Reaction to this weeks articles....

All three of the articles for this week related to the fact that children today are growing up in a ever growing technological world. This can be both a negative and positive thing. According to Carmen Luke, author of What Next? Toddler Netizens, Playstation Thumb, Techno-literacies he stresses the importance of incorporating technology in the classroom because of the impact it has in our world. He also discusses his four major issues relating to the influences of media.

After reading the article Zero to Six, I was surprised by the overwhelming amount of media children are exposed to in today's world. I know there are a lot of technological things out there today like game boys, ipods and computers, but I didn't realize how much there really was. The article stated that "99% of children live in a home with with a TV set, and half have three or more TV s." Reading these numbers made me think back to when I was growing up. I can remember sitting with my family and watching certain TV programs like the Muppet Show, Family Ties and the Cosby Show. We only had one TV in our house therefore we sat and watched the programs together. It was something that we did as a family. Today that is no longer the situation since most kids have their own TV's.

Another point that I found interesting was that children who are six and under are actively using the computer. I think that fact alone shows how our world is changing because of technology. I wasn't exposed to a computer until middle school and we didn't have one in our home until years later. I think this early exposure is something that is beneficial to children today. They have the opportunity to be creative and have the exposure to numerous educational programs that are enjoyable for them.

In the article, Children Online: learning in a virtual community of practice, the author discusses the role of communities and how it plays a role in children and how they learn. I was interested in reading about the online community that was developed by a thirteen year old girl named Elianna. This community which was called "The Gathering of the Elves," was developed with the help and input of her community and friends. This is an example of the positive effects technology can have on young children.