Education is a means to discover new things and enables one to develop knowledge. To broaden one’s horizon, academic knowledge alone is not sufficient; we need exposure to practical knowledge in our learning. Children should be given space to be creative when they learn. This enables them to think out of box and come up with some new ideas and innovations. With proper guidance, children can lead the world.
Due to the pandemic children are attending online classes. They are exposed more to the screen. Given the right training and the right platform they can utilize their time productively.
If we do not allow children exposure to the latest technologies, they will lag behind their peers. It’s the responsibility of the parents and the teachers to guide children and show them the correct path.
Screen time is the amount of time spent in front of a screen, be it television, computer monitor, tablet or Smartphone. Screen time is, quite literally, any time spent in front of a screen. For the previous generations, that meant television. But today’s children have far more options, with laptops, tablets, smart phones and other screens everywhere.
Children can be empowered by teaching them to CREATE. Making their own games, animations, stories, web pages, apps …. is a more fruitful way of exposure to screen time than just wasting their time by playing video games or watching television.
With technology constantly changing, there are many multi-media tools which we use daily for socializing, education, work, research, and entertainment. While media use can be fun, and even educational, kids can get screen-time overloaded without realizing.
Screen time and learning
When balanced with other activities, screen time can be good for children’s learning and development. This can happen when children:
- Use age-appropriate, good-quality digital media – for example, when children play a video game that involves critical or creative thinking
- Have a purpose in mind when using screens – for example, when children go online to find instructions for a craft activity
- Get new ideas for traditional play from screen use – for example, playing Minecraft gets children interested in designing buildings with boxes, glue and paper
- Produce content rather than just consuming it – for example, when children write a blog, use an app to create music, or films and edit short movies.
Using screen time to develop new skills
Screen time can help children develop:
- Digital skills – for example, by learning video-editing skills through doing a video about a school excursion
- Creative skills – for example, by drawing, or creating content like video clips, animations or comics
- Problem-solving skills – for example, by working on the most appropriate way to dress the online characters in different seasons, or looking at the possible results of virtual science experiments
- Communication skills – for example, by learning another language or chatting to friends or relatives on a video call
- Social skills – for example, by playing games that involve turn-taking, or playing as part of a team.
To make your child’s screen time more productive make sure they are doing something which can enhance their skills and which makes them more intelligent and creative. A known fact is that too much exposure to digital screens can lead to negative consequences. Exceeding normal screen time limits can damage eyesight as well as cause fatigue, both physical and mental. Children might gain an unhealthy amount of weight, suffer from irregular sleeping schedules, and also become anti-social. Thus, it’s necessary to set time restrictions and include ample off-screen breaks during the day. For children aged between 2-5, good screen time would be one hour at max. For older children, three to four hours should be the norm.
