Time To Answer The Big Questions Over Children Using The Internet
7 yrs old Cassie studying at Geelong primary schools was extremely happy when her
teacher said that the environmental science project on plant life cycle has to be done over the internet. There was a separate note in her school diary for her parent to guide through this. For Cassie who always see her aunts and cousins talking to her mom and dad over Skype and see her mother engrossed many a times chatting with her colleagues and friends over the internet, this was her first chance to get exposed the magic word she just learnt to utter, the internet.
Cassie remembered that her mother told her once how important is to get internet. She explained that anything you want to know or see you get over it. Explained this Cassie was keen to know if she can ask for a doll or chocolate over it and her mom smiled and replied in affirmation.
Well just like Cassie there are hundreds of children who are coming to know about web power. For now when schools have also started to bring a change in methods involving this technology the days are not far when instead of writing A, B, C children would type it. Colorful presentations through printers would just make the competition tougher and something if they dont know they would just browse and search over the web instead of asking the teacher.
Benefits of the technological era of school education are evident and commendable but who will make the generation understand where to draw the line?
Many a times mothers on parenting forum are found asking should I allow my 12 year old daughter or son surf internet individually? Scared of knowing the mature content before they age is the major reason here. But if internet behavior is socially acceptable for adults and involvement for children has already begun would it be justified to restrict them? And if yes will that be easy to monitor what our generation is getting exposed to?
The answer is difficult but not impossible. We have to understand that having change is the start of something good and something bad. Especially for children in school years a strong base of understanding the needful is to be made. For this both school and parents have to jointly make efforts. An interactive approach between both the parties would help children realize the benefits more as compared to the non benefits.
Whether it is Geelong secondary schools or other known schools this initiative has to be taken collectively.