The eternal struggle......

The recent lectures with Mandy, and the visit of Simon Pridham, which extolled the benefits of technology in the classroom led me to reflect on my own attitude towards technology and how my children interact with it at home. Whilst I fully support and understand the development of technology for learning in the classroom paradigm,  I have a ongoing battle with my conscience over the use of games consoles and mobile devices in my house. Part of me understands and accepts that my children are full blown digital natives, and that it would be foolish not to relax and allow the inexorable tide of technology to wash over us. Another part of me is constantly analysing how much time they spend doing other activities - am I getting the balance right? Are screens a convenient substitute for my attention? Do they get enough exercise and fresh air?

 The bottom line is that no matter what the situation is, as a parent, I will always feel that I should be doing better. It is the nature of things. The reality is that my children are healthy and active boys, who have been lucky enough to grow up in a rural setting which encourages outdoor activities. More often that not, they will choose to go out rather than sit in front of a screen, disappearing out of the door armed with a football or a bike, only returning for food and clean clothes.

Maybe this battle is magnified in my own mind. They certainly appear to have found a natural balance between technology and traditional leisure activities, which allows them to be digitally literate and physically healthy.  I think that as a parent, as long as you maintain a sense of perspective, and accept that technology can be your friend, things do pan out.

I found a blog which is written by an American mother of four, who encapsulates the dilemma rather well. She, like many of us on this course, is straddling the line between what I like to call "technofear" and "technojoy".

You can read her post here.