Re: [Slightly OT] Philosophy (was Re: Replacement for Abiword: LyX? Openoffice?)
On Tue, 2003-10-21 at 17:07, Ben Armstrong wrote:
> On Tue, Oct 21, 2003 at 04:13:49PM -0500, Ron Johnson wrote:
> > Why expose children to computers at such a young age? Shouldn't
> > they be running and jumping, playing with toys, coloring, cutting,
> > riding bike/scooter, etc, instead?
>
> You talk about that as if "exposing" should be a carefully controlled thing.
> I neither "expose" nor "shield" my 2 year-old from computers. They are
ok, "expose" was the wrong word, since I used vim for a short
time when teaching him the alphabet.
> simply there, begging to be interacted with: by banging on the keyboard,
> playing with the monitor controls, and rebooting them regularly. ;)
>
> With my 2-year-old, all I really want to do is take her natural urge to
> explore her environment and guide it gently in areas that I think she'd
> enjoy. That's the same impetus for "exposing" all of my children to
> computers.
When one is sitting in front of the computer, one is not running,
jumping, reading books, etc.
For example, if I'd had a computer when I was young, there's no
way that I'd have read so many books, and, thus, even though my
joystick skills would be more highly developed, my intellect and
"world exposure" would be much diminished.
> And why should any of that be to the exclusion of running, jumping, or any
> of the other things you mentioned? All of the children do those things
> without any prompting at all, and we give them plenty of opportunities to
> develop in those ways.
Ok, here's another provocative question: why is it needed? Anyone
over 40 grew up without computers, and there are lots of 40+ geeks.
(Those of us who are 40+ can attest to this.)
Yes, computers are better than the TV, but the kids are going to be
in front of them so often (young people going into the military are
much heavier, and less in shape than they used to be) for the rest
of their lives. So, pushing it back for a couple of years can't
hurt them.
> > Yes, I have 2 young children: boy aged 5.67, girl aged 4.25, and
> > yes, I am a database administrator (after being a programmer for
> > many years), and I've been very successful at it, while not having
> > been exposed to computers until 12th grade. (Although I could have
> > used WordStar to type book reports & term papers.)
>
> I have five children, all of whom use the computer in varying degrees, and
> all of whom discovered them early in life. I, too, have a background in
> computers, but I came to it much earlier in life: at around age 8. I don't
> think the early exposure has warped me, but then again, maybe it has, and
> I'm just too warped to realize it. :)
>
> If it were a matter of deciding whether to *push* computers on children at
> an early age or not, I would see your point. But they are such a part of
Which lots of parents are doing.
> life now that I would have to actively *shield* my children from them to
> avoid this "exposure" that you seem to think is detrimental to their
> development.
I won't be able to shield them for long, whether I want to or not....
When they turn 6-7, it will be interesting to teach them Python
if they are interested.
> I'm not willing to do that, nor do I really see the point. So
> long as everything is kept in proper balance (just as I wouldn't feed your
> 2-year-old a diet of junk food, neither do I plunk the kids in front of the
> computer for hours at a time) using computers at an early age can be a fun
> and constructive part of their growing up, without taking away from all of
> the other more classically "kid" things that kids do.
But, as I said before, when they're in front of the computer, they
aren't doing "the other things".
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Ron Johnson, Jr. ron.l.johnson@cox.net
Jefferson, LA USA
"I have been assured by a very knowing American of my
acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is
at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food,
whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt
that it will equally serve in a fricassee or a ragout."
A MODEST PROPOSAL FOR PREVENTING THE CHILDREN OF POOR PEOPLE IN
IRELAND FROM BEING A BURDEN TO THEIR PARENTS OR COUNTRY
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