While working my way through this weeks content, an activity arose that asked us to construct a list of ICT’s that we have used. The activity went into detail about finding the specifications that your computer run on. This got me thinking about how many adults can actually find this without being shown the way. Lucky for me I have had to find them before and know when to look but I believe that most adults wouldn’t be able to, however if you ask a child they would be there before you could say PowerPoint Presentation.
A child’s ability to successful find this information so quickly, can be shown by a study done by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The study found that of children aged 5-14, only 66% played some sort of organised sport whereas 85% have participated in some form of screen-based activity.
For the full article – http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/4156.0.55.001~June+2013~Main+Features~Square+eyes+and+couch+potatoes:+Children’s+participation+in+physical+activity+and+screen-based+activities?OpenDocument
Since, my background is PE, these statistics really get me frustrated with technology and make it hard for me to promote ICT in the classroom. If the classroom becomes a 100% technology zone, some children may become exposed to technology 24/7. The only time some children may be technology free is at school, so having a classroom focused on technology, could cause health for that child further down the road.
Ben Meiklejohn 