After being a nanny for four years when I was in college, I learned that not all technology is good for children to learn. While technology like computers and the internet has certainly made research and education easier, children are not interested in learning, they are more interesting in using the computer for entertainment. Children are also less likely to be able to entertain themselves because they are so used to having technology entertain them.
Computers are making an appearance in every classroom. Children can now email their homework to their teacher and their teacher can email them homework if they have missed a class. Children are no longer learning penmanship, rather they are learning to type and use the computer. While I understand the importance of introducing children to the computer because they will being using technology for the rest of their lives, I just feel that their exposure to technology should be limited. We have many websites that educates children in a playful manner, all we have to do is to choose the best website using an online survey software, which is very important.
In my experience children who are constantly being entertained by technology are less likely to be creative. They cannot imagine a world outside of the one that they play in on their Xbox or on their computer. Children should be allowed to play video games if the parents also play, but their time on the systems should be limited. Children should be encouraged to play outside, invent new games, and do things that are creative.
Children are also learning to rely on technology to correct any mistake that they make when they are learning. Rather than learning to spell, children rely on spell check to fix their mistakes and a calculator to do their math for them. While spell check and calculators where invented to make life easier, children should not be taught to rely on them for everything, that is not how children learn.