights the growing tension between technological and humanistic goals. Massive funding is committed to purchasing computers and related products--with the simplistic (and totally unsupported) notion that new machinery will somehow "prepare kids for the future." But we rarely consider what qualities will truly enable students to survive, much less thrive, in a technological future. Will it be glitzy machines or the human values essential to healthy development--of the society as well as the individual?
When I was doing my research for my book on computers and the growing brain, one superintendent summed up the tension he was feeling as we discussed his systemıs new full-speed technology budget, "I feel as if weıre being carried down a river--we donıt know where weıre going or why, but everyoneıs jumping aboard because theyıre afraid theyıll miss the boat! But what are we displacing?"
I spent over two years observing youngsters using computers in classrooms and homes when I was writing my book, ("Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect our Childrenıs Minds--and What We Can Do About It":Simon & Schuster). In it I describe many examples of what I saw--both good and bad--and attempt to draw up guidelines to make technology an asset to intelligence rather than a "dumber-down" of our studentsı potential. Unfortunately, in both classrooms and homes, by far the most common uses of computers are much more likely to erode rather than enhance mental and physical development! As just a few examples, parents and teachers need strong guidelines on how to select good software, promote positive Internet use, and abide by standards for youngstersı physical safety: eyes, backs, wrists, nervous systems, etc. "Failure to Connect" provides these. It also traces the development of the brain through different stages of childhood and adolescence, with recommendations on what kind of computer use might (or might not) be most appropriate at each age.
I am personally a computer enthusiast long fascinated by this machineıs potential to both teach and discover important truths about human learning. Yet I am dismayed by the current scene. Corporate and techie hype to the contrary, no research has thus far documented any gains in learning that even begin to justify the pressure to digitize kids--at home as well as at school . Personally, I hold that normally developing children under age seven donıt even need--and may be much better off without computers, since flashy technology in the lower grades all too easily distracts children and teachers from the real developmental tasks at hand: language, social, and psycho-motor skills to undergird personal and academic success in later years. If these critical periods of brain and body development are missed, we may find that kids supposedly "prepared for the future" have actually become guinea pigs in a failed experiment.
I believe we will eventually see major benefits of newer technologies in the classroom. Already well-conceived simulations are leading middle schoolers to better understanding of some math and science concepts, and the Internet is a valuable portal in many good teachersı lesson plans. But the GOOD TEACHER remains an essential ingredient and is not about to go out of style just because we have "smart machines!" And new technologies add many financial demands, such as expert technical support and upgrades, that sap critical funding from libraries, art and music programs, drama, and special services for important needs.
What really constitutes good preparation for the future? Three-dimensional human experience, physical activities, the arts, in-depth learning, and the time-consuming, hands-on developmental process of constructing a human mind and soul. Certainly not the point-and-click mentality that seriously compromises attention, motivation, language use and problem-solving strategies. At the right age, certain types of computer software may enhance some visual skills, but blasting oneıs way through most of todayıs so-called "edutainment software" builds habits (and brain connections) antagonistic to sustained concentration in math problem-solving, reading comprehension, or even solving social disagreements.
We should, of course, be focusing on age-appropriate technology guidelines, but the last thing the industry wants is for people to become more selective (and intelligent) consumers of their products, and a massive advertising campaign targets parents of children as young as 8 months!
Adults responsible for young peopleıs development must engage in serious conversation about technology vs. the human element in youngstersı lives, examining both risks and benefits of wiring youngsters up to machines. Perhaps we actually need to reconsider the very purpose of human development, the education that will foster it, and the way human mentors and electronic adjuncts may combine to facilitate the process. If we fail to teach our children to respect and cultivate their uniquely human qualities, we may be preparing them to be subjects rather than masters of the powerful forces inherent in artificial intelligence.